Lighthouses of Angola

Namibe Province Lighthouses
Note: Namibe Province includes the southwestern desert coast of Angola. It is sparsely populated, and 40% of the population lives in Namibe city, the capital and principal port. The province was called Moçâmedes under Portuguese rule.

Ponta da Marca (?) Date unknown (station established 1920s or early 1930s). Inactive. 13 m (43 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed watch room. No photo available, but a 1942 chart has a small image. The survival of this very remote lighthouse should be considered questionable; there doesn't seem to be any trace of it in Google's satellite view. Located at the end of a sand spit enclosing the Baía dos Tigres. This location is the westernmost point of Angola, in the extreme southwestern corner of the country. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-012; Admiralty D5460; NGA 25724. Ponta Albina (3) (?) Date unknown (station established 1920s). Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. Historically this was a 38 m (124 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a square 1-story keeper's cottage. A drawing is at right. The survival of this lighthouse seems questionable, because a Google satellite view shows only ruins of the station. The Admiralty Notice to Mariners (2012 week 13) indicates that a new lighthouse has been built, probably on higher ground to he northeast of the historic station. More information is needed. From the drawing at right we see that this lighthouse is or was a sibling of the second Ponta dos Palmeirinhas lighthouse. Lighthouse painted white. Located on a prominent point of land about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Tombua. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-011; PT-5612; Admiralty D5442; NGA 25720. Tombua (Tombwa, Porto Alexandre) Date unknown (1920s or early 1930s). Active (?); focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white or green light, depending on direction, occulting three times every 9 s. 8 m (26 ft) tripod skeletal tower mounted atop a 1-story building. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the lighthouse. This is one of several lights in Namibe reported to have been rehabilitated in 2008. Located at the end of a sand spit protecting the harbor of Tombua (called Porto Alexandre under colonial rule), marking the west side of the harbor entrance. Site status unknown. Admiralty D5436; NGA 25716. Rio dos Flamingos Date unknown (since 1967). Active; focal plane 110 m (361 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical concret tower attached to a duplex keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with vertical yellow and white stripes. José Rocha has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located high on a bluff, north of the dry riverbed, 1.2 km (3/4 mi) from the coast and about 40 km (25 mi) south of Namibe. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-027; PT-5600; Admiralty D5430; NGA 25712. Ponta do Noronha (Ponta do Pau do Sul) (1) 1950s?. Inactive. 4 m (13 ft) square 1-story concrete service building, now painted all white. The light was mounted on the roof, as seen in the drawing at right. This modest building survives next to the modern light (next entry). Ponta do Noronha (Ponta do Pau do Sul) (2) 2006 (station established 1950s?). Active; focal plane approx. 45 m (148 ft); flash every 3 s, white or green depending on direction. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round hourglass-shaped fiberglass tower, painted with green and white horizontal bands. A 2007 photo is available, Tiago Campos de Carvalho has a sunset view, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a spectacular cliff on the south side of the entrance to the Baía de Namibe, about 5 km (3 mi) west of the waterfront. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-039; Admiralty D5414; NGA 25708.

