"Huambo" a Huambo Travel Page by jungleboy

My family and I took a short road trip from Luanda with some friends for New Year, the final destination being Huambo. The journey here was truely breathtaking with amazing landscapes, lush mountains and friendly locals. We had no idea what to expect when we got here but what we did find was a devasted city that has really been torn apart by the war. Huambo was formally know as Nova Lisboa and was built by the portugese to replace Luanda as the capital of Angola. It was famous for its wide tree lined avenues, its botanical gardens and its place on the Benguela railway line that streached deep into the African interior. After Angola gained independance the name was reverted to the origianl of Huambo. However in the following years it was at the centre of the civil war and has obviously seen many horrors. It was both sad and shocking to see the devastation in the city and I cannot begin to imagine the terror that this place has witnessed.

We arrived into Huambo after dark and had to pass through the police gates at the entrance to the city. The police men looked pretty shocked to see a car load of tourists trying to ask for directions to a hotel in basic portugese. When we entered the city there was very little electricity and most builindings were lit by candlelight. It was very scarey at first as all we could see were buildings riddled in bullet holes and burnt out shells. We stopped at a petrol station where the guys were really friendly and gave us directions to a hotel.

The next morning I was woken by the whistles of trains that have once again began rolling along the Benguela railway. The city was a lot less alarming in daylight but the extent of the devastation became evident. Virtually every building has a bullet hole on it and some are completely covered. But there are signs that this city too is beginning to be rebuilt and I would love to go back and spend some time there.