ANGOLA: Kalandula Falls In Malanje Province

Kalandula Falls formerly Duque de Bragança Falls are waterfalls in the municipality of Kalandula, Malanje Province, Angola.

On the Lucala River, the falls are 105 meters (344 feet) high and 400 meters (1,300 feet) wide.

They are one of the largest waterfalls by volume in Africa.

The distance from Luanda is 360 km.

Welcome to the Kalandula Waterfalls, approaching the Kalandula Falls edge—in dry season, the water comes from all sides.

Water flows thru the rocks to the edge, rocks which are abraded by the omnipresent waters outside of Kacimbo

Standing on the edge, watching the force of nature, broad streams of water fall down.

The water forms hills of the stones ground out of the mountain. The waterfall is actually a quarry spraying water over bushes and tart-like rocks.

A closer look at the terraces formed by the Kalandula water fall, the Lucala River continues after the Kalandula Falls into the plains.

There are visitor places on both sides of the canyon formed by the Kalandula Falls.

Ending the visit to the falls over the rocks washed by the abundant waters flowing in the wet season. This visit was in the dry season - Kacimbo, as the Angolans say.

Seven Natural Wonders of MountainsSeven Natural Wonders of WaterfallsSeven Wonders of WildlifeAboutDeclaration Committee

Kalandula Falls Facts

- A collection of waterfalls

- By volume is one of the largest in Africa

- Measures 344 feet (105m) high and 1,312 feet (400m) wide

- The Lucala River is the source of the falls

Kalandula Falls of Angola is a collection of waterfalls that when measured by volume, is one of the largest waterfalls in all of Africa.

With a height of over 105 meters (344 feet) and a width of 400 meters (1312 feet), the falls make up a highly impressive area.

Somewhat shaped like a horseshoe, Kalandula Falls is formed from the waters of the Lucala River, which is in fact the largest tributary of Kwanza.

Numerous separate trickles smaller in size near the many boulders and crevices that are found on the perimeter of the Kalandula make up the entirety of the falls.

Because of its natural age, the sediment that the waterfall is formed from is now eroding and large boulders along with smaller rubble have been known to fall from time to time.

Although it may sound like a possible danger to visitors, the fallings usually come down with the water, which means as long as you don’t submerge yourself under the waterfall you are free from any sort of danger.

Around the Lucala River and the falls itself is a rather large rainforest made up of tropical and subtropical grasslands as well as diverse vegetation.

Though possible to walk through, there is a lack of signage and well-kept trails to guide any visitors who wish to explore outside of the falls.

Kalandula Falls is located in Angola, a larger country on the continent of Africa.

Found within the Malanje Province and 420 kilometers (261 miles) from Luanda, the capital of Angola.

Being that far away from the main city, it will take approximately 5 hours by car to reach Kalandula Falls.

The roads along the way are manageable but as with all longer drives in this region, caution is to be taken.

Despite being a magnificent natural wonder of the world, it is very rare that you will run into many crowds when paying a visit to Kalandula Falls.

A combination of the long drive and travel to get there turns people off from making the effort to come. However, nearly everyone who has decided to visit simply can’t say enough of its breathtaking beauty.

If you don’t mind the rain, the springtime is the best season to experience the true splendor of this place.

Because the rains contribute to the strength of the waterfall, it makes for an even more magical show when gazing up at the massive Kalandula Falls.

There is a sightseeing spot available for visitors but to make the absolute most of your visit here, be sure to wander through and around the surroundings of the falls and river.

You can spend hours just walking and strolling along the rocks and taking in all that this world wonder has to offer.

Be sure to pack and wear appropriate clothing such as rain gear and warmer clothes to possibly change into after your visit.

Whether you visit during the spring, summer, fall or winter, you will be sure to walk away marveled and in awe of the natural beauty of Kalandula Falls.



Tourism Observer

ANGOLA: Kissama National Park

Kissama National Park is an angolan natural park, situated in Bengo province. It occupies an area of 9.600 km² and 75km away from Luanda.

The Park is limited in the north by Kwanza river, from its mouth until Muxima; south, by Longa river, between the moth and the road from Mumbondo to Capolo; west, by the coast line between Kwanza and Longa rivers; and east, by the road from Muxima, Demba Chio, Mumbondo and Capolo, to Longa river.

Kissama National Park was established as a hunting reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1957.

The vegetation is varied from Kwanza riverbanks into the park: mangroves, dense woods, savanna, cacti, baobab trees,...

Its diversified vegetation allows a rich and varied fauna. There are african manatee, red sable, talapoins e tartarugas marinhas.

The Park provides facilities for visitors, 'pousada' and bungalows.