Ponta Albina Light Ponta do Noronha Light Images from NGA Pub. 123

* Fortaleza de São Fernando Date unknown (late 1930s?). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); red light occulting twice every 6 s. 4 m (13 ft) white tower mounted on the historic fort. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The Admiralty reported this light reactivated in 2006. Located on the waterfront in Namibe. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-032; PT-5544; Admiralty D5418; NGA 25700. * Ponta do Giraúl (Namibe, Moçâmedes) (1) Date unknown (late 1930s?) (station established 1886). Active (?); focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 5 s. 24 m (79 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story keeper's house. A second 1-story keeper's house is nearby. In the photo at right and other closeup photos the lighthouse appears to be in very poor condition. A photo is at right, a distant photo of the light and its spectacular location is available, and Google has a satellite view. A fine closeup taken in the 1960s is also available. Namibe is the provincial capital; both the province and the city were called Moçâmedes during colonial rule. Located atop a vertical cliff at the northern entrance to the Baía de Namibe, about 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Namibe. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-019. * Ponta do Giraúl (Namibe, Moçâmedes) (2) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft) (?); white flash every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical fiberglass tower, flared at the top and bottom, colored with red and white horizontal bands. Two 2011 photos shows the new tower standing near the historic tower. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D5400; NGA 25688. Ponta Piambo Date unknown (station established 1968 (?)). Reactivated; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) square masonry tower, rising from the center of a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with black and white vertical stripes. Ravid Cohen has a 2012 photo, there's a small image at the bottom of a 1940 chart, and Google has an excellent satellite view. This lighthouse was restored in 2008, and it appears to be in good condition. Located on an isolated headland about 80 km (50 mi) north of Namibe. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-023; PT-5510; Admiralty D5370; NGA 25684. Ponta Grossa Date unknown (late 1930s?). Reactivated; focal plane 50 m (164 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 14 m (46 ft) square masonry tower, rising from the north end of a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. Eric Lafforgue has a 2010 closeup photo, and Google has a good satellite view. Like the Ponta Piambo lighthouse, this historic lighthouse has been restored and re-equipped with a solar-powered light. Located on a headland about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Bentiaba. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-022; PT-5500; Admiralty D5356; NGA 25680.

Giraúl Light, Namibe, January 2007 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Princesa-do-Namibe

Cabo de Santa Marta

Date unknown (late 1930s?). Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft) hexagonal masonry tower. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but there's a small image at the bottom of a 1940 chart, and Google has a distant satellite view. This is one of several lights in Namibe reported to have been rehabilitated in 2008. Located on a headland about 15 km (9 mi) west of Lucira. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-006; PT-5450; Admiralty D5346; NGA 25676.

Benguela Province Lighthouses

Cabo de Santa Maria 1939. Inactive, although still listed at focal plane 102 m (335 ft); three white flashes every 13 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower, formerly with lantern and gallery, rising from a small 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; lantern destroyed and removed. Trabas has José da Palma's photo (also seen at right), and the light station also appears abandoned in a Google satellite view. This station was heavily damaged during the civil war. Located on a headland at Santa Maria. Site open but very difficult to reach except by sea. ARLHS ANO-005; Admiralty D5336; NGA 25672. Ponta dos Frades Date unknown (after 1967). Still listed, but inactive since the civil war. 9 m (30 ft) round white concrete tower attached to a white concrete duplex keeper's house. José da Palma has contributed a photo, Trabas has a different photo from Da Palma, and Google has a satellite view. Da Palma found the lighthouse looted but basically intact. Located on a headland about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Santa Maria. Site open but difficult to reach. ARLHS ANO-021; Admiralty D5328; NGA 25668. Ponta das Salinas 1888 (rebuilt 2006). Reactivated; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); white flash every 4 s. 38 m (125 ft) square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a concrete base. Trabas has José da Palma's photo. This tower was extensively renovated in 2005-06; the original tower, showing a more pyramidal profile, is conspicuous in a Google satellite view. Located on a prominent point of land about 80 km (50 mi) southwest of Benguela. Site open (lighthouse fenced), tower closed. Accessible by 4x4 vehicles. ARLHS ANO-016; PT-5430; Admiralty D5324; NGA 25664.

Cabo de Santa Maria Light, January 2012 photo copyright José da Palma; used by permission

* Baía Farta (Ponta de São José) (2?)

1953. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) post light centered on a square 1-story equipment shelter. Lighthouse colored with red and white horizontal bands. José da Palma has contributed a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was renovated in 2005-06. Located on the beach on a sandy point north of Baía Farta, a fishing town about 40 km (25 mi) west of Benguela. Site open (lighthouse fenced), tower closed. Accessible by a short walk from the village, which can be reached by car from Benguela. ARLHS ANO-030; Admiralty D5318.

