What do you need to go to Angola
1. Which are the indispensable documents?
A more than 9 month valid passport with two blank pages for visa.
2. How to obtain visa?
In order to come to visit the country, tourists should have passport and visa issued by an Angolan Consulate in the country of origin; some documents are required as photos, passport and a filled form. You can obtain further information about forms at www.consuladogeral-angola.pt.
3. Which vaccines are compulsory?
The International Health Regulations stipulates that the only vaccine to be demanded to travelers for crossing the borders is the Yellow Fever Vaccine. This vaccine is not recommended to infants younger than 9 months of age. It can cause soreness, redness and swelling after the shot was given, as well as fever and headaches for 2 or 3 days. It is also not recommended to persons with a history of allergy to egg proteins and to those who suffer from diseases that affect the immune system. Its validity lasts for ten years.
4. Which are the recommended vaccines?
Recommended vaccines, beyond the yellow fever vaccine, which is compulsory, are those that provide protection from diseases as Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Tetanus.
5. What is a travel health consultation and where to go?
Whenever you want to travel outside Europe you should go to a Travel Health Consultation. If you are traveling with your family, namely with children or aged persons, you should be aware of the special care they need.
Travel health consultations are made by doctors familiar with infectious diseases and tropical medicine (traveling department).
There are consultations and international vaccinations centres all over the country.
How to get there
1. Which airports are available?
The 4 de Fevereiro International Airport of Luanda is located 4 km from the centre of the city. There are airports all over the country so you can fly to the provinces.
2. Which air companies fly to Angola?
3. Which ports are available?
4. Which roads are available?
A road network covers the entire country. Some national roads in bad condition are now being improved and some of them are cut in some points.
For further information, please see: www.inea.gv.ao
How to travel within the country
1. How to travel by car?
An international or a local driving license is required in order to drive a car.
To travel to another city you can drive a car, or to fly there. The only way of traveling to Cabinda is by plane. Angola has a good airport network which covers the entire country.
Car traffic is made on the right hand. There are several rent-a-car companies. Public transportation in the main cities is still not enough for the needs.
For further information, please see:
Hertz (Luanda) Tel: (+244) 222 393 679
Europcar (Luanda) Tel: (+244) 222 641 580
Avis (Luanda) Tel : (+244) 222 321 551
Inter Rent - Angola (Luanda) Tel: (+244) 222 331 233
R.M.C - Rent A Car, Lda (Benguela) Tel: (+244) 272 226 227
Inter Rent - Angola (Luanda) Tel: (+244) 222 331 233
There is a TAXI company in Luanda since January 2010.
An individual taxicab service is provided in Luanda by Afritaxis, from 19 points of the province: 4 de Fevereiro International Airport (International and Domestic terminals), Centro Comercial Chamavo, Correios de Angola headquarters and Square in front of the Agriculture Ministry, Sagrada Família, Hotel Trópico, Mutamba, Presidente, Continental and Alvalade hotels, Dhália, Clínica do Prenda, Américo Boavida and Maria Pia Hospitals, Lucrécia Paim and Augusto Ngangula maternity hospitals, Luanda Island e Belas Shopping.
Fares are taximeter controlled. The initial fare is 300 kwanzas plus 30 kwanzas by kilometre.
AFRITÁXIS Tel: 00 244 222 311 754
ROGÉRIUS TAXIS Tel: 00 244 222 391 381
ALIBOLENSE Tel: 00 244 222 010 817 (Belas Shopping)
2. How to travel by plane?
Weather and Local Time
1. What is the climate of Angola?
In spite of being located in a tropical zone, Angola has an uncharacteristically tropical climate due to the confluence of three factors:
- the Benguela cold current along the south coast.
- the inland relief.
- the Namibe desert influence, in the southwest.
The climate of Angola has, consequently, two main seasons: the Rainy Season, from October to April, and the Dry Season (cacimbo), from May to September, which has colder temperatures. While the coastline shows higher rainfall, that decreases from North to South and from 80 mm to 50 mm, and has average annual temperatures above 23ºC, the inland can be divided in three different areas:
- higher rainfall and higher temperatures in the North.
- a dry season with average temperatures of 19ºC in the Central Plateau.
- strong thermal amplitudes in the South due to the proximity of the Kalahari desert and the influence of tropical air masses.
For further information, please see:
www.inamet.ao
www.freemeteo.com/angola
2. What is the local time?
It matches the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) + 1 hour.
