Those who make the effort to visit the Congos will be surprised at a genuinely hospitable group of people who have adapted to life in difficult situations. Optimism is easy to find, and foreigners arriving with the same attitude will not be disappointed.
Sean Rorison
The Congos, mysterious, wild and scarred by their troubled history, are proving increasingly irresistible to travellers with a taste for true adventure.
Where guns and disease once ruled, there are now opportunities to discover astonishing national parks and vibrant communities – from the culture and concrete chaos of Kinshasa to the far reaches of volcanic mountains populated by mountain gorillas and okapi.
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Where to visit
Visas Getting there and away Getting around Visas The catch is that if you apply for a tourist visa overseas, they require more documentation regarding your stay – including a confirmed hotel reservation, confirmed round-trip tickets, references from your home country and possibly even a bank statement. Charges for the DR Congo visa can be…
Eating and drinking Congolese like their beer, and there is no shortage of it anywhere. In the DR Congo, Primus beer is a national institution and 750ml bottles can be bought cheaply at small bars and restaurants across the nation. Most towns have at least one small restaurant, often empty, but with food made to…
HealthSafety Health With Dr Felicity Nicholson. For up-to-date information on health issues across Africa, click here. People new to exotic travel often worry about tropical diseases, but it is accidents that are most likely to carry you off. Road accidents are very common in many parts of the Congos so be aware and do what you can…
Rising out of the jungle unlike any other sight in central Africa are Kinshasa’s towers, its lights, its chaos, its squalor. It is a cultural Mecca, a calling place for the dreams and fortunes of all Congolese from either country of the same name. Rising out of the jungle unlike any other sight in central…
With a relaxed, palpably French atmosphere, the Congolese capital is a low-key counterpoint to frenetic Kinshasa. Comparisons with Brazzaville’s larger neighbour are inevitable – across the river is the massive metropolis of Kinshasa, where activity can be intense and the evenings bustling; the capital of Congo is the exact opposite. At times quiet and quaint,…
A uniquely wealthy city in the Congos, Pointe Noire is home to painted mansions and a thriving restaurant scene. A city like no other in the Congos, Pointe Noire is a strange adjustment from the usual grinding difficulties that punctuate travelling in the region. Sitting as a bustling medium-sized city on the far west coast…
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