Angola Climbing Festival

General info

We're excited to host the first ever Angola Climbing Festival in Serra da Leba for 9 days, August 16-25, 2024. The festival will feature climbing, route development, slacklining, as well as a bolting workshop, film screenings, and more.

The event takes place on the cliffs of Serra da Leba, a stunning location on the edge of the Huila plateau overlooking the Namib desert plains. The festival is open to climbers of all levels, and we're excited to welcome climbers from around the world.

Traveling to Angola

If it's your first time in Angola, you'll be amazed by the natural beauty of the country. If you're flying into the country, you'll arrive in Luanda. From there, you can take a domestic flight to Lubango. The TAAG flight runs twice a day, is 1 1/2 hours long and costs around $125. Fly Angola is resuming flights between Windhoek and Lubango, so you can potentially fly in directly if you're coming from Namibia or South Africa.

If required, we can shuttle you between Lubango and Serra da Leba. The drive is about 45 minutes and will cost $20. Public transportation is also available on the main road, but not the final 1.7km to the festival site. The road is paved and in good condition.

Visas

The Angolan government has recently made it easier to travel to Angola to promote tourism here. Many nationalities can travel to Angola without a visa for up to 30 days. Check the Angolan embassy in your country for the latest information on visa requirements.

Money

The currency in Angola is the Kwanza. Foreign credit cards are not generally accepted in Angola. There are ATMs in Lubango, but not in Serra da Leba. The success rate with foreign bank cards at ATMs varies. Bringing euros or dollars to exchange is the most reliable option. We recommend bringing enough cash for the festival. While camping and meals are included in the festival ticket, you may want to bring extra cash for other expenses like beer, snacks, local crafts, etc.

You can buy a local SIM card for cheap as well in Luanda or Lubango. Serra da Leba has decent LTE coverage on the Unitel network.

Health and safety

A yellow fever vaccine is required to enter Angola. Malaria is present in Angola, so we recommend taking malaria preventative medication while in the country. We also strongly recommend carrying international medical insurance, as the health care system in Angola is not reliable and a medevac is likely in the case of a serious injury.

Accomodation and camping

We'll have camping available at the festival site. The camping area is a 5 minute walk from the climbing area. We'll have showers and toilets available. If you prefer to stay in a hotel, we recommend booking in Lubango, 45 minutes away. There are a few hotels in Lubango, but we recommend booking early as they fill up quickly. Casper Resort is our recommended hotel in Lubango.

If you won't have a tent with you, we'll have tent and camping mattresses available to reserve when you sign up for $5/night. Camper vans and rooftop tents are also welcome.

Weather

August in Angola is fairly dry and rain is unlikely. The average low/high temperature in Serra da Leba in August is 9/29°C (48/85°F). The nights can be chilly, so we recommend bringing a good sleeping bag as well as a warm jacket. The sun is strong, so bring sun protection.

Prices and tickets

The festival ticket is $300 or €280. This includes all meals, camping and the event t-shirt. We also have a shorter, 3-day ticket available for $80/€75 for the second weekend, August 23-25. Angolans recieve a 50% discount on either ticket. Tents will be available to rent for $5/night. This is a non-profit event. (Early bird tickets sold out on April 30th).

What to bring

We recommend bringing a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. A headlamp is also recommended. We'll have a charging station available. Bring your climbing gear, including a helmet, harness, rope, quickdraws and a belay device. A 70m rope is recommended, as many of the climbs are long and/or multipitch. Many of the routes are trad, so bring a trad rack if you have one.

If you plan to bolt, bringing a drill, drill bits, and as many bolts as you can spare. Stainless steel (316) bolts are recommended. Zinc-plated will not be allowed due to the wet rainy season. We'll have a bolting workshop on the first day of the festival. We will have some bolts available depending on donations.

New climbers

This is a great opportunity for new climbers to get started. We'll have a beginner's area set up with top ropes and we'll have a few pairs of shoes and harnesses available to borrow. We'll run a few beginner's clinics throughout the festival. If you're new to climbing, we recommend signing up for the second weekend, August 23-25.

Post-festival climbing safari

Maximize your trip to Angola by joining us for a climbing safari after the festival. As we make our way back to Luanda, we'll be stopping at some of the best climbing areas in Angola: Sumbe, Conda and Pedras Negras, and seeing some beautiful sights along the way. Get in touch for details.

Volunteers

Please get in touch if you're interested in volunteering at the festival. We're looking for volunteers to help with the festival setup and takedown, as well as helping with the organization of the festival. The festival ticket price will be waived for volunteers.

Free spots

Limited free spots are reserved for those unable to afford the price. Inclusivity is important to us. Please reach out if you need a free spot.

Donations

If you can't attend but would like to support the festival and climbing in Angola, we appreciate any donations. We're looking for climbing gear, especially bolts, hangers, and anchors. We're also looking for financial donations to help cover the costs of the festival. Make a tax-deductible donation.

Registration

Sign ups are open from March 1st to June 30th. We have a limited number of tickets available, so we recommend signing up early. We'll have a waiting list available if we sell out. If you need to cancel, we'll refund your ticket if you cancel before July 31st. After that, we'll refund 50% of your ticket price.