Swan Hellenic West and South Africa: 13 nights from Luanda with SH Diana
Apr 5, 2026

Luanda

 Capital of Angola, in southern Africa. Luanda is divided into two main areas which include first the lower city, around its bay (including the ancient colonial city, the fortress and the port) and secondly the upper city, the modern district.

Forty years of civil war left Angola cut off from the rest of the world until 2002. Now increasingly courted by Western countries for its oil exports, it is becoming more and more a regional power willing to compete directly on many diplomatic issues.
The main and memorable places of this city are:
The fortress of São Miguel, ideally located, was built in 1576 by the Portuguese to defend Luanda from its assailants from Europe. The walls of the fortress house statues and old war equipment and a small chapel, where you have an incredible and complete view of the city.
Luanda has three museums, the Museo de Historia Natural, the Museo das Forcas Central, here is located in the oldest palace in the city, and the Museu de Antropologia, here shows African masks, native instruments, and hunting artifacts. Architecture enthusiasts should not miss the colonial churches of Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Nazaré and Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remedios, from the 17th century.
The Marginal, more formally known as Avenida 4 de Fevreiro, is the avenue along the bay of Luanda. Starting from the port to the entrance of the Ilha peninsula, meeting the city center with the new and old buildings and many towers under construction, various of the most beautiful restaurants in the city and the local yacht club. The Marginal is also flanked by old colonial buildings, used for public offices. (National Bank, Post Office, Industry Museums, Ministry of Communication, etc.).
Luanda has a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is 24°C: the average winter from January reached 27°C, with a maximum of 30°C and a minimum of 24°C; summer average in July drops to 21°C, with a maximum of 24°C and a minimum of 18°C.
The inhabitants of Luanda are mainly of African ethnic groups, but also present a small community of Portuguese origin. Many Brazilians have arrived recently, following the economic recovery that followed the end of the civil war. It has an official language, which is also the most widely spoken, Portuguese.