Angola 1st international climbing festival

justin · Post by **justin** » Wed May 08, 2024 11:15 am

Angola. A country you don't likely have on your climbing list. But you should. Route development and climbing are roaring back to life after a lull in the developments of the early 2010s.

Four different areas in the country are seeing active development. Each one has its own unique geology. Pedras Negras, magnificent conglomerate rock towering over the jungle. Sumbe, a massive limestone cave carved by a river. Conda, huge granite domes and featured faces. Serra da Leba, a beautiful multipitch sandstone cliff on the edge of the Huila plateau.

Beginning in May, the Chilean non-profit organization Climbing for a Reason is embarking on a climbing/social project in Conda. Building on their success teaching kids to climb at an orphanage in Tanzania, the aim is to build a climbing wall at the local school and get kids and youth involved in rock climbing. Further route development on the granite domes above and boulders scattered throughout the village will be components of the project as well.

Additional trips to Pedras Negras and Sumbe are slated for winter in June and July, as the temperature falls, rain stops and climbing conditions peaks during "cacimbo".

In August, Serra da Leba will host Angola's first international climbing festival. Nine days of climbing, route development and trail building await the intrepid climber. The initial response has been fantastic with climbers planning trips to Angola from Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Europe and North America. Registration is now open on our website here: https://climbangola.com/climbing-festival. Hope to see you there!

Nathan Cahill

Follow the developing community on Instagram at @climbangola.