Luanda

Luanda, the capital of Angola, is a sprawling, energetic and famously expensive seaside metropolis on the Atlantic, a city of striking contrasts between oil-fuelled wealth and widespread poverty. Its heart is the Marginal, a sweeping bayfront promenade backed by a skyline of modern towers, while its history is preserved in the hilltop Fortress of Sao Miguel, dating from 1576 and now a museum, and in colonial churches and pastel buildings. Pulsing with the rhythms of kizomba and semba music born here, and looking out over a great bay, Luanda is a vibrant, chaotic and fascinating introduction to a little-visited country.

History

Paulo Dias de Novais founded the city on 25 January 1576 as São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, arriving with a hundred settler families and four hundred soldiers, and most of the Portuguese lived inside the fort; the fortress of São Pedro da Barra followed in 1618, and others later. Apart from Dutch rule from 1640 to 1648, when it was Fort Aardenburgh, Luanda was Portugal's bridgehead, and until 1836 it was the centre of the slave trade to Brazil, with Brazilian ships the most numerous in its port and, around 1751, between 5,000 and 10,000 people sold each year; Brazilian influence stayed strong until Brazil's independence in 1822. Under the Estado Novo the city grew from 61,208 people in 1940 to 475,328 in 1970 (Wikipedia, Luanda).

What you'll find

• The Fortress of São Miguel - the historic Portuguese hilltop fort and museum.
• The Marginal - the sweeping bayfront promenade and skyline.
• The colonial churches - the old Portuguese churches and buildings.
• The music scene - the kizomba and semba born in the city.

When to go

May to September, the cooler, drier season, for the most comfortable weather; the city is lively year-round, with a vibrant nightlife and music scene. The Marginal promenade and the fortress are best enjoyed in the cooler hours, and the bay is pleasant at sunset.

Things to know

Luanda is a big, hot, chaotic and, notoriously, one of the most expensive cities in the world, with stark inequality, heavy traffic and the usual big-city precautions, so its appeal is its energy, music, history and seaside setting rather than ease or polished sights; Angola's tourism is undeveloped and visas, though easing, have been a hurdle. As a vibrant, contrast-filled Atlantic capital and the gateway to a fascinating, little-visited country, though, Luanda is a compelling introduction.

Nearby

The Kissama park, the Mussulo peninsula beaches and the Kwanza River are close.

Key facts