Getting In and Around

Visas: Congo requires visitors to bring a passport, a visa, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Immigration may also request written proof of residency, which can take the form of an invitation letter or a receipt for a hotel reservation. Visas cannot be purchased at the airport: you should arrange for one in advance through your national Congolese consulate.   

Transportation: Air France offers flights into Brazzaville via Paris, and the city is a destination for many African carriers. It is possible to take a ferry from Kinshasa to Brazzaville and to enter by car at the country’s borders with Gabon, Cameroon, or (more dangerously) the Central African Republic. Although Pointe Noire is mainly a stopover for commercial sea vessels, you can theoretically enter by boat here, and the city serves as a good introduction to the country, particularly for those inexperienced with the developing world.

Slow, irregular buses run between Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, and many outlying towns. Taking one of these isn’t much better than driving on your own, a method that comes with its own set of hazards: road quality is inconsistent outside the capital, and constant delays can make short trips seem eternal. There is also a train that runs between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire, but crime is an occasional worry and service can be unreliable.

Safety and Security

Although Congo-Brazzaville is considerably safer than Congo-Kinshasa, visitors to the former should nevertheless take the usual precautions when traveling in Central Africa. The U.S. Department of State recommends forgoing travel in the Pool region. Also, political unrest originating in Kinshasa can sometimes spread across the river to Brazzaville, so pay attention to current events when visiting this part of the country. The U.S. Department of State’s website offers detailed advice about travel in Congo-Brazzaville.

Additionally, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has created a security ratings system called the Ibrahim Index, according to scores based on each country’s quality of government. This information can be useful for planning.