Ponta do Sombreiro (4) 2006 (station established 1885). Active; focal plane about 130 m (427 ft); white light occulting once every 9 s. 15 m (49 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored with red and white horizontal bands. 1-story keeper's house covered with blue siding. Trabas has one of José da Palma's photos, another one is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a hilltop about 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of the historic light station (next entry). Accessible by road (local guidance may be needed). Site open (light station fenced), tower closed. PT-5420; Admiralty D5312; NGA 25648. Ponta do Sombreiro (3) Date unknown (1950s?) (station established 1885). Inactive for many years. 7 m (23 ft) post light mounted on a small equipment building. Keeper's cottage, unroofed and in ruins. José da Palma has contributed a photo, a distant 2008 photo and an even more distant 2009 photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. A 1939 chart has an image (near center of the chart) of a tall skeletal tower here. Located atop a very prominent headland (supposedly shaped like a sombrero) on the west side of the Baía de Benguela about 10 km (6 mi) west of the city. Site status unknown; José da Palma was unable to reach the station in 2012 because the road had been lost to erosion. * Benguela Range Front Date unknown (early/mid 1950s?). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); flash every 2 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) square tower with gallery, colored with red and white horizontal bands and also bearing a cross of the Order of Christ. Trabas has José da Palma's photo, and Google has a satellite view. The deepwater port of Benguela is at Lobito; at the city itself there is no sheltered harbor. The range guides smaller vessels to an area where it is safe to anchor. Located on the beach 490 m (0.3 mi) northwest of the rear light (next entry), in an area used by Angolan police. Site and tower closed, but the light can be seen from the beach. ARLHS ANO-031; PT-5410; Admiralty D5300; NGA 25652.

Ponta do Sombreiro Light, Benguela, January 2012 photo copyright José da Palma; used by permission

* Benguela Range Rear

Date unknown (1930s?). Reported inactive in 2012; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red lens. Light mounted on a 12 m (39 ft) square tower of the church of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo. The light can be seen in the left (north) tower of the church in a 2005 closeup, a 2007 photo by José Pires, and Trabas's photo by José da Palma. Another photo of the historic (1748) church is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a main street in downtown Benguela, about 400 m (1/4 mi) from the shore. Site open, tower status unknown. Admiralty D5300.1; NGA 25656.

* Ponta da Restinga (Ponta do Lobito) (2) Date unknown (1930s?) (station established about 1910). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light occulting once every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery but no lantern, painted with red and white horizontal bands. The lower third of the tower is enclosed by what appear to be metal panels. A photo is at right, Trabas has José da Palma's photo (also seen at right), Frederico Sá Pinto has posted an August 2004 photo (2/3 of the way down the page), a 2007 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Klaus Huelse has posted a postcard view of the original lighthouse, a taller square skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed watch room. The harbor of Lobito is sheltered by a narrow sandy spit that forms a natural breakwater. Located at the end of the spit, marking the west side of the harbor entrance. Site open, tower fenced and closed. Accessible by car. ARLHS ANO-037; PT-5400; Admiralty D5288; NGA 25644. * Lobito (1) 1915. Inactive. 15 m (49 ft) cylindrical masonry tower with gallery and a small lantern, attached to a small keeper's cottage. Lighthouse painted white with one red horizontal band. The active light (focal plane 106 m (348 ft); two white flashes every 10 s) has been moved to a mast, also painted with red and white bands, next to the historic tower. Claus Bunks has a good closeup photo (a copy is at the top of this page) and a more distant view, a 2008 photo is available, Trabas has José da Palma's distant view, and Google has a good satellite view. In an older photo, the lighthouse was painted all white. Klaus Huelse has a historic postcard view and a second postcard view showing the tower with a series of horizontal red or black and white bands. The port of Lobito is the terminus of the famous Benguela Railway, which serves the mines of Zambia and the southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Damaged during Angola's civil wars, the lighthouse was nicely restored sometime between 2004 and 2007 and converted to a guest house. Located atop the bluffs on the east (mainland) side of the harbor entrance, north of the city. Da Palma found this area closed in early 2012 due to mine removal operations nearby. Site normally open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-008; PT-5315; Admiralty D5280; NGA 25640.

