Experience the best of Luanda

The Portuguese founded Luanda in 1576, and the city now spreads along a sheltered bay on Angola's Atlantic coast, its modern towers rising behind the Marginal, the broad waterfront avenue. The Fortaleza de São Miguel, a hilltop fort from the founding years, looks over the bay and now holds a military museum. The old upper town around the cathedral keeps a few colonial streets among the newer districts.

The Ilha de Luanda, a long sandy spit connected to the city by road, is lined with beaches, fishing boats and restaurants. South of the city the coast turns to red cliffs and empty beaches, and the eroded ravines of the Miradouro da Lua are a short drive away. Kissama National Park, home to elephants, giraffes and antelope, begins at the Kwanza River further south.

Muamba de galinha, chicken stewed in palm oil with okra and garlic, is the national dish, eaten with funge, a smooth porridge of cassava or maize, while grilled fish and lobster come from the nearby waters. The coast is warm all year, with brief rains early in the year and a cooler, hazier season from about May to September.