The Atlas Obscura Guide To Angola

11 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Angola

Updated August 7, 2026

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Unusual Attractions in Angola

Cemitério de navios - The Ship Cemetery

Panguila, Angola

Cemitério de Navios (The Ship Cemetery)

Abandoned ships along a deserted beach feel like the set of a post-apocalyptic thriller.

War Remnants of 'Operation Protea'

Xangongo, Angola

War Remnants of 'Operation Protea'

The abandoned tanks along this highway are all that remain of a deadly conflict.

The Iron Palace

Luanda, Angola

The Iron Palace

Did Gustav Eiffel design this enigmatic metal building?

Miradouro da Lua

Belas, Angola

Miradouro da Lua (Viewpoint of the Moon)

This striking otherworldly landscape outside Angola's capital city is the product of millions of years of erosion.

Quedas de Calandula

Calandula, Angola

Quedas de Calandula

This horseshoe-shaped waterfall is the second-largest on the African continent.

Angola

Ilha dos Tigres

In 1962, the ocean severed this peninsula—and the village that sat on it—from the Angolan mainland.

Pungo Andongo, Angola

Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo

These giant volcanic rocks towering above the Angolan savannah once served as a natural fortification.

See All 11 Things To Do in Angola

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Stories About Angola

Queen Njinga Mbandi rides into battle against the Portuguese, as illustrated by Pat Masioni for UNESCO's series on women in African history.

Meet Caterina Sforza and Other Warrior Queens History Forgot

From Italy’s fortress-seizing countess to Angola’s battle-hardened Queen Njinga, these women didn’t back down from a fight.

by Sarah Durn, Atlas Obscura

January 26, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: A Divine Script From the Congo

by Alex Bellos, Atlas Obscura

September 12, 2022

The Black griffin-riding Queen Calafia is the fierce namesake of California.

6 Epic Female Warriors You Don’t Want to Mess With

From California’s mythic warrior queen to the swole women of Sparta to female hunters in ancient Peru.

by Sarah Durn, Atlas Obscura

GPS collars helped scientists track the animals.

One Biologist’s 20-Year Mission to Save Angola’s Giant Sable

The curly-horned antelope is hanging in there—sometimes from a helicopter.

by Ashley Stimpson, Atlas Obscura

The river-based expedition team on the Cubango River.

In Angola, Conservationists Make the Case for a Massive New National Park

Newly stable countries are hotspots for wilderness protection.

by Dan Nosowitz, Atlas Obscura

January 15, 2019

Fog sometimes envelopes the Namib's dunes.

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

From the Namib Desert to Maine, fog is teeming with life.

by Jessica Leigh Hester, Atlas Obscura

August 30, 2018

Nzinga Mbandi as illustrated by Pat Masioni for UNESCO's series on women in African history.

Portuguese Slave Traders Were No Match for Angolan Queen Nzinga Mbandi

The warrior queen fought colonizers for decades.

by Urvija Banerji, Atlas Obscura