CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – General

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VISA. Citizens of the following 16 countries can visit Central African Republic without a visa for up to 90 days: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Israel, Liberia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, United States (up to 180 days).
Visas can be single entry or multiple entry, but multiple entry is recommended more than single entry. Multiple entry visas usually last a year, whereas the single entry last three months. They cost US$150 and take two days to process. If you are from a country without a CAR embassy (such as New Zealand), you may apply for a CAR visa at a French consulate/embassy. It is unclear if other nationals (citizens of the USA, France, etc.) may apply at a French consulate or not. Policies for obtaining a visa vary among CAR embassies and from month-to-month. You may apply for a CAR visa at CAR embassies in neighboring Yaounde, N’Djamena, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, & Khartoum. The CAR also has embassies in Washington, Paris, & Bonn.
Borders with Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (at least east of Bangui) are very insecure and any attempt to travel across them by land is not recommended. There is no land routes between the CAR and Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo).
By plane. The country’s only international airport (and only airport with scheduled flights) is Bangui M’Poko International Airport (BGF). There is no Central African airline to provide regional connections or transfers to domestic flights. Air France provides the only service to Europe, flying to Paris. Ethiopian Airlines flies to Addis Ababa. Kenya Airways serves Bangui on its three-city route Nairobi–Bangui–Douala. Royal Air Maroc flies the three-city route Casablanca-Douala-Bangui. TAAG Angola Airlines flies two three-city routes connecting Luanda–Brazzaville-Bangui and Luanda-Douala-Bangui.
Other airlines serving Bangui include: Camairco & Interair South Africa (both to Douala) and Toumai Air Chad (to Brazzaville, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Lomé, & N’Djamena).
By bus. Bus service is available from Cameroon and Chad, although the length and the dangerous countryside makes such bus trips infrequent. In terms of safety and ease of passing through checkpoints, however, traveling by bus is preferable to traveling by 4×4.
By boat. Other African cities and countries are accessible via boats and barges that travel infrequently along the Ubangui river. The Ubangui River flows into the Congo River, which is navigable all the way to Stanley Falls near Kinshasa/Brazzaville. Although slow, there are regular (although adhering to no set schedule) barges which travel from Bangui to Kinshasa/Brazzaville. Boats also traverse the Bangui river from Bangui to Zongo, DRC, which is connected to the DRC’s limited & rough road network, continuing onward to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
By 4×4. The Central African Republic is one of the least developed countries in Africa and its road network is in poor condition and services are almost non-existent away from the larges cities/towns. The police/military are extremely corrupt and checkpoints (set up for bribes more than any other reason) are frequent. There are no roads through the dense jungle between the CAR & Congo-Brazzaville. Travel from Cameroon to Bangui and onwards to Dzanga-Sangha Reserve is relatively easy, but bribe checkpoints are common.
In the northern & eastern parts of the country, local rebels and nominally government-controlled soldiers pose a great threat. Kidnapping and banditry are grave dangers in these regions and travel in the northern or eastern regions of the CAR (especially if you plan on driving your own vehicle) should only be done in consultation with local experts. This includes all routes to/from Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, & crossings into the DRC east of Bangui.

GETTING AROUND
By boat.Traditional trade is carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts. Oubangui is the most important river, navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less. 282 km of waterways are navigable to craft drawing as much as 1.8 m

LANGUAGE
The main language is French with a dialect called Central African French, which is easily understood by speakers of French. There are a lot of indigenous languages also. While French is the official language of the Central African Republic, only a few people in the country know more than a few words of it.
Sängö (also referred to as Sangro or Sangho) is the lingua franca and is spoken by most of the people in the Central African Republic (some 2000 have it as a mother tongue whilst 80% of the country have it as a second language). To find out if someone speaks Sängö, simply say Balâo (which means Hello), if they respond back with Balâo mïngï then you have found yourself a Sango speaker.
English is spoken by almost no one, even in the capital.

