Kalandula Falls

The Quedas de Kalandula (Kalandula Falls) are on the Lucala river, in the municipality of Calandula, in the province of Malanje, about 360 kilometres from Luanda. They are about 105 metres high and 400 metres wide and rank among the largest waterfalls in Africa by volume.

In colonial times they were called the Quedas do Duque de Bragança. Today they are Malanje's postcard image and one of the most popular road trips from Luanda.

You can see the falls from above, with the water dropping along a wide front in several channels, and from below, along a path that leads down to the river, where the noise and spray give you the true scale of the place. The flow changes a great deal over the year: at the end of the rains the falls are a wall of water, while in the cacimbo (dry season) they split into several thin streams and the rock is exposed.

It is worth staying overnight in the area to see the falls early in the morning, when there are fewer people and the light is softer.