We try to make sure that your trip and stay in Luanda during the festival will be as pleasurable and safe as possible. Because of that, we prepared a checklist to help you prepare yourself for the trip to Luanda Semba Festival. Please read the information below carefully. If you have any questions or problems do not hesitate to send us an email.

The mandatory vaccine that you need to have before going to Luanda it’s called the yellow fever vaccine (Febre amarela in Portuguese). Without this vaccine and an international vaccination card (international certificate of vaccination), you will not be able to cross the border. An international vaccination card is a yellow card that you should get in the nearest clinic/hospital when you are getting the vaccine here is how it looks like.

There are optional recommended vaccines that are good to have before the trip: hepatitis A/B, typhoid fever, tetanus, diphtheria. Please research it and ask your doctor.

In the case of malaria (important), you can also get shield medicines instead of the vaccine, that needs to be taken before, during and after the trip that will prevent malaria if some crazy mosquito decides to bite you.

ADVICE: Start the vaccination process as fast as possible because the last vaccine needs to be taken 15 days before your departure.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  The yellow fever vaccine is valid for 10 years. If you already took this vaccine before and have an international vaccination certificate, there is no need to take the vaccine again.

Apart from the vaccines it’s also good to bring some diarreia medicines, just in case your belly is sensitive.

To apply for the visa you need point 1. completed (at least partially) as the process requires an international vaccination certificate.

To apply for the tourist visa please go to http://www.smevisa.gov.ao/ get familiar with all the requirements to fulfill. Then you can apply for the tourist visa in the “Apply for visa” section. Please read the requirements carefully.

During the process choose Aeroporto 4 de Fevereiro as this is the international Luanda airport.

From our side, you will need:

– point 4. Proof of Accommodation: Hotel reservation or proof of accommodation. If you still don’t have it, please send us an e-mail as fast as possible and we will send you this document so you can proceed with the visa.

– Information about the contact person, that you can find here: Contact Person Information

The payment for the VISA will be made when you arrive in Angola on the border. You will need to have 120 USD or ~120 EUR IN CASH prepared for this. Cash is the safest option in Angola for this purpose.

WARNING: Please make sure you fulfill all the requirements as we are not be counted responsible if you will not be able to cross the Angolan border.

WARNING:  If you do choose to make the visa through the Angolan embassy nearby instead of making it online, they can ask you for the document called the “Calling card” (Carta de chamada). We CANNOT provide this document for you. The explanation that you go to Angola for tourism and Proof of Accommodation that we provide from the hotel in which you will stay, should substitute the Calling Card (Carta de chamada). 

Luanda Semba Festival ensures the transport to/from the hotel for all the participants who will arrive in Angola from the 27th of December until the 6th January (inclusive). Once you arrive in Angola, someone from our team will be waiting at the airport for you.

You can use your debit/credit card in Luanda, although we advise taking some cash (Euro €) with you as it is much easier to exchange it and pay with it than with card, which can be troublesome as it happens quite often that the banking systems have issues. 

Payment for the visa according to the current information on the website is 120 USD or ~120 EUR IN CASH. Cash is the safest option in Angola for this purpose.

You will some extra money meals that are not covered by the full pass and all the other expenses such as: private classes, art, paintings, suvenirs etc. In total you shouln’t be able to spend more than 500 euros. ( unless you plan to go completely crazy 🙂 

We can help you to exchange the money to local currency (Kwanza) once you arrive at the hotel. Contact someone from our team after arrival to do so.

The remaining amount needs to be paid in cash (euro) after arrival. Once you check into your room at the hotel, contact our team directly to pay the remaining amount of your ticket.

We do not require a dress code for any of our parties, however in places like Caminito or Maiombe, white sneakers and flip flops are not accepted at the entrance, please take it into consideration.

In Angola at New Years Eve party, people usually dress white clothes, but this is also not mandatory.

For the activities at Mupas Beach and Cabo Ledo, we recommend you to bring a small backpack/bag with a swimming suit, towel and flip flops, as apart from the dance classes we will have some extra activities near to the swimming pool and the beach.

For Kissama Park, where we are going for Safari, we advise you to take long sleeves and repelent to protect yourself from mosquitos, water and a hat with you, because you will be exposed to high temperatures for long time.

For the Kalandula waterfalls visit in Malange, please bring comfortable clothes and sneakers. The path is really muddy, slippery and wet near the waterfalls. If you want to be extra safe, rubber boots are not a bad idea either.

For your comfort and safety to prevent any bug bites, it’s highly advised to have a good mosquito repellent with you.

Sun in Angola can be very strong especially in the summer period (December). We highly advise taking some solar protection with you.

You won’t use them often, but because of the trip to Kissama park, we advise to take also long sleeve clothes because of the mosquitos. It can also get cold when visiting Kalandula Waterfalls.

Once you land you will need some connection with the outside world. To facilitate this process we will buy a bunch of prepaid starters (SIM cards) that have good range coverage, that you will be able to buy directly from us with no need to search elsewhere. Once you use all the money that was on the sim card, you will need to buy the charging cards to charge your SIM with money, that we will also have around to save you the hassle. When you land in Luanda airport you can use free airports Wifi that is not the fastest but will allow you to reach us via WhatsApp or Facebook.

The hotel wifi does work, but the internet is hardly accessible in the other places. 

To ensure that the event flows well, we are counting on your punctuality! Luanda is a city with crazy traffic jams. We are counting on your support so that all the activities can be carried out on time. To make that work, please respect the times for meals (especially breakfast) and to be ready for the buses to the activities on time (sharp)!  We will only give a tolerance of 15 minutes of waiting after the agreed time.

We created a whatsap group that we will use for communicate with all participants. Please make sure that you are added to the group before the event! If you are not, immediately contact us to add you. We will share important information about the event there. People who are not added to the group are responsible for updating themselves. We won’t be responsible for missing information if you are on the group.

In case you need to contact us by whatsapp directly:
Marly Baptista: +351 926 728 596
Gabriel Cabinda: +351 926 039 074
Pawel Krysiak: +351 932 285 297

GOOD PRACTICE: If you can ask the question on the group, always ask in on the group. The other participants may have the answer to the question that bothers you as well. We will try our best to always be present for you and answer as fast as is humanly possible.