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Accra ⇄ Luanda · One stop · Via Lomé, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg or Lisbon

Flights from Accra to Luanda: Angola with one change

Luanda and Elmina were founded by the same people for the same trade. The Portuguese who built the castle at Elmina in 1482 founded Luanda in 1576, and for three centuries it shipped more enslaved Africans across the Atlantic than almost any other port. Today Luanda is the oil-rich, expensive, fast-changing capital of a country at peace since 2002. No airline flies nonstop from Accra, but since 2026 ASKY connects the two cities with a short change in Lomé. Here are the routes, the entry rules, and Angola as it is.

The best one-stop routes from Accra

Flight times are approximate, without the connection. Angola is one hour ahead of Ghana all year.

ViaAirline from AccraAccra → hubHub → LuandaTransit visa for Ghanaians?
LoméASKY Airlinesabout 50 minabout 3 hNo; Togo is visa-free for Ghanaians anyway
Addis AbabaEthiopian Airlinesabout 5 h 45about 5 hNo, if you stay airside
JohannesburgSouth African Airwaysabout 6 habout 3 hCheck South Africa's transit rules
LisbonTAP Air Portugalabout 6 habout 7 h 30Yes, unless you hold certain valid visas

Which one to pick

The obvious choice: ASKY via Lomé, new since February 2026. The first leg is under an hour, and Lomé is a familiar, visa-free stop for Ghanaians. More departures: Ethiopian via Addis Ababa, a long detour east but with good connections. Avoid: Lisbon, which means flying north to Europe and back south again, with a Schengen transit visa on top. Book Accra to Luanda on one ticket.

Accra arrivals today ASKY Airlines page

Ghana and Luanda right now

Local time in both cities, the weather at this moment, and a converter between cedis, Angolan kwanzas and the main currencies.

Say it in Portuguese

Angola speaks Portuguese, with its own Angolan accent and slang. English is rare outside hotels and oil companies.

  • Olá / Bom dia: hello / good morning. Boa tarde: good afternoon.
  • Obrigado (said by a man) / Obrigada (said by a woman): thank you.
  • Por favor: please.
  • Quanto custa?: how much is it?
  • Tudo bem?: all good? The answer is Tudo bem.
  • Kota (Angolan slang): an elder, a respected older person. You will hear it often.

Angola in brief

Key facts

  • Capital: Luanda, the largest city, with well over eight million people in the metropolitan area.
  • Independence: 11 November 1975, from Portugal, followed by a civil war that ended only in 2002.
  • Currency: Angolan kwanza (AOA). The exchange rate moves often; check the converter above on the day.
  • Languages: Portuguese (official); Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo and other national languages.
  • Time: West Africa Time, UTC+1, one hour ahead of Ghana.
  • Entry: Angola widened visa-free entry for tourists from many countries in 2023, including the UK, the EU and the US. Ghanaians should check the current rules with the Angolan Embassy in Accra before booking.
  • Yellow fever: a certificate is required. Carry your card with your passport.

Luanda and Elmina: one empire, one trade

Portugal reached the Gold Coast in 1471 and built São Jorge da Mina, today's Elmina Castle, in 1482. A century later, in 1576, Paulo Dias de Novais founded São Paulo de Luanda on the coast of the Kingdom of Ndongo. Elmina was built for gold; Luanda was built for people. For almost three hundred years it was one of the largest slave ports on the Atlantic coast, shipping millions of Africans, most of them to Brazil. Much of Brazil's African heritage comes from Angola. When freed Afro-Brazilians later returned to West Africa, some settled in Accra: the Tabom of Jamestown, whose story is told at Brazil House.

Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba, who fought the Portuguese for decades in the 17th century, is today Angola's national heroine; her statue stands in Luanda.

Luanda and beyond: what to see

  • National Slavery MuseumIn a chapel on the Morro da Cruz south of the city, where captives were baptised before shipment. Small, sober and important.
  • Fortaleza de São MiguelThe 16th-century Portuguese fortress above the bay, now the Armed Forces Museum, with views over the Marginal.
  • The Marginal and the IlhaLuanda's seafront promenade, and the long sandbar island with its beaches and restaurants.
  • Miradouro da LuaThe "moon viewpoint": eroded cliffs south of the city, best at sunset.
  • Kissama National ParkThe closest park to Luanda, restocked with elephants and other animals after the war.
  • Kalandula FallsAmong Africa's largest waterfalls by volume, a long day's drive east of Luanda.

Tours in and around Luanda with local guides, booked before you travel. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.

Arriving in Luanda

  • The airports: Luanda is moving its international flights from the old Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in the city to the new Dr. António Agostinho Neto International Airport, about 40 kilometres south-east. Check your ticket for which airport you land at.
  • Immigration: have your yellow fever card, return ticket and hotel address ready.
  • Into town: arrange a hotel transfer or a registered taxi in advance. Street taxis, the blue-and-white candongueiros, are not for first-time visitors.
  • Traffic: Luanda's traffic is notorious. From the new airport, allow well over an hour to the centre.

Honest tips for this route

  • Luanda is expensive. Hotels and restaurants in the centre cost far more than in Accra. Budget honestly.
  • Cash and cards. Foreign cards do not always work. Bring some US dollars or euros in clean notes and change only at banks or official bureaux.
  • Safety. Petty crime is common in Luanda. Do not walk around with your phone out, and avoid walking alone at night.
  • Landmines. Decades of war left mines in rural areas. Outside the city, stay on roads and marked paths, and travel with a guide.
  • Photography. Do not photograph government buildings, the presidential palace or the police.
  • One ticket. Book Accra to Luanda on one ticket, so the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection.

Coming the other way: from Angola to Ghana

Angolans visiting Ghana should check the Ghana visa rules before travel. For anyone from Luanda, Elmina is the place to begin: the oldest castle of the empire that founded your city.

Airport pickup with free internet, private vehicle hire and a three-destination tour, booked before you land. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.

Accra International Airport Embassies in Accra

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GhanaFlights.info belongs to an independent network of more than 70 African travel, heritage and information websites, online since December 2000. No Google advertising, no sponsored praise: just the routes and the countries, as they are.

Ghana-Net.com · Elmina Castle · Cape Coast Castle Museum · James Fort and Jamestown · Fort San Sebastian · DR Congo · ZambiaVibes.com · AfricanIndependence.com

Updated and fact-checked: 29 October 2026. Routes from the airline timetables on GhanaFlights.info; flight times approximate; entry and health rules checked in October 2026. Always confirm with the airline and the Angolan authorities before booking. Text and research by Remo Kurka for GhanaFlights.info. This website carries no Google advertising.