Angola: Ethno-photographic route

Day 1 (Saturday, July 31): LUANDA - LUBANGO (domestic flight 1h)
Arrival. Visa processing at the airport. Transfer to the airport for domestic flights. Flight to Lubango (1h). Arrival in the south of the country. Transfer to the Vanjul Lodge hotel. HB (dinner)

Day 2: LUBANGO - HANDA TRIBE - MUILA DE LLANURA TRIBE - LUBANGO (2h)
Breakfast. We will initiate contact with the different tribes through the Nyaneka group. First we will go to the Hoque market to meet the fairies. Only women over 50 are traditional but they are highly decorated and spectacular. We will know aspects of their culture and we will carry out a photographic session in a discreet area of ??the market. We will continue to the territory of the lowland muilas, related to the fairies. We will set up camp next to a village and after chatting with the soba (traditional chief) we will begin the visit of the village to learn about the reality of this ethnic group. Transfer to the Vanjul Lodge hotel. HB (lunch)

Day 3: LUBANGO - CHIBIA - MUILAS DE MONTAÑA (2h)
Breakfast and route to the colonial city of Chibia. Urban tour and afternoon visit to the Mukuma market where the mountain muilas come, more traditional than those of the plains. We will camp in a mountain town to get to know the reality of this town up close and to be able to take a photo session. Night in tents. FB

Day 4: MUILAS DE MONTAÑA - GAMBUE TRIBE - SAN TRIBE (2h)
Breakfast. Farewell to the mountains of Huila and route south. We will stop in Gambue villages en route. In this case, as in that of the fairies and muilas of the plain, it is the older women who dress in a more traditional way. After visiting a gambue village we will continue to a camp of the hunter and gatherer tribe of the sanes. We will learn about aspects of their current way of life and we will take photographs of the people in their ecosystem. Night in tents. FB

Days 5, 6 and 7: GAMBUE - DIMBA TRIBE - HAKAONA TRIBE - TUA TRIBE (5h)
We will take advantage of the first lights to carry out a photography session with the sanes collecting near the rocks, their traditional habitat. We will say goodbye to the region and we will enter herero cattle territory. The first tribe of this ethno-linguistic group are the dimbas, famous for their afro hairstyles. We will continue along a dirt track in quite poor condition to the Oncocua area where we can admire the beauty of the Hakaon women, also known as black himba. After a tour of the Oncocua market we will be introduced by the local guide to the socio-cultural reality of this remote region of Angola. The original inhabitants are the túas, a mixture of sanes with Bantu who live from gathering and hunting. They are at the bottom of the social ladder. They are followed by the Hakaonas, goat herders. Finally, the Himba with their large herds are at the top of the social ladder. We will visit and live with the 3 communities to learn about their way of life and to be able to photograph them. Night in tents. FB

Day 8: ONCOCUA - LUBANGO (7h)
Breakfast and last photos of the Himba and Hakaonas. We will continue to Cahama where we will have lunch and spend the night at the Vanjul Lodge Hotel where we can comfortably shower and rest before starting the last stage of this ethno-photographic journey. HB (picnic lunch)

Day 9: LUBANGO - NAMIBE - CUEPE TRIBE (4h)
Breakfast and route to the desert zone of Namibe. The landscape changes radically as well as the tribes that we will visit. We will stop for lunch in Namibe city and take a walking tour through the colonial zone. We will continue to the territory of the Cuepes, the oldest tribe in this part of Africa and of which only 150 individuals remain. We will greet the soba (chief) and take the first photos of the desert environment. Shops FB

Day 10: CUEPE - VIREI - CUBAL TRIBE (3h)
Last photos. The sunrise in the desert is shocking. Farewell to the cuepes and route to the interior (dry scrub). We will reach the wildest tribal area in Angola, the territory of the cubales that were not conquered by the Portuguese until 1936. Camping near the paintings of Tchitundo Hulo and coexistence with nomadic cubales. Women stand out for having their breasts tight with vegetable strings. Shops FB

Day 11: CUBAL - NAMIBE - NGENDELENGO TRIBE (3h30)
Last photos with the Cuban tribe. We will continue to the animist cemetery of Virei where the traditional mucubales are buried and we will continue to Namibe. Lunch on the waterfront and route to the Leba mountains. Arriving at the base of the forested mountains of Leba we will visit our last tribe, the Ngendelengos famous for their Mohawk hairstyles and geisha style headdresses. We will spend the night in one of its villages. Shops HB (dinner)

Day 12: NGUENDELENGO TRIBE - LUBANGO - LUANDA
Last photos in this beautiful forest area. We will say goodbye to the nguendelengos and continue to Lubango. Lunch and last visits to the colonial center. At night we will catch a flight to Luanda. Night at the Hotel Ilha Mar. B&B

Day 13 (August 12): LUANDA - FLIGHT HOME
Breakfast. Free day until transfer to the airport. Night flight. B&B

END OF OUR SERVICES

TRAVEL INFORMATION


Angola Visa
A valid passport and a visa are required for travel to Angola. Applications for visas can be made online (pre-visa) or in advance in the travelers’ home country. Last Places assists all travelers that need any type of help applying for the online visa or at the embassy. We recommend that passports be valid for six months from date of arrival.



Vaccines and Travel Health
A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate is essential for entry to Angola. Malaria is prevalent in the country. It is wise to take Malaria prophylaxis when travelling through Angola. Water supply is unsafe to drink, visitors should drink bottle water. Visitors should also avoid eating unpeeled, unwashed fruit and vegetables. The milk in Angola is unpasteurized and should be boiled; alternatively use tinned milk reconstituted with bottle water.


Security in Angola
Angola is a safe country in general terms. Land mines have been removed from most of the country except in some remote regions of Cuando Cuvango where Last Places does not normally travel to. We recommend to be aware of pick pocketing in crowded streets of Luanda and not to walk around city centre too late in the night if you are not accompanied by a local guide or group of local friends that are familiar with the streets of Luanda. It is strongly recommended not to drive during the night in the countryside because of the potential risk of your car hitting a wild or domestic animal.


When to go to Angola
Travelers can visit Angola all year around. Last Places Angola offers trips to Angola all year around. Said this, dry season –from June till November- allows the traveller visit all tribal areas while whet season – from December till May- may limit the visit to certain region such as Oncocua. Southwest Angola, where most of the tourism attractions are concentrated, enjoys mild weather during most of the year with daylight temperatures of 24-30 ? that can come down to 10 ? during the night and early hours.


Currency in Angola                                                                                           
The unit of currency is the Kwanza (AOA). Visitors should bring enough cash for their needs. Money can be exchanged at the airport or at the bank. Euros and newly issued US dollars are changed without any problem. Credit cards are only accepted in larger hotels, and cash withdrawals are not possible. Few ATMs in Luanda accept foreign cards.



Time in Angola
GMT +1



Electricity in Angola
Electrical current in Angola is 220 volts, 50Hz. Round pin attachment plugs are in use.



Communications in Angola
The international dialing code for Angola is +244. There are many more mobile telephones than fixed lines and the mobile coverage around Luanda and other main centers is much more reliable than fixed lines. Internet access is available at most major hotels.


Language in Angola
The official language of Angola is Portuguese. About 60 other African languages are spoken. Some French and Spanish is also spoken.



Prohibitions in Angola
Do not take photographs of government buildings, or use binoculars near them, as this could lead to arrest.