Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo

The Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo (Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo) are huge blocks of dark rock that rise abruptly from the savannah in the province of Malanje. They are in the municipality of Cacuso, about 116 kilometres from the city of Malanje, and are one of the most striking landscapes in the interior of Angola.

The formations are millions of years old and are divided into several clusters. The most visited is the western one, next to the village of Pungo Andongo, where you walk among the rocks and climb to points with wide views over the plateau.

The place carries real weight in the country's history. Pungo Andongo was the last capital of the kingdom of Ndongo, and the rocks served as a natural fortress for the ngola kings. In 1671 the Portuguese besieged and took the village and built a fort there, of which ruins remain. According to tradition, the marks in the rock known as Queen Njinga's footprints are hers.

Late afternoon is the best time: the low light brings out the bulk of the rocks and the heat has eased.