ANGOLA: Kissama National Park

Kissama National Park is an angolan natural park, situated in Bengo province. It occupies an area of 9.600 km² and 75km away from Luanda.

The Park is limited in the north by Kwanza river, from its mouth until Muxima; south, by Longa river, between the moth and the road from Mumbondo to Capolo; west, by the coast line between Kwanza and Longa rivers; and east, by the road from Muxima, Demba Chio, Mumbondo and Capolo, to Longa river.

Kissama National Park was established as a hunting reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1957.

The vegetation is varied from Kwanza riverbanks into the park: mangroves, dense woods, savanna, cacti, baobab trees,...

Its diversified vegetation allows a rich and varied fauna. There are african manatee, red sable, talapoins e tartarugas marinhas.

The Park provides facilities for visitors, 'pousada' and bungalows.

ANGOLA: The Changing Face Of Tourism

The fish market in Namibe. There is now competition over catches between locals and established fishing lodges with modern equipment and speedboats.

Fishermen lay nets in the Kwanza river at dusk. The tide is low and the silence is a far cry from Angola’s busy capital Luanda, an hour’s drive away. The river was an important gateway into Angola for slave traders during the colonial era. Now, the government has started to search for oil along the riverbanks, while Kissama national park is adjusting to life after civil war.

Angola’s tourist plans, which focus on attracting wealthy visitors, risk sidelining local people’s needs and could threaten their livelihoods on the Kwanza river

The park reopened in 2002 with species including elephants and the endangered giant sable antelope, imported from Botswana and South Africa, which had been wiped out by hunger and poaching.

The Kwanza river is important to thousands of Angolans. There is now competition over catches between locals and established fishing lodges with modern equipment and speedboats.

Kwanza Lodge is a popular weekend fishing resort, owned by a relative of Angola’s President, José Eduardo dos Santos. The manager is a South African called Manny Milner. Angola is developing as a result of the influx of expats and oil revenues in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. But the new Angola isn’t accessible to everybody. Nine out of 10 visitors this weekend are expats: Portuguese soap opera actors, Chinese engineers and Brazilian construction workers.

Milner believes that eco-tourism is the future for Angola. “It’s a way to protect the rural community from a large-scale tourist industry,” she says. In 2016, Luanda will host a large professional golf tournament where enthusiasts of the sport will be encouraged to visit Kissama national park.

Angola’s official tourist plans focus on wealthy visitors who will sample luxury and stability experienced by only a minority of the Angolan people.

According to Paul Wesson, a South African who runs Eco-Tur, Angola’s 12 years of stability have finally opened up the country to the outside world. “There’s always been interest,” he says. “Angola is the only country in southern Africa left for well-travelled people to explore, who’ve already seen the Serengeti and Kalahari. This is the final frontier of wildlife tourism in southern Africa.”

One of the attractions of tourism in Angola is fishing, an industry threatened by demand from locals for food and tourists for sport. But, according to Roland Goetz, director of Kissama national park, fishing in the Kwanza river is unregulated, which could disturb both the river and the park’s ecosystems.

In 2007, the regional thinktank Institute for Security Studies warned of the permanent degradation of the marine environment in southern Africa as a result of overfishing. Its report, The crisis of marine plunder in Africa, concluded: “This in turn will continue to adversely impact on food security and economic development, with coastal communities dependent on fishing being the hardest hit.”

This is already the case in Namibe province, where fishermen risk their lives in small rowing boats on rough seas, lacking equipment and earning next to nothing. Not far away, modern fishing equipment and robust boats rest in the sand at tourist lodges.

Namibe province accounts for 65% of Angola’s fish production and has in recent years gained the interest of the global fishing industry. Before the second world war, when Angola was a Portuguese colony, only Lisbon’s freighters were allowed in these waters. Now, with the market open to foreign investors, even Angola’s waters have become pieces of a geopolitical jigsaw puzzle. There is no way for Namibe’s fishermen to compete with the larger boats: while the former do small-scale fishing, vessels from South Africa, the EU, Russia and China operate in eco-certified areas.

Pedro Soares is a former fisherman who now works as a chef at a fishing resort. He’s worried about the Angolan people’s place in society. He wants the tourist industry to blossom and provide jobs, but not if it means catering only for foreigners. “That’s the case with the oil,” he says. “We need to break through as a people and claim jobs outside the service sector. As now, the region’s best fish goes to Luanda while we’re left with the scraps.”

Soares believes that Angola’s young people can change this. “We must mature, educate ourselves and make wise decisions, which I’m sure we’ll do. We want more out of life than just providing the rest of the world with oil and fish.”