SEE
The Musée Ethnograhique Barthélémy Boganda in Bangui is the country’s national museum and has a decent collection of local instruments, weapons, tools, and displays about local traditions, religion, and architecture.
Prehistoric rock paintings can be found in several locations, but some of the best can be found in Bambari.
The “Chutes de Boali”, a possible daytrip from the capital, are a rather picturesque series of waterfalls, which are even more impressive in the rainy season.
Megaliths near the town of Bouar are positioned in concentric circles and are remnants of the CAR’s ancient peoples.
As with most of Africa, local markets can be a feast for the eyes, offering a wide arrangement of crafts. Just be vigilant, as markets in the CAR are rife with petty and violent theft.
The country is made up of vast swathes of tropical rainforest that make it popular for exploring.

DO
Visits and stays with the Pygmy communities are probably the biggest draw for the country’s few tourists. Possible activities include: hunting with traditional weapons/devices, gathering medicinal plants with the women of the village, participating in a night of music & dance.
Visit the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve to trek through the jungle in search of gorillas, elusive forest elephants, chimpanzees, & more. A visit to the reserve is often combined with a stay in a Pygmy village. The reserve is part of larger protected area, with Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (which consists of two noncontinuous parts: “Dzanga Park” & “Ndoki Park”) flanking Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve on two sides and which in turn is part of a larger, tri-national protected area including Lobéké National Park in Cameroon & Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo-Brazzaville.
Should the CAR ever emerge from the grip of conflict & dysfunctional government, the country would be an appealing ecotourism destination (similar to Gabon). Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St.Floris National Park are promising wildlife reserves that are in insecure regions and without facilities.

CURRENCY
The currency of the country is the Central African CFA franc, denoted FCFA (ISO currency code: XAF). It’s also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs.
Costs. Costs in Central African Republic are exorbitant for foreigners who plan to maintain a lifestyle similar to those in their origin country. Much of the commerce and goods must be flown or shipped into the nation, explaining the high costs for many goods. “Local” goods that are imported into CAR from regional nations such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon are slightly less expensive (rice, beans, water, etc.) Finally, many of the supermarkets in Bangui and other cities are owned by Lebanese people and families, so there is abundant Middle Eastern food imported into the country, although these products are also very expensive.

CUISINE
There is a wide diversity of food in Bangui, including Chinese, Lebanese, French, local food and so forth. Food in restaurants owned by foreigners are very expensive and can be US$10–20 per dish (or more). Local food, however, may also be expensive depending upon the restaurant and its location. There are abundant French bakeries in the downtown area in the centre of Bangui with moderate prices for baked goods as well as meals. Food in supermarkets is very expensive, although cheaper food can be purchased at local markets and from sellers in the street.
Drink. Local beer (“33”, Mocaf, Crystal) and soft drink (Mocaf is a major producer) is similarly priced to products in Europe and the United States. Wine is available in some French wine shops but can be very expensive. Palm wine is common. Water is produced in Cameroon and Central African Republic and can be purchased in all of the local supermarkets. Imported products such as Coca-Cola and Fanta are also available.

WORK. There are myriad opportunities for working by teaching English or for any of a number of humanitarian or religious organisations in the Central African Republic. Many of the streets of Bangui are lined with organisations including MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières), UNICEF, International Red Cross, European Union, WHO, Institut Pasteur, Catholic Relief Serices, COOPI and many others. Most organisations are involved in health and development programmes, although others deal with education, religion, etc. Speaking French is essential for somebody who wants to be effectively involved in working with these organisations, as English is rarely spoken, even in Bangui.

STAY SAFE
Hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas. Floods are common.
Police manning checkpoints will demand bribes, expect no less than US$5; there are many reports that a trip from the Cameroon border to Bangui will cost hundreds of US dollars or Euros in bribes. Police will often confiscate an item (passport, camera, watch) and demand money for it. Armed robberies on roads in the country are common. Violent crime in the capital is common even in daylight, particularly around the “kilometre 5” bus station. Alcoholism is a major problem with city-dwellers, so be wary of drunks and do not even think about drinking with locals (you will be out-drunk).
Photography. In theory, visitors can obtain a permis de filmer from the Ministry of Tourism in Bangui with a turnaround of a couple days. In practice, however, photography is viewed with suspicion and disliked not just with the police or army around the usual sensitive locations (government buildings, infrastructure, checkpoints), but by regular people just about everywhere. Taking photos conspicuously will draw negative attention and you should ask for permission to take anyone’s photo—even in public places.