Safety in Angola

On the street: Petty theft is common in the capital, so keep your phone and camera out of sight. Do not walk alone through unfamiliar neighbourhoods, especially poorly lit ones.
Landmines: The eastern provinces still contain unexploded ordnance left from the war. Never pull off onto the verge and never walk into bush without a local guide.
Police: Highway patrols stop vehicles for document checks constantly. Carry a copy of your passport, stay polite and never argue openly.
After dark: Walking around the cities at night stops being sensible once the light goes. Call a vetted taxi through an app to the door of your hotel instead.
Photography: Photographing police stations, bridges and military sites is prohibited by law. Always ask before pointing a lens at a person.
Health: Malaria is a serious threat in every region, particularly after the rains. Use repellent, sleep under a net, and read your own government's travel advisory before finalising a route into the interior.

Angola receives almost no tourists, and foreigners here mostly work in the oil industry. Street crime in Luanda is noticeable; deception as an industry does not exist.

Luanda. Robberies, bag snatching and theft from cars. Nobody walks at night, and in some districts not by day either. Movement is by car with a driver.

Prices. Luanda topped the rankings of the world's most expensive cities for expatriates for years. This is not deception but the reality of an oil economy: housing, restaurants and services cost disproportionately.

Currency exchange. The official and parallel kwanza rates have differed substantially. Change through your hotel or a bank; street exchange is illegal and dangerous.

Taxis. Moto-taxis and candongueiro minibuses are not for a foreigner. Use a hotel car or apps.

The airport. Intrusive "helpers" and demands for payment. Arrange a meeting in advance.

Photography. Military installations, police, airports, ports, government buildings, oil infrastructure and even some bridges are categorically off limits. Angola treats this extremely seriously, and detentions of foreigners over photographs are not rare.

Documents. Carrying your original passport with visa is compulsory. Police check and a copy often will not do.

Drones. Prohibited without permission and confiscated.

Mines. After a long civil war, parts of the territory remain mined, though clearance has continued for decades. In rural areas do not leave roads and paths, and avoid marked areas.

Drugs. The law is strict.

Visas. Rules have changed, with an e-visa introduced for several countries. Arrange it in advance and carefully.

Roads. Nobody drives between towns at night. Roads beyond the main highways are in poor condition and wash out in the rainy season.

Exports. Diamonds — Angola is a major producer — may only leave with an official certificate. Anything else means a criminal case.

Yellow fever is compulsory. A certificate is required on entry and checked strictly. Angola suffered a yellow fever outbreak and controls have tightened.

Malaria. Very high risk nationwide year-round. Prophylaxis is unconditionally essential.

Vaccinations. Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, rabies, polio and cholera.

Cholera. Outbreaks occur, linked to the water supply.

Water. Bottled only.

Healthcare. The public system is weak. Luanda has a few clinics oriented toward oil expatriates, and they are expensive. Anything serious means evacuation to South Africa, Portugal or Namibia. Insurance with air evacuation is essential and must work in Angola.

Heat and humidity. The coast is humid and hot; the south near the Namibian border is arid.

Emergency numbers: 113 police, 112 ambulance.

Angola ranks low on the Corruption Perceptions Index, and extortion occurs regularly.

Checkpoints. On highways and in the city. Documents are checked and requests for "help" are possible. Stay calm with documents in order.

Reporting theft. Reports are taken and certificates issued; the process is slow. The language is Portuguese and English is little spoken.

Luanda. Urban caution is required at a high level. Ilha and Talatona are relatively calmer; the old centre and the musseques are not.

Photography and the police. The commonest conflict for a foreigner. Keep the camera in your bag.

What actually matters. Angola is not a tourist destination in the ordinary sense. A trip makes sense with a host organisation. The country's nature — the Kalandula Falls, Kissama National Park, the southern desert — is impressive, but the logistics require organisation and money.

Emergency number is 113.