Muxima - Kissama

Mama Muxima is a Catholic shrine of worship located in the province of Luanda, in the municipality of Kissama. This municipality once belonged to the province of Bengo even the council of ministers approved the decree (Law number 29/11, of 1 September) which disassociated 2 former municipalities from Bengo to become part of the province of Luanda (Ícolo Bengo, Quissama).

Muxima means heart in Kimbundu and its church has been a national monument since 1924.

Buildings and iconic spots

It is in this area that the Kissama National Park and the Church of Our Lady of Muxima, Mandatory places for a visit.

Church of Our Lady of Muxima
The Church of Our Lady of Muxima houses the sanctuary of Our Lady of Muxima, which annually receives thousands of pilgrims, especially at the time of the Feast of Our Lady of Muxima, in September. It was built between 1641 and 1648 after the transfer of the image from Nossa Senhora da Muxima by the Dutch to this location. It is located in Muxima about 130 km from Luanda.

Muxima fortress
It was erected in 1599 by Portuguese forces on a hill on the left bank of the Kwanza River, as a defense of the prison that served there as a warehouse for goods and slaves. It was also declared a national monument in 1924.

Kissama National Park
75 km south of Luanda, Kissama National Park has a total area of 9600 km², located between the Atlantic Ocean, the Kwanza River and the Longa River.

It has an establishment for visitors, an inn and several bungalows.

In 1938 it was established as a game reserve and in 1957 it was transformed into a national park.

Vegetation varies greatly from the banks of the Kwanza River to the interior of the Park, with mangroves, dense forest, savannah, scattered trees, cacti, baobab and large areas of trees.

The fauna is also abundant and varied. There are African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis), red sables (Equinus hippotragus), talapoins (Miopithecus talapoin) and sea turtles. There is also a wide variety of birds.

The spellings Quiçama, Quissama and Kisama are also frequent.

What to do

To enjoy moments in Kissama, you can go on a Safari in Kissama National Park, and photograph the diversity of animals that this park has, or you can even take a boat trip on the banks of the largest river in Angola, Kwanza river.

With this tour guide you can enjoy a complete visit to Kissama. Please let us know if this article was helpful to you in the comments below.

Enjoy it!