Republic of Congo – March 4-9, 2017
The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), also known as the Congo Republic, West Congo, Congo-Brazzaville or simply Congo, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by five countries: Gabon and the Atlantic Ocean to the west; Cameroon to the northwest; the Central African Republic to the northeast; the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south; and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to the southwest.
Capital and largest city. Brazzaville 4°16′S 15°17′E
Official languages. French
Recognised regional languages. Kituba, Lingala
Ethnic groups. 48% Kongo, 20% Sangha, 17% Teke, 12% M’Bochi, 3% Europeans / others
Demonym. Congolese
Government. President Denis Sassou Nguesso
Independence from France. 15 August 1960
Area Total 342,000 km2(132,000 sq mi) (64th). Water. (%)3.3
Population. 2014 estimate. 4,662,446 (124th). Density 12.8/km2 (33.2/sq mi) (204th)
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate. Total $31.157 billion. Per capita $6,985[2]
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate. Total $9.769 billion. Per capita $2,190
Time zone WAT (UTC+1)
Drives on the right
Calling code +242
Why Go? Jungles hiding half the world’s lowland gorillas, masses of forest elephants, and troops of chimpanzees; the Congo (not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo across the Congo River) is on the cusp of becoming one of the finest ecotourism destinations in Africa. Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki and Parc National d’Odzala are two of the most pristine forest reserves on the continent and between them they are arguably the highlight of the whole of Central Africa.
Despite this impressive resume the Congo remains an unknown quantity to most outsiders and currently receives very few visitors.
When to Go.
Jun–Dec The best overall time to travel in Congo .
Oct–Jan The easiest time to see wildlife in the northern forest parks.
Dec–Feb Sea turtles nest on beaches of Parc National Conkouati-Douli.
VISAS. All visitors to Congo need a visa. You can buy a 15-day, single-entry visa (CFA20,000) on arrival at most borders, if you have a letter of introduction (a hotel reservation should suffice), but there will likely be hassles and additional ‘fees’ if you take this route. Visas from embassies in neighbouring nations are around CFA30,000 for one month.
Visas for Onward Travel. We didn’t get any visas here as we had all we needed (only DRC and Angola) before arriving.
Angola. Visas are only issued to residents of Congo. You’ll need to post your passport back to your home country and obtain one there. Should this change the long list of requirements for any visa attempt includes a letter of invitation, legalised copy of an ID card, two photos, a letter explaining the reasons for your visit and a photocopy of the identity card of the person who invited you. Transit visas are equally problematic from the Brazzaville embassy or the consulate in Pointe-Nore. However, one glimmer of hope is that some people have successfully obtained transit visas from the consulate in Dolisie.
Cameroon. Three-month, single-entry visas cost CFA5000, and require two photos, a photocopy of your passport and a hotel reservation. Takes 48 hours.
CAR. One-month, single-entry visas require two photos, a photocopy of your passport, hotel reservation and CFA45,000. Takes 48 hours.
DRC. Putting a dampener on many an overlander’s plans, the embassy of DRC is now only issuing visas in Brazzaville to citizens and residents of Congo. The only way you will currently get a visa and be allowed to actually enter DRC is by sending your passport to the embassy in your home country and applying there.
Gabon. Visas valid for a month cost CFA45,000. Bring a hotel reservation, a photocopy of your passport and two photos. Takes one day.”
MONEY. CFA. Euros are the best currency to bring, though you can change US dollars and British pounds in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. Banks willing to exchange money are rare outside these cities, but businesses owned by Lebanese and West Africans usually change money: rates vary widely so shop around. Make sure the bills are in pristine condition.
Crédit du Congo bank has ATMs in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire that accept Visa, MasterCard and Plus cards, but don’t rely on them always working.
Gabon/Congo Border. We hardly noticed the Gabon exit at Doussala but Congo was another story. We crossed a small river to the town of Ngorno. An immigration officer entered the truck and proceeded to do a complete check of each locker. Mufi, with a big pack and 2 suitcases, each with small locks, tested everyone’s patience. The fellow requested a 2,000 CFA for each passenger after we had left! Steve refused. We all left to watch a guy go through each of our passports and check them against the manifest. Then it was across the road to another office where the passports were given another rudimentary scan. The guy checking all our luggage finally gave up after three benches and the possessions of six of us were checked.
Most people heading to Gabon travel between Oyo and Franceville via Léconi, Gabon; it’s not on the border, but take care of Gabonese immigration formalities here). There’s no public transport along most of this route and few lorries, so it can take several days.
After navigating a poor road with large muddy potholes we finally got onto a good packed-dirt road. It was late and Steve couldn’t find the usual gravel pit to bush camp so we settled on the clearing in front of a village. Everyone waved at us and the kids did their usual yelling and waving as we passed.
