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View of Kalandula waterfall on Lucala river, tropical forest and cloudy sky as background.

“No one can say that God doesn’t exist when we see the wonders that God has done here.” That was Sebastião Gaspar Agostinho’s reaction as he visited Kalandula Falls for the first time.

Agostinho, accompanied by a group of women from his church, made an hours-long bus journey just to see the cascade, which is one of Africa’s largest waterfalls, and it was worth the drive.



“I have seen the Kalandula Falls on television,” he says. “I have seen pictures of the Kalandula Falls, but today, seeing it in person, the impact is different.”

The waterfalls, which lie almost 400 kilometers (240 miles) east of Angola’s capital Luanda, in Malanje Province, are traditionally believed to be sacred. Visitors basking in their immense power can understand why.

The experience begins at the parking lot near the falls. Even here, out of sight of the attraction, visitors can feel the energy generated by the massive amounts of water crashing onto the rocks below.

It’s approached by walking across an even field of large stones that leads to the top edge of the falls. From here it’s possible to get a true sense of the size and power of Kalandula Falls – the roaring waters span a width of 400 meters, with a drop of 100 meters.


The spectacle is wreathed in a cool mist that locals say is part of its spiritual history.

“What the elders say is that in the past, the Kalandula Falls were a sacred place,” says Nelson Andre, the director of tourism and culture in Kalandula. “It’s a location where rituals were performed to calm the gods and ask for well-being, health and prosperity for society in general.”

Kalandula (sometimes written as Calandula) is only a fraction of the width of Victoria Falls, Africa’s largest waterfall with a width of more than 1,700 meters, but it is almost just as tall with a powerful and relentless flow of water.

“It is not possible for a man to do what happens in these Kalandula Falls,” says Nelson Andre. “Rain or shine, the water never dries up, there is always water. It is the place where God took with his hands and painted the Kalandula Falls.”


To get the full experience of the falls, visitors need to venture down a steep and rocky trail that takes them to the bottom. It takes about 30 minutes to make the hike along part of the Lucala River that feeds Kalandula.

Those who complete the trek are gifted with a picturesque sight that will wow their social media followers. They’ll find themselves almost surrounded by the horseshoe-shaped waterfall, which creates a thundering backdrop of cascading water.

On most days the view will also include a rainbow so vivid you may want to make sure a pot of gold isn’t nearby.