Ponta da Restinga Light, January 2012 photo copyright José da Palma; used by permission

[Ponta do Egito]

Date unknown (since 1967). Still listed, but inactive for many years and now largely destroyed. This was a 9 m (30 ft) tower, originally painted with red and white vertical stripes. No photo of that light is available, but Trabas has José da Palma's photo of what remains, and the station is seen in Google's satellite view. Da Palma visited this station in early 2012; he found it to be abandoned, with a ruined keeper's house. The light tower was blown up during the civil war. Located on a headland about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Egito Praia, a small town about 40 km (25 mi) north northeast of Lobito. The site is very difficult to reach. ARLHS ANO-018; Admiralty D5270; NGA 25636.

Kwanza Sul (Cuanza Sul) Province Lighthouses

Kikombo (Quicombo, Ponta Vermelha) (2) 2006 (station established 1939). Active; focal plane 137 m (449 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 14 m (46 ft) round fiberglass tower, colored with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has José da Palma's photo, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse here, a square masonry tower, was blown up during the civil war and only a few ruins remain. An image of the former lighthouse appears near the bottom of a 1945 chart. Located on a bluff south of the fishing village of Kikombo (Quicombo), about 20 km (13 mi) south of Sumbe. Accessible by car from the main road 5 km (3 mi) to the east. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-026; PT-5295; Admiralty D5250; NGA 25632. * [Sumbe (Novo Redondo) (1)] 1889. Inactive. 7 m (23 ft) post light formerly mounted on a 1-story house atop the northwest corner of a fort. The post has disappeared and the fort and the lighthouse are now in ruins. José da Palma has contributed the photo at right, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a hill in downtown Sumbe (Novo Redondo), the capital of Kwanza Sul Province, about 200 m (220 yd) from the shore. Site open, tower closed. * Sumbe (Novo Redondo) (2) Date unknown (around 1970?) (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) masonry tower with lantern, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Trabas has José da Palma's photo, and Da Palma has also contributed the photo at right, and another photo is available, but the tower is not very conspicuous in Google's satellite view. Located next to the remains of the historic lighthouse. Site open. ARLHS ANO-036; Admiralty D5240; NGA 25628. Porto Amboim Date unknown (1920s or early 1930s). Active; focal plane 110 m (361 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) white square tower with gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. No current photo available, but Michel Forand has a historic postcard view, the lighthouse appears in the first of two small images on a 1945 chart, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a prominent headland about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Porto Amboim. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-024; PT-5272; Admiralty D5224; NGA 25624. * Cambiri Date unknown. Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); red flash every 4 s. 4 m (13 ft) concrete equipment shelter with a light on a short tower at one end. Building painted white. Mario Pinho has a closeup of the lens and a photo of one corner of the structure, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a prominent headland in Porto Amboim. Site open, tower closed. PT-5270; Admiralty D5226; NGA 25612.

New and Old Sumbe (Novo Redondo) Lights, January 2012 photo copyright José da Palma; used by permission

Cabo das Tres Pontas

Date unknown (late 1930s?). Active; focal plane 51 m (167 ft); two white flashes every 7 s. 14 m (46 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but the lighthouse appears in the second of two small images on a 1945 chart, and Google has a very distant satellite view of the station. Located on a headland about 60 km (37 mi) northwest of Porto Amboim. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-004; PT-5260; Admiralty D5200; NGA 25608.

Bengo Province and Luanda Area Lighthouses

Cabo Ledo Date unknown (late 1930s?). Active; focal plane 102 m (335 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) hexagonal masonry tower with gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; the keeper's house roof is red tile. Thanks to Octavio Perez for the photo at right. The lighthouse was heavily damaged by looters in 1994. The light station was restored in 2004, and the original lantern was removed at that time. Octavio Perez's 2007 photo is at right, and the lantern can be seen in a 1969 photo, but Google's satellite view has no detail on the cape. Cabo Ledo, in southern Bengo Province 120 km (75 mi) south of Luanda, is famous for beautiful beaches and fine surfing; the government is working to improve security in this area enough to attract more foreign visitors. Located on a headland south of the town of Cabo Ledo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-007; PT-5255; Admiralty D5180; NGA 25604. * [Ponta das Palmeirinhas (3)] Date unknown (station established 1889). Inactive. Originally this was a square steel skeletal tower, roughly 27 m (89 ft) tall, mounted on a square 1-story concrete equipment building. A 1969 photo by Ivo Cardoso is available. The skeletal tower has been destroyed or demolished, but Octavio Perez has contributed a photo of the ruins of the equipment building. Cristiano Arbex also has a photo. Huelse has a postcard view of what was probably the original lighthouse, an octagonal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery roughly 23 m (75 ft) tall. Located on a prominent headland about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Luanda. Site open, tower closed.

