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Like Congo-Brazzaville, its neighbor across the river, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (colloquially known as Congo-Kinshasa or the DRC) is home to a sprawling, diamond-shaped swath of rain forest, where pristine lakes, waterfalls, and rivers, active volcanoes, and hundreds of different ethnic groups are all to be found. However, it outdoes the more benign Congo-Brazzaville in almost every respect: Congo-Kinshasa is larger, more dangerous, more undeveloped, and possibly more beautiful. Natural beauty notwithstanding, it is not a suitable destination for tourism at this time, especially in the northern region, where the extremely violent Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) controls many villages and rural areas, and in Kinshasa, where violent crime is commonplace.
1. Académie des Beaux Arts: Despite its troubled recent history, many of Africa’s better painters are based in Kinshasa, either studying or teaching at the Académie des Beaux Arts. The school is home to a gallery full of local art, and it is usually possible to meet the artist and learn about his or her work firsthand before you buy.
2. Kinshasa Nightlife: Local bars and restaurants stock a pretty good local beer, Tembo, as well as imported brews. Congolese jazz is quite popular here; the best places to hear it are the Western-style clubs on the main boulevard in Gombe and in the bars of international hotels.
3. Le Marché des Valeurs: A cheaper option than the Académie if you’re in the market for handicrafts, Kinshasa’s vast open air-market offers a variety of textiles, food, and daily necessities. Negotiation is a must here.
4. National Parks and Okapi Wildlife Reserve: It is not safe to travel to Congo-Kinshasa’s national parks right now. That is a shame because they can yield finer experiences in untouched rain forest than any other place in the world. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve will be a highlight if you are able to organize and conduct your trip safely. At Okapi, it is possible to visit traditional pygmy villages; the reserve also has some rudimentary camping facilities.
5. Chutes de Lukia: Touted by local sources as a must-see, this chain of lakes outside of Kinshasa has swimming, some equipment rentals, a restaurant, and a bonobo orphanage that allows visitors to play with the small chimps.
6. Lac de Ma Vallé: This gorgeous lake outside Kinshasa is surrounded by rain forest and, in better days, was one of the region’s top tourist attractions. Water sports rentals are available, and there is a restaurant.
The rainy season, which lasts from April to November, makes the roads outside of Kinshasa impossible to travel on, although we don’t recommend travel in this part of the country in any case. The majority of Congolese are Catholic, and their festivals reflect that situation.
Visas: The Democratic Republic of the Congo requires a passport, a visa, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate for entry. Exit visas are also required for certain border countries. Make arrangements for all these documents before you arrive. Travelers who fly directly into Congo-Kinshasa are commonly hassled at the airport by officials, who may demand bribes or detain them without a clear reason. You are also required to register with the Direction General of Migration upon your arrival. Planes leaving Congo-Kinshasa require a visa for the destination country before you are allowed to board. Visas can be procured in at the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s embassy.
Transportation: Transportation within Congo-Kinshasa involves a choice between several evils. Even during the dry season, the roads are impassable without four-wheel drive; don’t even think about driving them in the wet season. Expensive, unsafe domestic flights can be booked on the domestic carriers Hewa Bora and Wimbi Dira. Your only other options for travel in the interior are driving or paying to ride in the bed of a commercial truck, which is unsafe and uncomfortable.
The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning advising against visiting all areas of Congo-Kinshasa, especially in the North Kivu, South Kivu, Oirientale, Katanga, and Bas-Congo provinces. The LRA and other rebel groups kidnap, rape, and murder civilians and foreigners indiscriminately in theose regions, and isolated incidents have occurred in other parts of the country as well.
Besides engaging in petty theft and armed robbery, the police and military forces in Kinshasa are usually corrupt and will often demand bribes, especially if they encounter a foreigner. If you are asked for a bribe, pay it; you may well be attacked or killed if you don’t. If a plainclothes police officer asks you to go to the police station, do not go with him. Be prepared to sweet-talk or bribe your way out of the situation, or simply run away.
Even independently of rebel groups, rural areas are dangerous in themselves. There is no tourist infrastructure for those wishing to pursue outdoor activities, and you’re on your own if you get lost or injured in the jungle. The rain forest has proven to be a breeding ground for a number of lethal diseases, including Ebola, malaria, and influenza, many of which are spread by insects or in water and are therefore difficult to avoid if you spend any amount of time in the forest.
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. Before traveling to Congo-Kinshasa or anywhere on the continent, check the index and do your research.
As in much of Central Africa, Congo-Brazzaville has impenetrable rain forests, so settlers arrived much later here than in the rest of Africa, and except for some small groups of pygmies, the region was uninhabited until a number of Bantu tribes moved in during the medieval period. The dominant Bantu tribes sold slaves to European traders from the 15th century through the 19th, after which the French and the Belgians scuffled for control over the area. It was during that period that Pierre de Brazza, an Italian explorer working for France, founded Brazzaville.
By 1891, France had wrested complete control of the Congo River basin from its Belgian and Bantu overlords and immediately began to exploit the region’s forestry and diamond industries. After several years of civil unrest (not all of which was related to the independence movement), France granted independence to the region in 1960 as part of the Congo Republic, which included both Congo-Brazzaville and Congo-Kinshasa.
In 1965, General Joseph-Désiré Mobutu seized power in Kinshasa and declared the region that is now Congo-Kinshasa independent of the Republic of the Congo. He renamed the region Zaire and more or less maintained control over it until 1996, when fighting from bordering Rwanda spilled over into Zaire. The Mobutu government supported Zairean Hutus and encouraged them to massacre Tutsis of both Rwandan and Zairean descent living in Zaire. Tutsi militias were finally successful in ousting Mobutu, and their leader, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, became president of Zaire, changing its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His son, Joseph Kabila, is now the president, although various rebel groups maintain control in outlying areas. Both opposition parties and its own members constantly threaten the Kabila government.
1. Photography is illegal without a permit in Congo-Kinshasa. If law enforcement (or scammers pretending to be “undercover police”) catch you taking pictures of anything, especially monuments or government buildings, you will likely be harassed and probably fined. Taking pictures of locals is socially taboo, and people may react aggressively if you try to do so anyway. If you must photograph, ask permission first.
2. French is the official language, and almost all locals have at least some grasp of it. They will often speak Lingala, the tribal lingua franca, to one another, and the knowledge of a few phrases will gain you the respect and courtesy of those to whom you speak.
3. Congo-Kinshasa uses the Congolese franc (franc congolais). Some hotels and businesses will accept and give you change in American dollars. Credit cards and traveler’s checks are not accepted outside the nicest hotels in Kinshasa; use cash.
4. Internet access here is quite good for Central Africa. Although only the most upscale hotels and restaurants use wireless access, Internet cafés are common in Kinshasa and the larger towns.
5. At six in the morning and six at night, flag-raising and -lowering ceremonies occur wherever there are flags in public places. The Congolese take this ritual very seriously, and cars and individuals are expected to stop and watch respectfully or risk being harassed by the police or locals.