Angola holiday, Expedition to Angola
An incredibly unique 11 day small group tour into the hinterland of Angola to spend time with traditional ethnic communities and camp out overnight.
Luanda Lubango Virei meeting Mucubal, Muchimba, Mucawana and Mutua people Tchitundo Hulo Angolan bush Oncocua Hangumbe Otchinjau Cahama Chiangue Chibia
Price
£3899To£4149 excluding flights
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Description of Angola holiday, Expedition to Angola
This eleven day expedition to Angola takes you into a unique wilderness area of southern Africa that is only just starting to open its doors to adventurous, culture seeking tourists.
As we focus solely on Angola you’ll get a far deeper understanding of the landscapes and the people as well as discovering southern African tribal groups and animal habitats untouched by the crowds stampeding in more popular countries further south.
As our expedition to Angola starts you’ll get a glimpse of life in the capital, Luanda, before jetting off to the southern Angolan city of Lubango, whereupon your adventure into the interior begins in earnest.
Conjuring up a fascinating blend of colonial Portuguese heritage and the colourful character of modern Africa, Lubango is like nothing else you’ve experienced before and invites one final look at contemporary civilisation prior to heading into the tribal realm of the Mucubal people.
Although not many travellers will have heard of the Mucubals, meeting them gives you a cameo of ancient Africa where the sharpening of teeth and the wearing of incredibly opulent headdresses are just a couple of the time-honoured traditions still practised to this day.
From the hunter gather tribes of Mutua and the incredible hairstyles of the Mucuwana to the mud necklaces of the Muila and the iconic Himba people, more commonly associated with Namibia, the final few days of this 11 day expedition to Angola are all about opening up one of Africa’s longest locked anthropological treasure chests.
Throughout the tour you’ll be accompanied by expert guides who ensure communities, settlements and natural habitats are undisturbed by our small group’s presence. The expedition itself has been painstakingly researched to offer adventurous and culturally aware travellers a look at a world functioning outside of what we deem to be the norm where ancient tribal traditions, rituals and customs are undertaken without a moment’s thought to anything outside of Angola. We promise an absolutely eye opening and incredibly unique southern African experience.
Price information
£3899To£4149 excluding flights
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Travel guides
Cultural tourism in Africa is still in its infancy. Not only are visitor numbers smaller than they should be, but what travellers see is only a small ...
Angola may take up a lot of space on the map of southern Africa, but it’s almost invisible to travellers. This former Portuguese colony is only just o...
Reviews
1 Reviews of Angola holiday, Expedition to Angola
3 out of 5 stars
Reviewed on 21 Jul 2024 by Marina Petronoti
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Meeting tribal people and trying to understand their own perspective of their history, past and present mode of living. I was also intrigued by the ways in which 'tradition' co-exists with and is influenced by 'modern' clothing, diet, housing...
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be aware of and respect the "different" people we meet. Do not give money, clothes, food, water to them.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Our visit benefits local people, if local refers to the Angolans who engage in tourism (leaders, drivers, guides, interpreters). But I think that the money we gave to tribal chiefs in order to enter their land, homes or take photos interferes in ways that do not pay respect to local cultures. As I see it, not only is this an easy way of making money but also, it benefits the chief rather than those actually visited or photographed (otherwise we wouldn't have been asked for money by single women or children). No, I don't think it reduced environmental impacts or supported conservatism. Despite our care, we left some litter while camping and litter is further created by the bottles of water that some travelers who gave to tribal people.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
A fulfilling expedition! Points that the host company should take under consideration: 1. The itinerary was not always materialized as expected. 2. We were not duly informed about the changes that took place nor were we given relative explanations. I spoke to our leader about this 'fluidity' but nothing changed. 3. Though our leader had clearly said we would be given blankets, this happened only on the last day of the camping while the temperature was very low during the night.
Read the operator's response here:
Hi Marina,
Thanks for your comments about our trip to Angola that you recently took part in. We're pleased to know that you that you enjoyed the trip - Angola is a fascinating destination, and one that we've been running trips to for some time now. It's a consistent favourite with our travellers.
You mentioned some points though which we'd like to address. When we visit local villages we are careful to be as sensitive as possible, and issue very clear guidelines to our travellers as the code of behaviour expected when taking photos. It is customary to offer the villages a gift for allowing us to visit and spend time with them - this is a long established practice throughout some parts of Africa and is very much seen as a way of showing respect to tribal elders. In
some instances it is appropriate to bring gifts such as rice, tea, or other commodities that the villagers may use but in others, having discussed this with the communities over the years, they sometimes prefer to receive a financial gift so that they can then choose what to buy, which may or may not be available for our groups to buy for the in advance in local markets. It would quite often be seen as disrespectful not to bring something, and of course our travellers are gaining something from this experience so it is right and fair that the villagers should gain something in return. In this instance, it is appropriate to give gifts to a chief or tribal elder, for them to distribute as they see for and in accordance with social codes. This does not however necessarily stop other villagers for asking for something directly from our travellers, but our guides will do their best to manage this.
You've stated that we left litter when camping. Having spoken to the member of our UK team that accompanied this trip, we're confident that this was not the case - we are particularly careful to leave areas as we found them. With regards to giving bottles of water to tribal people, we understand this happened on one occasion when the group met some people in the bush who were thirsty and requested water. It would have been completely unethical to deny them water, and inappropriate for us to insist that they drank it on the spot and return the bottles to us. They will no doubt have found use for any bottles that were left for them, perhaps for storing milk from their livestock.
