Lubango's central city park is the kind of place that tells you something about a city's self-regard. The Parque da Cidade is well maintained, shaded by jacaranda trees that turn the paths purple when they flower, and genuinely used by local families who come on weekends to walk, sit, and let children run. At 1,700 metres the air is cool enough that a park actually feels inviting rather than exhausting, which is not something you can say about every equatorial city.
On a Sunday morning the park comes alive with groups of people exercising, vendors selling snacks and cold drinks, and the low-key sociability that characterises Lubango at its most relaxed. It is not a destination in the way that Tundavala or the Serra da Leba are, but it is a good place to spend an hour when you want a break from driving and a feel for the city as it actually lives.