Namibe is a port city on Angola's southern coast where the desert meets the Atlantic. The Portuguese arrived in 1485 and named the region Moçâmedes; it was the first district established in southern Angola and has been a fishing port ever since. Today it is Angola's third-largest harbour, exporting fish and agricultural produce from neighbouring Huila province.
The province of Namibe offers some of Angola's most dramatic scenery — the sea, desert, and savanna converge here, and the climate is the best on the Angolan coast. Between Namibe and Tombwa you can find the Welwitschia mirabilis, an extraordinary desert plant that can live for over a thousand years and looks like a giant octopus sprawling across the sand. The fish market at the harbour — one of the most productive fishing zones in the South Atlantic — is worth an early morning visit.
The coast has spectacular, mostly empty beaches. About 150 km south is Bibala, and Iona National Park, Angola's largest protected area, lies about 200 km away — both are well worth the trip.