Kalandula Falls
Quedas de Calandula
Interesting facts
- In May 2014, after a public vote lasting about ten months, Kalandula Falls was chosen as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Angola.
- According to local elders, the falls were once a sacred site where rituals were held to calm the gods and ask for health and prosperity.
- The colonial name Duque de Bragança honoured King Pedro V of Portugal, who held the title Duke of Bragança when the area was first colonised.
- Although less than a third as wide as Victoria Falls, Kalandula comes close to it in height, which makes its curtain look unusually tall for its breadth.
- On sunny days the spray rising from the gorge creates a vivid rainbow that hangs over the falls for much of the daylight hours.
- From the bottom of the gorge, the horseshoe-shaped falls almost encircle the viewer with a wall of thundering water.
- The Lucala, which feeds the falls, is regarded as the most important tributary of the Cuanza, the largest river in Angola.
- Kalandula is not alone: the same municipality holds several other waterfalls, including Musseleji, Matão-a-Luando and Bango-a-Zenza.
- The town that gave the falls their present name was founded in 1929 and carried the name Duque de Bragança until 1975.
Why it is worth it
In Malanje Province in northern Angola, the Lucala River spreads across a front some 400 metres wide and drops about 105 metres into the gorge below in a single roaring curtain. Kalandula Falls are counted among the largest waterfalls in Africa by volume,, with a curving rim that has drawn comparisons with Niagara.
The Lucala rises in Uíge Province to the north, flows south through Malanje and eventually joins the Cuanza, Angola's largest river, near Massangano in Cuanza Norte. Kalandula is the river's great moment: a broad, curving cliff over which the whole river pours into a deep gorge, throwing up clouds of spray. The flow is greatest in the rainy season, roughly February to April, when the falls run at full width.
Until 1975, during the colonial era, the falls were known as the Duque de Bragança Falls, after the Portuguese royal title, and the nearby town carried the same name; both were renamed Calandula, or Kalandula, after independence. The falls lie within the municipality of Calandula, which had a population of around 80,000 in 2014. Malanje, the provincial capital, is about 80 km away by road, and the national capital Luanda roughly 360–420 km to the west. Viewpoints along the rim look down into the gorge, and a viewpoint across the valley takes in the whole curtain of water head-on.
Getting there
The falls are in the municipality of Calandula in Malanje Province; the town of Cacuso lies about 48 km away in a straight line, and the provincial capital Malanje about 80 km by road. The nearest airport is Malanje Airport (MEG), about 60 km away in a straight line. Luanda is about 360–420 km to the west by road.
On these lists
From the encyclopaedia
Kalandula Falls or Calandula Falls are waterfalls in the municipality of Calandula, Malanje Province, Angola. On the Lucala River, the falls are 105 meters high and 400 meters wide. They are one of the largest waterfalls by volume in Africa. The distance from Luanda is 360 km (220 mi).
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