September 24, 2025, 4:55 am | Read time: 3 minutes
At this year’s TRAVELBOOK Award on September 23, 2025, there was a new category: the best destinations for a sustainable safari. Among the nominees: Iona National Park in Angola. But what makes the park so special that it appears as one of five finalists in this category? Find out here.
The giraffes have already returned, and in the future, there may also be lions, elephants, and black rhinos in Angola’s Iona National Park. The vast protected area in the southwest of the country is on the rise, especially since the Angolan government and the conservation organization African Parks committed to its protection in 2019. After years of civil wars and wildlife suffering from poachers and other uncontrolled human activities, there are now plans and cautious progress in rebuilding and permanently securing this natural jewel at the northern tip of the Namib Desert.
Fascinating Wildlife in Iona
On 15,150 square kilometers, at the border with Namibia’s Skeleton Coast National Park, many animal species already live there. These include mountain zebras, springboks, oryx antelopes, black-backed jackals, hyenas, ostriches, as well as a few cheetahs, caracals, and leopards. Additionally, there are 75 species of amphibians and reptiles, as well as numerous migratory and wading birds. Elephants and rhinos once lived here. Since 2023, thanks to successful reintroduction, giraffes have once again inhabited the park.
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In addition to the gradually enriched wildlife, it is also the environment of Angola’s oldest national park itself that makes it so fascinating for visitors. A rugged, 160-kilometer-long Atlantic coastline meets impressive dunes that transition into vast desert landscapes with barren mountains and wide plains. Rivers and extensive forests add to this. Together, they offer a unique habitat for the people and animals residing there.
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Sustainable Tourism in Angola’s Iona National Park
The NGO African Parks aims for “long-term ecological, social, and economic sustainability for wildlife and the population” in Iona. In addition to close collaboration with local communities to directly involve them in the rebuilding and protection of Iona, it also focuses on tourism and “other sustainable, income-generating activities.”
There are already offers for safaris through this special nature reserve, some of which already focus on sustainable travel. These include the involvement of local tribes, the use of environmentally friendly vehicles, small group sizes, and eco-friendly accommodations that, for example, rely on solar power, waste reduction, and water-saving measures.
Methodology for the TRAVELBOOK AWARD
We say it every year: All nominated regions, countries, and others for the TRAVELBOOK Awards are already winners. Even if they didn’t achieve overall victory. This also applies to Iona National Park in Angola. Because: Every country has already made it to the shortlist in advance, meaning it was selected from a large number of contenders in a category.
The TRAVELBOOK editorial team asked the community on Facebook and Instagram for help and consulted experts from the travel industry to create the shortlist. TRAVELBOOK readers then cast nearly 150,000 votes and chose their trending travel destinations for 2026.