Mumba Lodge, Angola – Hotel Review

In a nutshell

A former tobacco factory on a 90,000-hectare working farm has been expertly renovated into Angola’s first luxury lodge. Beautiful bedrooms, fresh-from-the-farm food and outdoor adventures combine to make it a compelling introduction to one of Africa’s last wildlife frontiers.

Three things I loved

• The interior design. Its industrial-meets-artisan chic mixes original features with stylish Angolan-made furniture and Afropunk art
• The farm-to-fork food, from the tomahawk steak to cured cheeses
• Exciting plans for tented houses beside the river

Rooms

Following a five-year renovation, there are 23 elegant high-ceilinged bedrooms, housed in former tobacco drying rooms. The most spectacular is the Suite Tree Mumba, whose defining feature is a 100-year-old Portuguese fig tree sensitively preserved behind a glass-and-brick wall stretching across the length of the suite. My Premium Double Room had sleek wood and leather furniture, African antiques and bold abstract artwork bought from markets in Luanda. The power shower, lined with natural products from European brand Damana, was thrilling after a week camping in the bush. I woke up early and sat on my terrace overlooking the forest, watching the sun burn slowly through the morning mist.

Food and drink

The light-filled dining room, with industrial beams and a towering original red-brick chimney, serves a wide-ranging menu, both local and international. The food draws on meat and produce from the farm: chillies, avocado, sugar cane, coffee and more. Cooked in front of me in the open kitchen, my buttery scrambled egg at breakfast was next-level, accompanied by thick Mucua (baobab) fruit juice. The tangy cheese, cured in-house, was another highlight. But dinner was the real triumph: exquisitely cooked tomahawk steak with roast potatoes, black beans and funje (the Angolan staple of cassava flour paste) followed by ‘camel spit’, a creamy Portuguese dessert, made from condensed milk. The Portuguese wine was superb – as was my passion fruit cocktail, made from fruit grown on site. A box of cigars was presented afterwards to see out the evening.

Highlights and experiences

This is a place to be outdoors, from touring the farm to visiting local villages. I loved exploring the estate, with its 80,000 cattle, hundreds of fruit trees and rows of corn fields. Impressively, the lodge employs 500 local people. From a raised open-air perch atop a custom-designed Land Cruiser, the views stretched for miles, with the sparkling Cubango River and endless green landscapes. We stopped at the stables, home to ten horses available for guests to ride, including a pair of elegant Lusitanos. From there, we sped along avenues of eucalyptus and red-hot pokers, passing a herd of zebu cattle being driven home by peãos, Angola’s answer to gauchos. Back at the hotel, the circular pool was perfect for cooling off. Gym bunnies will love the riverside spa, with its TechnoGym equipment and view overlooking the water, where a couple of hippo pods live.

What to do nearby

While Mumba Lodge has plenty to do on-site, the hotel offers safaris in Kapunda Nature Reserve, an hour-and-a-half drive away, complete with a picnic lunch. Here, amid the vast savannah, one can spot giraffes, rhinos, elephants, wildebeests and sable antelopes.

The backstory

The farm was founded by Opel Blitz, a German industrialist who fled Europe during the Second World War after refusing the Nazis demands to convert his car factory to munitions production. Blitz arrived in Angola looking for a new challenge. He turned to tobacco farming, then one of the country’s most lucrative industries. It was a big success, but Blitz left during the Civil War and the estate fell into ruin.

In 2015, the estate was bought by Angolan company OMATAPALO. After five years, they set about renovating the lodge, before opening it in May 2025 under their hospitality brand, On Tour Hotels. So far, they have three hotels, with another opening in Luanda’s new international airport at the end of the year.

Insider tip

The best way to reach Mumba is by charter flight, landing on the lodge’s private airstrip. The closest airport is Menongue, but it’s an incredibly bumpy three-hour drive riddled with potholes.

Final considerations:

• Can’t-miss: Dawn. The rising sun is stunning, glistening over the water and peeping through the trees
• Best for: Families and groups
• Location: In the Huíla province in southern Angola
• Family friendly: Yes, the Premium Double Rooms have sofa beds. Little ones will love meeting the farm animals
• Accessibility: Everything is on one level, including the bedrooms, dining room, spa and swimming pool
• Wellness: There is a small spa, with a range of relaxing massages, a Turkish bath steam room, a sauna and a gym
• Loyalty group: Flow Hotels