Tômbua, or Tombwa, used to be known as Porto Alexandre during colonial times. The city sits in the desert on the Atlantic coast and its economy is based on oil producing and fishing. It sits on the Atlantic coast and the whole city smells of fish. Tômbua has grown rapidly and nowadays the former villages of Yona and Saint Martin of the Tigers are included in the municipality.

From Tômbua, tours to Foz de Cunene in the Namib desert are organized. At Foz de Cunene you can see huge dunes that reach to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. There is some accommodation in Tombua. The city is 800 km south of Luanda.