Cabo Ledo Light, August 2007 photo copyright Octavio Perez; used by permission

* Ponta das Palmeirinhas (4)

Date unknown (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 4.5 s. Approx. 27 m (89 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted whith red and white horizontal bands. A small concrete equipment building stands next to the tower. Octavio Perez has contributed a photo, but the skeletal tower does not show up clearly in Google's satellite view of the station. This light station marks a great westward bulge in the coastline south of Luanda. Located on a prominent headland about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Luanda. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-015; PT-5250; Admiralty D5150; NGA 25600.

* Ilha do Cabo (Ilha do Luanda) (4) 2002 or later (station established 1930s). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); three white flashes every 8 s. 11 m (36 ft) fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo and a 2008 photo are available, Trabas has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The previous lighthouse was described as a square skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a building. An earlier lighthouse (perhaps the original) is seen in the third image on a 1949 chart. Luanda, the capital city of Angola, has the best harbor of southwestern Africa, sheltered behind a sandy barrier island known as Ilha do Cabo, Ilha do Luanda, or simply "The Ilha." The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway at its southern end. The lighthouse is located at the northern end, marking the entrance to the harbor. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ANO-033; PT-5205; Admiralty D5101; NGA 25584. * Ponta das Lagostas (Mórro das Lagostas) (2) Around 1930 (station established 1880). Inactive. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. There's a small image on a 1949 chart, and M.C. Makkar has a distant view from the sea showing this lighthouse and its successor, and an even more distant view is available. Huelse has posted a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, which had a lower focal plane of 64 m (210 ft). There's also a small image of the 1880 lighthouse on a 1937 chart. Located on a headland about 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Luanda. Site appears open, tower presumably closed. ARLHS ANO-014.

Ilha do Cabo Light, Luanda, August 2009 Flickr photo copyright royer_elizandra; used by permission

* Ponta das Lagostas (Mórro das Lagostas) (3)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 81 m (266 ft); red light occulting twice every 6 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Google formerly had a fine satellite view showing the new tower standing just to the west of the previous lighthouse, but the towers are hard to find in the current view. Site appears open, tower closed. PT-5204; Admiralty D5100; NGA 25576.

* Cacuaco

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); one long (2 s) yellow flash every 12 s. 9 m (30 ft) round hourglass-shaped fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands, mounted on a square concrete base. Jota CêCarranca has a 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the waterfront at Cacuaco, a town about 30 km (19 mi) east of Luanda. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty D5090.

Barra do Dande (Ponta do Dande)

1968. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but there is a postage stamp image (left stamp in second row), and Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent headland sheltering the harbor of Barra do Dante. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-017; PT-5193; Admiralty D5080; NGA 25572.

Ambriz

1930s? (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); four white flashes every 12 s. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, originally painted white. No photo available, but there's a small image of the lighthouse at the bottom of a 1950 chart. Google's fuzzy satellite view does not reveal the lighthouse. Located on a headland near Ambriz. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-001; PT-5180; Admiralty D5060; NGA 25568.