Clothing
1. What to wear?
The weather is hot and wet in the rainy season, October to April, and mild and dry, in the cacimbo season, May to September. Clothing should be light through all the year; life in the inland requires warmer clothes.
Water and Electricity
1. Is the water safe to drink?
Although the quality of the water is not bad, it is safer not to drink it. There is good bottled water available.
2. Which is the voltage/frequency of electric power?
The electric power system uses 220/240 v / 50 hz. Current failure and/or sudden variations are not uncommon.
Telecommunications and Internet
1. Which are the operating companies?
Concerning telecommunications, there are several fixed line operators, which allow easy connections to and from the outside by telephone as well as by fax or internet. There are also two mobile phone networks.
To make an international call, you should dial 00 plus de country code (Portugal 351; Spain 34,...) plus the phone number. To make an international call to Angola you should dial the international code, followed by the country code (244) and the phone number.
2. How to access the internet?
Access to the internet can be obtained in hotels and other kind of residential accommodation and in cybercafés. There are more access options in major cities.
Health
1. Which are the main hospitals?
Urgent healthcare is ensured by hospitals or well equipped clinics. There are chemists (pharmacies) in all the provinces.
Hospital Josina Machel
Largo Josina Machel - Luanda
Tel: (+244) 222 336 133
Hospital do Prenda
Rua Comandante Arguelles - Luanda
Tel: (+244) 222 352 610
2. Which are the main clinics?
Urgent healthcare is ensured by hospitals or well equipped clinics.
Clínica Girassol
Av. Revolução de Outubro Bairro Mártires do Kifangondo, Município da Maianga
Luanda
Tel: (+244) 226 698 000
www.clinicagirassol.co.ao
Centro Médico Sagrada Família
R. Comandante Gika - Luanda
Tel: (+244) 222 328 393
Currency and Exchange rate
1. Which is the official monetary unit?
The national monetary unit is the kwanza whose parity with the dollar is often adjusted along the year, and it must be obtained in a bank.
There are several Kz bills: 1,00; 5,00; 10,00; 50,00 e 100,00.
Currency exchange can be made in banks and currency exchange houses. It is not allowed to leave the country with local currency.
2. Which is the official exchange rate?
Please see exchange rates daily at Banco Nacional de Angola.
Exchange rates 15/01/2011
1EUR = 121,914 Kwz
1USD = 93,043 Kwz
1000 Kwz = 8,20 Eur = 10,74 USD
Shopping
1. Where to do the shopping?
There are more shopping choices in the cities, where a more diversified range of products can be found. Shops have a usual commercial schedule:
Monday to Friday:
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Shops are usually closed on Sunday.
Belas Shopping was the first mall that opened in Luanda. It has about 100 shops and 900 parking spaces.
www.belasshopping.com
2. Is tipping compulsory?
Tipping is not compulsory, but it is in use according to the level of the service and the quality of the treatment.
Holidays
1. Which are the fixed holidays?
1st January New Year; World Peace Day
4th February Beginning of Armed Fight
8th March International Women's Day
4th April Abril Peace Day
14th April - Angolan Youth
1st May - Worker`s Day
17th September National Hero Dr. Agostinho Neto's Day
2nd November All Saints Day
11th November Independence Day
25th December Christmas
Note: Whenever a holiday coincides with a weekly rest day, it will be postponed to the first following business day.
2. Which are the movable holidays?
Carnival Day
Good Friday (Easter)
Note: Whenever a holiday coincides with a weekly rest day, it will be postponed to the first following business day.
Business
1. Advice that should be followed.
Important business should be closed personally. Negotiations could be carried in English, but it is necessary to make sure if an interpreter is needed.
Angolans are, in general, friendly and cheerful people. Lunch is usually between noon and 3 p.m. Dinner is usually between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Lunch is often a crucial time for business. Meeting business partners personally is seen as an important event.
Angolans are courteous, serviceable and receptive to visitors. Because of their entrepreneurship they are equally rather receptive to new business ideas.
2. What is ANIP?
ANIP is the National Agency for Private Investment and its aim is to promote private investment by Angolan citizens as well as foreigners in well identified industrial sectors and development areas. ANIP works within a legal frame which provides financial stimulus to the investment and aims to give support to investors through modern application procedures.For further information, please see: www.investinangola.com.
