The Kwanza is Angola's largest river, and its broad estuary forms the entire northern boundary of Kissama National Park. The river is wide and slow as it approaches the sea, fringed with thick mangroves and stands of dense riverine forest. It is rich in birdlife — African fish eagles, pied kingfishers, herons, the occasional flamingo at the saltpans near the mouth — and supports a relict population of manatees, very rarely seen.
Boat trips on the lower Kwanza can be arranged from the Kwanza Lodge, on the river's southern bank just outside the park entrance. A morning on the water gives a closer look at the riverside ecology than any number of road game drives would. Bring binoculars and insect repellent; the mangroves are infested with biting midges.