The houses had changed from the wooden “shacks” of Gabon to orange clay-fired large bricks, usually with sloping corrugated roofs. The flat grasslands had more bush and maybe larger clumps of trees. Any significant collection of houses has three large water tanks (white, yellow and green, the colours of the Congo flag) sitting on top of large rectangular cube with three taps. I’m not sure if they are filled from a well (there is a collection of solar panels attached to the whole affair) or if they are filled from tanker trucks.
This village was 6kms from the closest electricity and all was dark at night except for the most amazing electrical storm whose flashes lit the entire eastern sky every 1-2 seconds. It finally rained briefly in the middle of the night. A “broken” goat made the most amazing noises through the night and the cacophony of rooster calls had everyone awake early.
The landscape changed after we crossed a huge river where we had a refreshing swim. A long green ridge crowned with trees formed the west horizon. We then passed through a series of conical hills covered in emerald grass. It was quite lovely. The rough dirt road was slow going – maybe we drove 100kms all day. The only significant economy seemed to be logging. The only vehicles were logging trucks carrying huge logs and large farm trucks full of guys. Where the logs came from was not apparent as the hills were barren. The multiple small collections of homes had nothing to sell other than rarely a few hot peppers or gas in whiskey bottles. Subsistence agriculture seemed to be all there was. Many yards had elaborate graves covered in ceramic tiles.
We bush camped about 50 kms from Dolisie and the poor road changed to pavement a few kms outside of Dolisie.
Dolisie. We stopped in this large city for a couple of hours. The Grande Marche was closed as it was a Monday. Most people got phone cards and wandered around the Grande Marche while Steve shopped for vegetables and meat. There wasn’t much to do.
With about 250 more kilometres to Point Noire, the road was a dream – 4 lanes of excellent pavement. We had two tedious police checks where every passport was scrutinized. The road climbs to a high ridge then has a steep winding descent into Point Noire. I rode up on the beach for 360° views. I love riding there through towns. The forest was relatively complete for some sections but heavily deforested on top.
THE COAST
POINT NOIRE (pop 635,000)
Congo’s outlet to the sea is something of a resort town, though it’s mostly expat oil workers rather than sun-loving tourists filling the seaside hotels and restaurants. It took almost an hour to drive through Point Noire to get to our beach camp at Brassiere de la Mer. The road was another huge market lining both sides.
We weren’t charged to camp on the lovely beach with big surf but couldn’t put up our tents until dark and had to take them down each morning. The prices were high (beer 2000CFA and food relatively expensive by Cameroon standards) so little money was spent. The neighbourhood was embassies and high-end houses and apartments. We stayed for 3 nights. After trying 5 banks, I was finally able to find an ATM that would give me money. We also found it impossible to get wi-fi and internet anywhere. By chance we went to a high-end hotel, they gave us the password and I spent 2 afternoons connected. Steve gave each of us 5,000CFA to spend in the restaurant on our last night to appease the owner.
Rénatura Congo (www.renatura.org; per person CFA10,000) is a turtle protection society that allows you to accompany its workers who free sea turtles from fishing nets.
Diosso & Around. On the edge of the village of Diosso, 25km north of Pointe-Noire, runaway erosion has created the colourful Diosso Gorge, which looks like a mini Badlands. Also in town, the Musée Ma-Loango has good displays on Congolese culture, the Loango kingdom and slavery. Bush taxis run from Grande Marché in Pointe-Noire (CFA800, 45 minutes) or a taxi
Parc National Conkouati-Douli. Congo’s most diverse national park stretches from the Atlantic Ocean through a band of coastal savannah up into jungle-clad mountains. Poaching problems (fed by demand for bushmeat in Pointe-Noire) mean the wildlife-watching has for a long time been somewhat limited, but recent investment in the park infrastructure and security means that the elephants, gorillas and buffalo that live here are becoming more common, and more easily seen.
The main activities are boat rides (CFA10,000 to CFA25,000 per person) up the Ngongo River; forest walks (CFA10,000); and, between November and February, watching sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach (CFA20,000). You can also help feed the island-dwelling chimpanzees (CFA50,000) being prepared for reintroduction to the forest.
We spent 3 nights in Point Noir
We didn’t go to the following places but have been included for completeness sake.
BRAZZAVILLE (1.28 million – Greater Brazzaville)
Founded in 1880 on the Stanley Pool (called Malebo Pool in the DRC) area of the Congo River, ‘Brazza’ has always been the junior partner economically with Kinshasa (DRC), on the other shore; though for travellers it’s the more laid-back, and safer, town. Low-key and unassuming, with most evidence of the war years washed away. Brazzaville has a lot of charm and many visitors claim that it’s the most pleasant city in Central Africa.
