The Tundavala Gap

The Tundavala Gap, in the cool southern highlands near the city of Lubango, is one of the most breathtaking and dramatic viewpoints in Africa. Here the great escarpment of the Angolan plateau comes to an abrupt, spectacular end, plunging in a sheer cliff over 1,000 metres straight down to the lowlands far below. Standing at the very edge of this immense fissure, or gazing out from the lookout, the view over the vast plains stretching to the distant horizon, often with clouds swirling below, is vertiginous and awe-inspiring, a genuinely world-class natural spectacle in a beautiful, cool and green highland setting.

History

The name comes from the Nyaneka word Ntandavala, which can mean "the aperture", "what is open" or "the space left by two sides". The gap cuts the Serra da Leba escarpment at the western edge of the Humpata Plateau, part of the Great Escarpment of Southern Africa, and the rim forms the boundary between Huíla and Namibe provinces. On 21 August 2012 the Angolan government named it a cultural landscape, and it is counted among the Seven Natural Wonders of Angola (Wikipedia, Tundavala Gap).

Highlights

• The escarpment edge - the sheer plunge of over 1,000 metres.
• The plains view - the vast lowlands stretching to the horizon.
• The clouds below - the mists swirling beneath the cliff.
• The highland setting - the cool, green plateau around Lubango.

When to go

May to September, the cooler, drier season, for the clearest views and most comfortable weather in the highlands; the views are most dramatic on clear days, and mist swirling below the cliff, common in the mornings, adds to the spectacle. It is an easy trip from the city of Lubango.

Good to know

Angola's limited tourism infrastructure means the site is undeveloped, with minimal facilities and no barriers at the vertiginous edge, so real care is needed near the sheer drop; the southern highlands are reached from Lubango, itself a journey within a large, developing country. As a genuinely world-class and spectacular viewpoint, though, a sheer thousand-metre plunge from the highlands over endless plains, and a highlight of Angola's beautiful, cool south, Tundavala is unforgettable.

Nearby

The city of Lubango, the Christ the King statue and the Serra da Leba pass are close.

Key facts