Visiting the factory directly and checking product quality yourself is an important process before you spend money on a large wood order. However, it must be admitted that anyone who comes to Angola in general or Africa in particular feels afraid: Fear of becoming a victim of criminals, fear of contracting some terrible disease, fear of being alone and surrounded by strangers. Then don’t miss 6 useful tips for customers coming to Angola to buy wood in this article!
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1. Do not walk alone on the street
In African countries in general, solicitation, invitations to rent cars, invitations to exchange money, invitations to buy tours… happen everywhere, fraud and pickpocketing also occur. So it’s best that you don’t walk alone on the street, don’t wear valuable jewelry, and don’t show off too much cash.
If possible, ask your partner to prepare transportation for you in advance, as well as carefully plan your destinations to avoid unwanted troubles during your business trip!
2. Be careful of heat shock
The harshness of the weather in Angola is something everyone knows. The large difference in temperature when the day is hot and the night is cold can make it difficult for your body to adapt and easily fall into a state of heat shock and fatigue.
Advice: You should prepare simple anti-allergy, fever, and anti-inflammatory medications and exercise before starting your journey to Angola to buy wood. In addition, mosquito spray, insect bite medicine, umbrella for sudden rains, anti-malaria medicine, are all extremely important things.
In addition, to ensure your health, you also need to be vaccinated with some vaccines as recommended by WHO.
3. Prepare lots of cash
Besides the services that you can pay in advance, when you come to any country for business purposes, you will have to prepare a large amount of money for food, travel, or visiting some interesting attractions.
Angola’s official currency is the Kwanza, but the US dollar is also commonly used. It is recommended that you prepare plenty of cash before coming to Angola to visit the partner’s factory directly. Because here your bank accounts are virtually worthless, and even major hotels and restaurants don’t accept credit cards. ATMs are quite common in big cities and towns, but many ATMs only accept Visa cards and other machines are always out of money. Therefore, having some cash on hand for protection is extremely necessary.
Bring US dollars when going to Angola to meet a partner, but remember it’s new money. Most merchants, from motel owners to kids selling gum on the street, would be happy to pay in US dollars. But not all dollar bills are accepted. Due to concerns about counterfeit money, most locals only accept bills printed from 2006 onwards. Invoices with tears or strange markings will also not be accepted here. Therefore, prepare money in different denominations for convenient spending.
4. Don’t eat and drink haphazardly
Africa also has a rich cuisine, with many unique specialties, especially dishes made from insects. However, food hygiene and safety issues here are also difficult to guarantee.
For some people who are not used to eating dishes from Angola, they should prepare extra bread, milk or dry foods to ensure they have enough health during the trip.
In addition, consider carefully before trying new foods, and always prepare intestinal and digestive supplements when necessary.
5. Choose a high-end hotels
Choose at least 3-star hotels to rest during your journey to buy wood in Angola. This is to ensure that the quality of service and security are good enough for you to rest comfortably.
6. If your partner doesn’t give you a clear schedule, reconsider
When you have spent thousands of miles traveling, of course you do not want to waste time with less professional partners. Professional loggers in Angola will certainly always welcome customers attentively, or at least have a specific schedule for you. What you need to do is consider whether the schedule is suitable and helps you achieve the purpose of this trip.
If you want to go to Angola to directly check the quality of K-Timbers’ wood, don’t worry about anything!
K-Timbers welcomes all customers to visit our factory in Luanda, Angola. |
May you also like: Top 5 Wood Suppliers in Angola
Above are a few useful tips for customers coming to Angola to buy wood. Hopefully our above sharing will help you have a safe and effective trip.