Huambo travel guide

Huambo, formerly Nova Lisboa (English: New Lisbon), is the third-most populous city in Angola, after the capital city Luanda and Lubango, with a population of 710,000 (2024) in the city and a population of 836,293 in the municipality of Huambo (Census 2024). The city is the capital of the province of Huambo and is located about 220 km E from Benguela and 600 km SE from Luanda.

Huambo sits in the center of the traditional area of the Ovimbundu people (who speak Umbundu). During previous centuries the Ovimbundu were organized into several independent kingdoms. The Portuguese came into contact with these kingdoms in the 1500s, and the Ovimbundu soon proved themselves to be capable traders, creating trade networks from the Portuguese port town of Benguela all the way into modern-day Democratic Republic of Congo (Katanga province) and Zambia.

Getting in

TAAG operates flights from Luanda to Huambo (and vice versa) at least once a day. A one-way ticket costs in the range of US$160. Flights also arrive on a much reduced schedule from Lubango, Ondjiva, and occasionally other cities. The Huambo airport, Aeroporto Albano Machado, lies 3.5 km south of the city center. Motorcycle taxis will be waiting to take you anywhere you want to go, but don't let yourself be overcharged. 200 kwanzas should get you anywhere in the main city area.

Getting around

The city center is small enough to be explored by foot. Otherwise, the easiest way to get around Huambo is on motorcycle taxis. They wait at every corner, or you can flag one down as he drives by. Tell the driver where you want to go, and he'll tell you a price. Prices should be standard depending on the distance (usually 100, 200, or 300 kwanzas), but you, as a visitor, won't know what's fair. So try to bargain your way as low as they'll go, then you know you're getting a fair(er) price. Be aware that motorcycle drivers are not necessarily safe. Many accidents occur.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.