When operating tours in more remote parts of Africa, it is sometimes necessary to adapt the itinerary to take into account local conditions and to maximise the experience for our travellers. I understand that this was discussed with you fully at the time, and the remainder of the group did not raise any concerns.
You've also mentioned blankets. We brief all of our travellers before the tour on what they will need but I understand that your sleeping bag was not quite warm enough. The guide offered to take you to the market to purchase extra blankets but you did not want to do this, and so at a later point the guide purchased additional blankets for you.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to send your comments, and we hope that you've come away with some warm memories of your trip in Angola.
Thanks for your comments about our trip to Angola that you recently took part in. We're pleased to know that you that you enjoyed the trip - Angola is a fascinating destination, and one that we've been running trips to for some time now. It's a consistent favourite with our travellers.
You mentioned some points though which we'd like to address. When we visit local villages we are careful to be as sensitive as possible, and issue very clear guidelines to our travellers as the code of behaviour expected when taking photos. It is customary to offer the villages a gift for allowing us to visit and spend time with them - this is a long established practice throughout some parts of Africa and is very much seen as a way of showing respect to tribal elders. In
some instances it is appropriate to bring gifts such as rice, tea, or other commodities that the villagers may use but in others, having discussed this with the communities over the years, they sometimes prefer to receive a financial gift so that they can then choose what to buy, which may or may not be available for our groups to buy for the in advance in local markets. It would quite often be seen as disrespectful not to bring something, and of course our travellers are gaining something from this experience so it is right and fair that the villagers should gain something in return. In this instance, it is appropriate to give gifts to a chief or tribal elder, for them to distribute as they see for and in accordance with social codes. This does not however necessarily stop other villagers for asking for something directly from our travellers, but our guides will do their best to manage this.
You've stated that we left litter when camping. Having spoken to the member of our UK team that accompanied this trip, we're confident that this was not the case - we are particularly careful to leave areas as we found them. With regards to giving bottles of water to tribal people, we understand this happened on one occasion when the group met some people in the bush who were thirsty and requested water. It would have been completely unethical to deny them water, and inappropriate for us to insist that they drank it on the spot and return the bottles to us. They will no doubt have found use for any bottles that were left for them, perhaps for storing milk from their livestock.
When operating tours in more remote parts of Africa, it is sometimes necessary to adapt the itinerary to take into account local conditions and to maximise the experience for our travellers. I understand that this was discussed with you fully at the time, and the remainder of the group did not raise any concerns.
You've also mentioned blankets. We brief all of our travellers before the tour on what they will need but I understand that your sleeping bag was not quite warm enough. The guide offered to take you to the market to purchase extra blankets but you did not want to do this, and so at a later point the guide purchased additional blankets for you.
Once again, thanks for taking the time to send your comments, and we hope that you've come away with some warm memories of your trip in Angola.
Responsible Travel
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing we've worked to maximise the benefits of your holiday to local people and places, and minimise any negative impacts.
Planet
This tour travels visits a very remote region, which has barely been touched by the presence of humans, and we strongly believe in maintaining its pristine nature. The nature of this trip means that most nights are spent camping. We strive to ensure that we leave these areas as we find them and our team have been trained in strict no litter policies, meaning that we take all refuse to either be recycled or properly disposed of back in Lubango. Washing of dishes is carried out well away from any water sources so as not to contaminate them.Where there are tracks, we stick to them – not always possible as there are few tracks in this area.
Our travellers are specifically briefed on not to buy souvenirs made from endangered species – people in remote parts of Angola do not always have the same respect towards wildlife as most travellers will have, and can sometimes offer such things for sale.
People
As with many of the trips that we offer, this tour has a strong focus on local culture and different ethnic groups. Where possible we try to ensure that local people benefit from our presence.We spend time with a variety of different ethnic groups on this trip. Through careful and sensitive research, our local team has established solid relationships with certain communities and our presence here is very much welcomed – we feel that it is very important to be seen as guests here rather than outsiders come to merely look. We are able to spend time with the communities learning about their traditions and customs.
We are careful not to disrupt the traditional way of life of the groups that we visit, most of whom retain strong customs and have not embraced the modern world. As a way to say thank you for allowing us to visit, we bring traditional gifts, such as sugar, tea and so on – we do not bring modern accoutrements that may change their way of life as we feel that it is important for all tribal groups that any move towards a more ‘modern’ lifestyle is made on their own terms and not imposed upon them. We give gifts to the elders of the villages who will then ensure that they are distributed appropriately, rather than just giving them to individuals, which can cause problems, jealousy and fights within small communities.
These are very traditional areas with certain codes of behaviour, and the people here are not that accustomed to outsiders. We ensure that our travellers are appropriately briefed in order so as not to offend local sensibilities.
We work with Angolan drivers and guides, and at the end of each tour encourage our travellers to leave unwanted clothes that they can then distribute to their extended families. We do not encourage travellers to leave these for the local people as we feel it is important that they are able to maintain their traditional lifestyles, which have generally served them well throughout the centuries in often difficult environments. We do not feel that the emulation of western culture, of which western clothing is just the start, would be wholly beneficial for groups such as the Himba, Mucubal and Muila.
