Angola, tribes and expedition to Baia dos Tigres / November 2025 (SOLD OUT)
A trip to Angola that seamlessly combines tribes (culture), brutal landscapes, wildlife in Iona National Park and Portuguese colonial heritage in the ghost town of Sao Martinho dos Tigres and Mocamedes. An expedition through the Namib Desert to reach the remote enclave of Ilha dos Tigres and Foz de Cunene where we will hike.
After exploring the oldest desert in the world, we will continue with a visit to some of the most representative tribes of southern Angola such as the Mucubal, Himbas and Muilas. If we are lucky we might be able to attend some kind of ceremony like in 2024 where we witnessed a circumcision ritual.
The highlight of this trip to Angola will be to cross the Iona National Park through the Doodsakker Pass to reach the Baia dos Tigres and then by boat to the Ilha dos Tigres, where we will find an old Portuguese ghost town abandoned decades ago (and where we will spend the night) and also where we can contemplate and play with hundreds of sea lions, thousands and thousands of birds and maybe with luck also whales.
This will be an incredible journey through the Namib Desert enjoying the spectacular landscapes of dunes and sea.
We will make this expedition at the best possible time of the year as we will have the opportunity to see an enormous amount of sea lions along with their pups during our coastal route.
From Foz de Cunene, the natural border between Angola and Namibia, we will head into the interior of the Iona. In a spectacular enclave next to the river we will spend a whole day hiking and calmly enjoying landscapes of incredible beauty.
We will continue to Lubango via Virey. In this part of the trip we will be able to see tribes like Mucubal and Himbas and near Lubango, Muilas.
Angola, an exciting destination
The years that plunged Angola into the chaos of war are long gone. On this trip to Angola you will discover that this is a serious country, comfortable to visit, with decent infrastructure, a friendly population and immense tourist potential. We travel with an exceptional local team and we guarantee that the food is rich and plentiful with meat parrilas (game, chicken, beef) and fresh fish.
Modernity is making its way into the most important cities: Luanda, Lubango and Lobito but not far from any of them there is an ancestral and tribal world that remains alive.
Nature is overwhelming in places like the Namib Desert, which we will explore. Of course, as usual in our travels, we will continuously taste the local food which is delicious and we will go out partying in the capitals.
Iona National Park
Iona National Park is located 200 km from Namibe, in southern Angola, and is part of the northern tip of the Namib. This is the largest natural reserve in the country, and it is a region that holds some of the most fantastic landscapes that we will see on this trip to Angola.
This park has 160 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, from Tombua to Foz de Cunene, and that coastline is a spectacular stretch of dunes and desert that ends abruptly along the Atlantic on many occasions. Incidentally, this marine area is in the process of becoming Angola’s first coastal protected area.
Baia dos Tigres
From Tombua, the last town, a three-hour journey through the desert in 4×4 to Baia dos Tigres awaits us. A spectacular journey through dunes and desert beach to reach one of the most remote and isolated places on the West African coast. You have to drive half of the famous Doodsakker, a treacherous stretch that can only be done at low tide.
Visiting Ilha dos Tigres, passion for abandoned places
We will take a boat that will take us from the Namib coast to the Ilha dos Tigres where we will walk through the deserted town with its old colonial buildings.
Foz de Cunene
We will continue to Foz de Cunene (mouth of the Cunene River), the natural border with Namibia, another equally outstanding part of the trip where breathtaking scenery awaits us. After a day of hiking along the Cunene River, we will head into the interior of Iona National Park. From Espinheira we will try to visit some Himba populations
Southern tribal Angola
In the south of Angola there are a lot of different tribes, some of which we will surely meet on our route. In the vicinity of Iona National Park there are some Himba settlements. Further north, towards Virey we can see Mucubal settlements. Not far from Lubango live the Muila. In all probability we will see these three different tribes on our road trip through southern Angola.
Most tribes in Angola pay special attention to their appearance. Hairstyles, jewelry, outfits, colors… reveal a fascinating sense of aesthetics.
Travel to Angola to discover its colonial heritage
The streets of Mocamedes are painted in bright colors and it is a delight to stroll through them, chat with its inhabitants and have a good beer from time to time in some of its taverns. In Mocamedes, we will also stay in a nice colonial house converted into a basic but charming guesthouse. We will also stop in Chivia, another beautiful village with colonial architecture and of course we will discover Luanda, the capital.
Camping in incredible places
During this trip to Angola we will camp in very well selected places. We will spend 4 nights in Iona National Park, each night will be spectacular. Our locations will be the immense dunes of the Namib by the sea, the interior of an old colonial building in Ilha dos Tigres, the banks of the Cunene River and a semi-nomadic Himba population, what do you think?
If you want to sign up for this trip, don’t hesitate to ask us for the route and the rest of the details, Angola does not disappoint!