Zaire Province Lighthouses

N'Zeto (Ambrizete) (2) 1930s? (station established 1888). Active (?); focal plane 34 m (112 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower, originally painted white; the tower carries a cross-shaped daymark. Rosario Bidarra's photo is at right, there's a small image of the lighthouse on a 1952 chart, and Google has a satellite view. The photo strongly suggests that the lighthouse has been abandoned, and sailing directions mention a disused lighthouse here. Located on a headland about 5 km (3 mi) south of N'Zeto (Ambrizete). Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-002; Admiralty D5040; NGA 25564. Ponta do Quinzáu (Kinzau) Date unknown (since 1967). Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); three short white flashes followed by one long (2.6 s) white flash every 12 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower, painted with black and yellow horizontal bands. No photo available, and Google's satellite view has no detail in this area. Located on a headland just south of Quinzau. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-020; Admiralty D5006; NGA 25560. Cabeça da Cobra 1930s?. Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but there is a postage stamp image (right stamp in second photo) the lighthouse is the top left of three shown on a 1952 chart, and Google has a satellite view. Located about 65 km (40 mi) south of Soyo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-003; PT-5161; Admiralty D5003; NGA 25556. Moita Seca (Congo River) (3) 2002 (station established 1889). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Ricardo Jorge Silva has an aerial photo, and there is a postage stamp image (left stamp in first row), but a cloud veils Google's satellite view. This modern light replaced a 1919 hexagonal cast iron skeletal tower, 24 m (79 ft) tall; there's a small image of the 1919 lighthouse near the bottom of a 1955 chart. The lighthouse stands at the base of a sandy spit on the south side of the entrance to the Congo River. Located about 15 km (9 mi) east of the river port of Soyo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-035; PT-5030; Admiralty D4380; NGA 25528.

N'Zeto Light, November 2007 Panoramio photo copyright Rosario Bidarra; permission requested

Cabinda Province Lighthouses
Note: Cabinda is an exclave (a detached province) of Angola, separated from the rest of the country by a strip of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 50 km (30 mi) wide, along the north bank of the Zaire (Congo) River. Formerly known as Portuguese Congo, Cabinda was administered separately by Portugal until 1956. A long-running campaign by separatists has not succeeded in establishing Cabinda as an independent state, but some fighting continues. The city of Cabinda, the major town of the province, does not have a sheltered harbor; ships anchor in an open roads offshore. In July 2009, the Angolan government announced plans to develop a deep-water port in Cabinda; no timetable was given. Aids to navigation in Cabinda are maintained by the Porto de Cabinda.

Ponta do Táfe (Cabinda) (4)

2002 (station established 1888). Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); two white flashes, separated by 3.5 s, every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) fiberglass tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but there is a postage stamp image (right stamp in first row), and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The third lighthouse, a white square skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, can be seen in a small image near the bottom of a 1955 chart. Located at the tip of Ponta de Farol, a point of land at the south end of the bay of Cabinda, just southwest of the city. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-013; PT-5010; Admiralty D4340; NGA 25504.

Simulambuco Range Front

Date unknown (since 1967). Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red light, 1 s on, 1 s off. Square masonry tower, painted white. No photo available. This is the entrance range for the Cabinda anchorage. Located on the waterfront in Cabinda. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-028; PT-5013; Admiralty D4343; NGA 25508.

Simulambuco Range Rear

Date unknown (since 1967). Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. Square masonry tower, painted white. No photo available. Located 300 m (0.2 mi) east southeast of the front light in Cabinda. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-029; PT-5013.1; Admiralty D4343.1; NGA 25512.

Ponta de Lândana (Kakongo) (3)

Date unknown (1950s?) (station established 1888). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white light, 3 s on, 2 s off. 9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower, painted white. The sixth photo on a page of Cabinda photos is a view southward toward Ponta de Lândana; the tower seems to be just visible on the heights of the point. A 1952 chart has a small image of the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland just south of Kakongo (Cacongo), about 55 km (35 mi) north of Cabinda city. Site status unknown. ARLHS ANO-025; Admiralty D4326; NGA 25492.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Luanda Reef (1882-1911): Klaus Huelse has a postcard view of this pile lighthouse, which was destroyed by a storm. ARLHS ANO-034.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Republic of Congo | Enclave: Democratic Republic of the Congo | South: Namibia

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Posted September 30, 2005. Checked and revised August 1, 2012. Lighthouses: 43. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.