Brazza Memorial. The body of Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who founded the city, was returned to Congo in 2006 and interred in this gleaming memorial.
Basilique Sainte-Anne. This modernist 1949 building was the crowning achievement of French architect Roger Erell, who was known for fusing Western architectural ideas with local building techniques.
Marché Total. Brazza’s biggest market, in Bacongo, sells everything from technological wonders to caterpillars and monkeys to Congolese fabrics and aphrodisiac charms.
Les Rapides. These wide and powerful rapids on the Congo River at the outskirts of the city are where the Congo River gets nasty. Most people observe the rapids from the nearby bar Site Touristique Les Rapides, but the best viewing is at the other end, down the sandy track after the bridge. The main rapids themselves are well out into the middle of the river and quite hard to see, but it’s still impressive even from this distance.
AROUND BRAZZAVILLE
The Lésio Louna Gorilla Reserve, 140km north of Brazzaville, is a home for orphaned and confiscated gorillas. During a visit (CFA35,000 per person) you can see the babies in the nursery and watch the adults living wild on an island get fed. You can also swim or just enjoy the peace and quiet at lovely Lac Bleu . If you leave Brazzaville by 5am it can all be done as a long day trip. Make arrangements several days in advance with the Projet Protection des Gorilles (www.aspinallfoundation.org.
THE NORTH
Heading north of Brazzaville the road passes across the top of an unexpected high savannah plateau. It is not until you reach Makoua that the road starts to tilt downwards and enter the dense rainforests of Congolese fame.”
Lake Télé Reserve. In a country like the Congo getting off the beaten tourist track is not difficult. But for those who really want to immerse themselves in the deepest of jungle adventures, a journey to the perfect circular form of Lake Télé, hidden away in the unimaginably remote northeast of Congo, is surrounded by swamp-forests that remain largely unexplored, and not just that are there an estimated 100,000 lowland gorillas inhabiting the area or indigenous groups living an almost completely traditional lifestyle.
To get there you’ll need firstly to take a not-very-regular flight from Brazza to the river town of Impfondo. Barges also float past Impfondo as they travel between Brazza and Bangui in CAR. From Impfondo a road of sorts runs to little Epéna after which nothing but unexplored swamp forest stands between you and your goal! Contact the Wildlife Conservation Society in Brazzaville, which is working to establish a community reserve there.
Owando (pop 24,000). Owando sits around the halfway point between Brazza and Ouesso and has a reasonable array of facilities. If you are making the trip north in stages it makes for a good overnight stop, although onward public transport is better from little Makoua, an hour up the road.
Makoua (pop 11,355). The small town of Makoua has a gentle country vibe. Its main claim to fame is that it sits smack on the equator.
Parc National d’Odzala. One of the oldest national parks in Africa, it has had a turbulent past. Once celebrated for having around 20,000 gorillas, the population was decimated about a decade ago by several outbreaks of the ebola virus, which wiped out between 70% and 95% of the gorilla population.
Today the situation is much improved, gorilla numbers are growing and the park itself has received a much-needed boost with the arrival of African Parks (www.africanparks.org) and Wilderness Safaris (www.odzala-kokoua.com; 6-night all-inclusive package s/d US$9416/11,770) , who between them have rejuvenated the park’s infrastructure, stepped up antipoaching patrols and established two luxury tourist lodges. Currently, the only way to visit Odzala is on one of Wilderness Safari’s exclusive fly-in safaris setting out from Brazza.
Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki. A team from National Geographic magazine, who visited the fledgling Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park (www.wcs-congo.org;) in the mid-1990s, called this northern corner of Congo the world’s ‘Last Eden’, and they chose their words wisely. It is truly the world before the chainsaw. This vast region of swampy forest is home to healthy populations of western lowland gorillas, forest elephants, chimpanzees and others. In 2012 Unesco declared it a World Heritage Site, as a part of the much larger (750,000-hectare) Sangha Trinational Park, which covers both this park and neighbouring Dzangha-Sangha park in CAR and Lobéké park in Cameroon.
Dzanga-Sangha Reserve. If you’re visiting Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki then it’s easy, and a lot of fun, to travel by boat between the park and Central African Republic’s Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, from where you could continue up to Bangui by road. You can hire a speedboat in CAR for around CFA328,000. The alternative is to rent a very leaky pirogue (traditional canoe) with a small engine for which you’ll pay half but take at least twice as long. Crossing the border on this route is memorable, but generally painless. Putter for hours along the stately brown Sangha River under the guard of what seems to be millions of big trees and then, quite suddenly, you come to a small clearing on the riverbank with a single wooden building staffed by a handful of soldiers, immigration officials and their families from the CAR. They’ll merely ask a few questions, stamp your passport and send you on your way.
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