South Angola Cultural Tour

Day 1: Arrival-Village Tour

We start our day at 08:00 with a drive to the village where we will find the Mwakawonas, who are the people who still maintain their old customs and traditions. Many people are unaware of their existence because they seclude themselves in society. Due to the distance, we will have our lunch/picnic in the village. This would be an excellent opportunity to interact and get to know more about Mwakahona culture. There will be enough time for, photos and traditional dances. After spending a great environmental-cultural full day, we head back to the hotel.

Day 2: Sightseeing Tour

On the second day of the tour, we will have a scenic tour, departing from the hotel towards a hidden and very charming area, a place where you breathe fresh air, beautiful scenery, and waterfalls.

Our second destination is the breathtaking man-made serpent-formed road, Known as Serra da Leba. There we will enjoy lunch at a restaurant that overlooks this great marvel.

After a relaxing lunch, we will visit the enormous statue dedicated to Jesus Christ, with open arms, raised to 2,100 meters height at the top of the mountain of the Chela. From this viewpoint, one can embrace the beautiful capital of the province of Huíla and contemplate probably the most beautiful sunset in Angola.

Our journey continues to Tundavala Gap, which is a huge chasm of about 1200 m situated in the Serra da Leba, 18 km from Lubango, in the province of Huíla, Angola. Considered one of the 7 wonders of Angola. It is on the cliffs of the Tundavala that the Central Plateau of Angola ends. Here the plateau exceeds 2200 meters of altitude and falls abruptly to about 1000 meters of altitude, causing a dazzling gap with colossal crevices in the mountain.

Return to hotel

Day 3: Nossa Senhora Do Monte

Today we visit Nossa Senhora Do Monte, it is a chapel built in honor of St. Mary Mother of Jesus; with the aim of blessing the city. Our second stop is the city of Lubango, we will spend a couple of hours taking in the sites and enjoying the warm and friendly locals. We will be able to enjoy several interesting heritage attractions, built during the colonial era and also visit the museum.

After an interesting cruise in the city, we will head to the "Barracões". They were the first tents built by the first Portuguese from the island of Madeira, At the same place, an altar was erected by them to facilitate their missionary services, and there they lived until their death, and their mortal remains are still there. Time to lunch.

We proceed to the Huila waterfall. The waterfall is in the midst of intense vegetation and is one of the biggest attractions of the Province of Huíla. The water falling from the cascade forms a natural pool of clean water.

Return to Hotel

Day 4: Namibe

After breakfast and check-out, we will board the tour vehicle for a trip to Namibe. We will have a quick stop at the Boer cemetery that is located in the middle of a strawberry farm, it’s where the first Boers family was buried. Right after we embark on a scenic overland excursion on our way to Namibe. We will be driving down the serpent-formed road – Serra da Leba. We will be arriving in Namibe at around 13H00 for lunch.

After lunch, our tour continues within the city, spending approximately an hour taking in the stunning surroundings of views of Namibe´s Colonial architecture such as the Moçâmedes Railroad Station, the Namibe District Court, the Post and Telegraph Building, and the Government Palace, located on the edge of the Namibe. Some time will be spent on souvenir shopping in the harbor.

We end the itinerary with the City Tour

Day 5: The Arc lagoon

After breakfast, we will board the tour vehicle for a trip to The Arc lagoon, which is considered one of the tourist spots in the municipality of Tômbwa (Namibe province), a place of natural beauty. On our way there, we will encounter the plant welwitschia mirabilis popularly known as "desert octopus", which only exists in the Namibe desert in Angola.

It is a creeping plant, formed by a woody stem that does not grow, a huge upright root, and two leaves only, coming from the cotyledons of the seed; the leaves, in the form of a large ribbon, continue to grow throughout the life of the plant, since they have basal meristems.

Return to Moçamedes City

Day 6: Tchinduhulu

On the six-day, we will embark on Tchinduhulu which is about 130km east of the city of Namibe there is, in the region of Kapolopo, a hill that has a truly poetic name. It is the hill of Tchitundu-Hulu, which translated into Portuguese is called Morro Sagrado Do Céu. In this place, there is also a cave also known as Sagrada do Céu or Sagrada cave of Mukuísses. Mukuísses, a people of the desert, not Bantu, has it as a place of veneration.

Tchitudu-Hulu is of great importance for Angolan History and Culture because in them there are rock engravings carved out of flint on hard rock. No one knows for sure who was the one who made these engravings, it is quite probable, the ancestors of the people! Khoisan and Angola are called Ovassekele or Mukankalas. Experts say that these rock engravings are more than 30 000 years old. Time for a light lunch/Picnic.

We will also get to meet a few Mucubal people, they are of Bantu origin, and speak languages ​​derived or similar to Kimbundo or Kikongo. Mucubal women, when single, walk naked from the waist up, with naked breasts, only covered by necklaces and bracelets smeared with ox manure, and a short cloth tied at the waist to make of skirt. Married and mother, they tie their breasts with thin strips of leather (yarns) until they stretch them. We will have lunch at the site, so this will allow you to interact with them and take as many pictures as you wish.

Return to Hotel

Day 7: Departure

Return flight to Luanda.