AfrinkongThe Congo Basin
Two thirds of the country is rainforest, and much of it has never had a road in it.
Central & West Africa · Afrinkong
Congo
Odzala, and the western lowland gorilla.
Odzala-Kokoua is one of the best places on earth to track western lowland gorillas, Nouabale-Ndoki has forest that has never been logged, and the Congo river runs the whole eastern border.
Where it is
Africa · Central & West Africa · Congo
The land in brief
- Spans
- 830 km E–W, 970 km N–S
- Latitude
- 4°N to 5°S — the equator crosses it
- Borders
- 5 countries
- Sea
- Has a coast
- Best time
- The two dry seasons: June to August, and December to February.
Also in Central & West Africa
CameroonAfrica in miniatureCentral African RepublicDzanga Bai, and the forest elephantsChadZakouma, and the lakes of OuniangaDR CongoVirunga, Nyiragongo, and the okapiEquatorial GuineaA volcanic island, and turtles on the black sand
Compare Congo with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
The two dry seasons: June to August, and December to February.
01Highlights
What Congo is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Western Lowland Gorillas
Smaller, redder and harder to see than mountain gorillas, and tracked through swamp forest.
Mountains
Mount Berongou
903 metres in the Mayombe, and the highest ground in a country of forest and plateau.
A Hundred and Seventy Kilometres of Atlantic
Pointe-Noire's beaches, and the empty sand of the Conkouati coast north of it.
Forests & Rainforest
Nouabale-Ndoki
Forest that has never been logged, and the Goualougo Triangle where the chimps had not seen people.
Culture
Congolese Rumba
Rumba was made on both banks of this river, and it is on the UNESCO list because of it.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Congo with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- The Congo BasinTwo thirds of the country is rainforest, and much of it has never had a road in it.
- Mount Berongou903 metres in the Mayombe, and the highest ground in a country of forest and plateau.
- The LoufoulakariFalls on the Congo above Brazzaville, where the river drops through rock.
- The Congo RiverThe second largest river on earth by volume, and the whole eastern border of the country.
- A Hundred and Seventy Kilometres of AtlanticPointe-Noire's beaches, and the empty sand of the Conkouati coast north of it.
- Nouabale-NdokiForest that has never been logged, and the Goualougo Triangle where the chimps had not seen people.
Wildlife
- Western Lowland GorillasSmaller, redder and harder to see than mountain gorillas, and tracked through swamp forest.
- Bai WatchingForest buffalo, bongo, sitatunga and elephant come to the clearings, and you sit and wait.
- Odzala's ModelEx-poachers employed as trackers, and revenue shared with the villages on the park edge.
- Tracking and PirogueLong days on foot through swamp forest, and quiet mornings on the Lekoli.
People and culture
- Congolese RumbaRumba was made on both banks of this river, and it is on the UNESCO list because of it.
- Kongo, Teke, Mbochi and the AkaBantu peoples along the river, and Aka forest hunter-gatherers in the north.
- The Feux de BrazzaA music festival in Brazzaville, and rumba the rest of the year in every bar.
- Raffia, Masks and NkisiRaffia weaving, Teke masks, and Kongo nkisi power figures.
- Saka-Saka and Poulet MoambeCassava leaf, and chicken in palm nut sauce — the dish of both Congos.
- Not ReallyOdzala is a long way in and expensive. This is a trip for adults who want gorillas.
- The Bars of Poto-PotoRumba, grilled fish and beer, from the afternoon until it is not the afternoon.
Places
- Brazzaville and Pointe-NoireA river capital looking across at Kinshasa, and an Atlantic oil port with the beaches.
- Colonial and ForestFrench colonial along the river, and the Poto-Poto quarter that gave its name to a painting school.
- Brazzaville's Colonial CoreThe Case de Gaulle and the Basilique Sainte-Anne, and a river frontage facing Kinshasa.
- Sangha TrinationalNouabale-Ndoki is part of the World Heritage forest shared with Cameroon and CAR.
Ways to travel
- Forest and RiverPirogue on the Lekoli, tracking on foot, and nights on a bai platform.
- Small and ExcellentOdzala's camps are among the best-run in Central Africa, and there are three of them.
- Green and SteamA bai at first light, when the mist is still on it and the elephants are already there.
- Lesio-LounaA gorilla sanctuary on the Bateke plateau, two hours from Brazzaville.
03Why go
The case for Congo.
Why Visit This Country
Why Congo
The best western lowland gorilla tracking anywhere, in forest that has never been cut.
Hidden Gems
Lesio-Louna
A gorilla sanctuary on the Bateke plateau, two hours from Brazzaville.
Eco Tourism
Odzala's Model
Ex-poachers employed as trackers, and revenue shared with the villages on the park edge.
Heritage
Sangha Trinational
Nouabale-Ndoki is part of the World Heritage forest shared with Cameroon and CAR.
04Go deeper
All of Congo, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
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Begin
Your Congo starts here.
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