Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

In Africa

Text Tabitha Lasley
Image Panos / Getty Images

Great things come in small packages: microfinance schemes are enabling small business owners throughout Luanda to become self sufficient

In words

A young woman has been able to train as a baker thanks to funding from a microfinance initiative

A shop owner greets customers with a grin at his local convenience store

Happy to be their own bosses, these women gather around their market stalls

Hotel with a view

Flamingo Lodge

Where is it?
Rio dos Flamingo, www.undiscovered-destinations.com)

What’s the view?
The northernmost reaches of the Namib Desert hitting the Atlantic Ocean head on.

What to expect
The watchword here is rustic; the seven cottages that make up the lodge are simple (think tiled floors and palm walls) but comfortable (read: come with their own bathrooms). But interiors here are really designed with the magnificent scenery in mind – walls are more window than wattle and the dining room is open-plan.

Need to know
This is a good one for outdoor types. And/or misanthropes: It’s remote, and when we say ‘remote’ we mean a-40km-drive-along-deserted-coastline-just-to-get-there remote. It’s surrounded by 70km of uninhabited beach, and the nearest proper town (a 90-minute drive away) is somehow still classed as ‘local’. All activities the lodge offers are included in the price if you stay full board, as are meals, and the food is excellent; expect lots of fresh fish and Argentinean beef.

Why go there?
For the desert views and spectacular sense of isolation. You can spot whales and dolphins just off the coast, go shore angling, snorkeling and parasailing, tool around the desert on quad bikes and see the Arco, a large freshwater oasis (relatively) nearby.

What does it cost?
Around €85 per person per night.

The must-do list

Three of the best Angolan experiences

See
The starkly beautiful Skeleton Coast, which runs the length of Namibia up to Angola; come here for rolling red dunes, eerie beaches strewn with the carcasses of wrecked ships and bleached whalebones, and strange, desert-dwelling wildlife.

Hear
Some homegrown music. Search out Angolan semba, which takes Brazilian samba and Dominican merengue as its building blocks, and highly politicised local rappers like Big Nelo, Warrant B, Afroman and Army Squad.

Visit
Quissama National Park, just south of Luanda, which is home to sea turtles, elephants and wild boar. You can also spot forest buffalo, roan antelope and bushbuck while you’re there.

Can they kick it?

Prepare for kick off at the African Cup of Nations

They may not have the pedigree of their counterparts in Nigeria and Cameroon but football in Angola is serious business. The national team are known as ‘The Black Antelopes’ and shot to prominence in 2006 when they qualified for the World Cup Finals in Germany. Two draws and a narrow defeat against eventual semi-finalists Portugal were not enough to make it through for the knockout stages, but the team won plenty of friends along the way with their attractive approach to the game. January sees Angola host the bi-annual African Cup of Nations where four host cities will entertain the best players in the continent. Former Manchester United striker Manucho (pictured) will carry the expectations of a nation as they look to better their defeat to Egypt, winners of the previous cup.

Insider tip

Meet the Himba tribe

Jim O’Brien, of Undiscovered Destinations, says first-time visitors to Angola must meet the Himba tribe. Their plaited hair and ochre-covered bodies will be a familiar sight to anyone even on nodding terms with Namibia, but as Jim says: “Unlike the Namibian Himba, the Himba in Angola have very little contact with tourists, making the encounter all the more special”.

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