Frequently Asked Questions

General info

We're excited to host the second Climb Angola Festival in Serra da Leba for 9 days, June 6-15, 2025. The festival will feature climbing, route development, highlining, as well as a bolting workshop, film screenings, live music 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. With over 100+ routes of all grades, the festival is open to climbers of all levels, and we're excited to welcome climbers from around the world.

Traveling to Angola

By Plane

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.

We can help you coordinate a taxi between the airport and Serra da Leba once you arrive. 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. If you're arriving by car you'll drive directly to the festival camp.

By Shuttle

If you're coming from the Climb Namibia Festival, you'll have a shuttle directly to Serra da Leba. The days in between the two festivals (June 2-6) is the perfect time to fit in an Etosha National Park Safari (it's halfway between Namibia and Angola). Book the Etosha Safari here.

With enough interest, we'll also have a shuttle available from Cape Town and Clanwilliam/Rocklands, returning after the end of the festival. Book the Cape Town Shuttle here.

By Car

Numerous people drove to the festival from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Windhoek and Luanda last year. The road from the Namibia-Angola border to Lubango is in good condition. The drive from the border takes about 5 hours. Petrol is cheap on the Angola side!

If you're driving from Luanda, the road from Luanda to Benguela is in good condition and takes approximately 8-9 hours. The road between Benguela and Lubango is under construction, if it's completed by June the drive will be much better. Currently it takes approximately 5-6 hours.

If you're planning on the climbing festival as part of a bigger overlanding trip, flying into Windhoek is best as Luanda has no option for renting outfitted cars.

Visas

The Angolan government has recently made it easier to travel to Angola to promote tourism in the country. 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 (European cards generally work, American cards generally don't). Bringing euros or dollars to exchange is the most reliable option. We recommend bringing a bit of cash for the festival. While camping and meals are included in the festival ticket, you may want to bring extra cash for drinks, snacks, local crafts, etc.

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

Health and safety

For most visitors, a yellow fever vaccine is required to enter Angola. Malaria is present in Angola, but low-risk at the high altitude in Lubango. 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 have a large camping area at the festival site. The location is amazing, right on the edge of the cliffs. Showers, running water and toilets are available. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.

If you won't have a tent with you, we'll have a limited number of tents available to reserve when you sign up for a small fee. Camper vans and rooftop tents are always welcome.

Weather

June 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 afternoons will be hot and the sun is strong, so bring sun protection, like a light long-sleeve sun shirt, wide-brim hat and sunscreen.

Prices and tickets

The festival ticket is $300. This includes all meals, camping and the event t-shirt. We also have a shorter, 3-day ticket available for $80 for the second weekend, June 13-15. Angolans recieve a 50% discount on either ticket. Tents will be available to rent for $5/night. This is a non-profit event.

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. A trad rack is also a great idea.

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 second 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, June 13-15.

Climb Angola Road Trip

The Climb Angola Road Trip after the festival was wildly popular last year. The first stop is 3 nights at Cumbira II, staying at Fazenda Rio Uiri, a fantastic lodge nestled right underneath massive granite domes. From there, the trip continues on to Pedras Negras, the huge conglomerate towers raising above the jungle. After Pedras Negras, the shuttle connects you back to Luanda on June 23rd.

For a more relaxing end to the trip, instead of Pedras Negras, you can head to the surf beach Cabo Ledo for two nights, bringing you to Luanda on June 21st. The Road Trip is booked separately from the festival ticket here.

Volunteers

Please get in touch if you're interested in volunteering at the festival. We're looking for volunteers to help with the festival, including camp cleanup, organization and event coordination. The festival ticket price will be waived for volunteers.

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.

Scholarship Tickets

Thanks to our sponsors, we have a very limited number of free tickets available for climbers in Africa without the means to pay for a ticket. The scholarship includes a travel stipend to travel to the festival. We'll use a random lottery system to pick from the applications. Please message to apply. Applications must be recieved by March 31st.

Contact Information

Don't hesitate to send Nathan Cahill a message on WhatsApp: +244944600288 or email: nathan@climbangola.com. Click to message on WhatsApp.

Registration

Sign ups are open until April 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.

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