Your Congo tour will start from Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo. Kisangani is a nice city, beautifully situated between the lush green jungles on the bank of the Congo River. The atmosphere is relaxed and life is a lot quieter and more peaceful than Kinshasa. There are plenty of old colonial buildings all around town and several interesting stops and photo opportunities in such as the town hall, the textile factory, old colonial residences, the cathedral and the hydroelectric dam on the Tshopo River and the highlight of Kisangani: the Boyoma Waterfalls with the Wagenia fishermen chasing big fish in wooden baskets on a structure on top of the Congo rapids. A memorable experience to witness!
The Boyoma Falls are a series of seven rapids spanning over 100 km on the Lualaba River from Ubundu to Kisangani. At the end of the rapids, the Lualaba changes into the Congo River. These rapids have some of the highest flow rates in the world, and a total drop of 60 meters. The Wagenia fishermen are out on the river every day with their baskets catching fish, as you can see here in this video.
After Kisangani we will go to Yangambi, west of Kisangani and next to the Congo River. There is an important research center and the biosphere of Yangambi. From 1933 to 1962, hundreds of researchers, mostly Belgians, worked here and it used to be the most important research center for tropical agriculture and forestry in all of Africa. There was a huge library with more than 25,000 books, the largest herbarium in the continent(more than 125,000 copies) and several experimental fields to improve crops such as soybeans, palm trees and bananas. At its peak, there were more than 700 scientists and engineers. In the seventies there was less and less work due to instability and budget cuts leading to a big decrease in research activities. Since a few years the center has been revitalized with the efforts and funding of organizations.
We will also meet the Lokele tribe, known for their drums, once used to transmit messages that would travel long distances in record time. Each village would have a drum expert so all the communities would all get in touch with each other and news could spread fast. Due to the introduction of telephones, this tradition faded away and is only used for certain occasions. During our tour we will visit the Kele tribes, some members of which still use the ancient tradition of tattooing themselves.
During the tour we will sleep in very basic accommodation, sometimes without electricity or running water. Remember you are going to a place with little infrastructure. Be prepared for last minute changes and forces majeures that may alter the program.
Programme:
Day 1: Kisangani City Center and Pont Tshopo
Full day city visit of Kisangani including the slave trading point and Pont Tshopo.
Day 2: Wagenia Fishermen at Boyoma Falls
Today we’ll visit the fishermen of Wagenia and we’ll go on their island in the Congo River. We will be introduced to their traditional dance and rituals and spend the night with them on the island. Watch one of our videos here:
Day 3: Waine-Rukula
After breakfast we go to Waine-Rukula, a beautiful village two hours drive from Kisangani in the middle of the jungle and next to the Congo River.
Day 4 to 6: Yangambi
Early departure to Yangambi, either by boat or by car. We will stay at the domain for a total of three nights, because there is a lot to see. We will visit the center, the laboratories, the herbarium, the library and the fields in the surrounding forest.
Day 7 and 8: Kele Tribes
The coming two days we’ll meet the Kele tribe and get to know everything about their daily activities. We eat simple local meals.
Day 9: Return to Kisangani
The long journey back to Kisangani by boat today, drop off at the hotel. End of the journey!
Make sure you have a few buffer days in Kinshasa as flights can sometimes be delayed up to two days! In such case any additional costs such as accommodation etc are paid by the customer.
What to bring:
– Tent with sleeping gear
– Towels
– Appropriate clothes and shoes for walking
– Medicines
– DEET
– Sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat
– Flashlight and batteries
– Power baks
– Backup snacks and water
Price: from USD 3,999 per person (based on a group of 4 people, excluding flights)
Have a look at some of our videos!
It is important that you realize that traveling in Congo is not your usual experience and sometimes it requires some patience. You may have decades of experience with safaris and cultural tours in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda or Ethiopia, Congo is truly something else. Heavy rain showers, sinkholes, electricity blackouts, overbooked hotels, canceled flights, monster traffic jams, .. there are plenty of factors which can alter our programme. It is vital to be prepared for this, to be flexible for changes and not to worry. Be sure to bring a power bank, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses, a cap, extra towels, medicines, wet wipes and a flashlight with enough batteries to avoid a lot of frustration. Don’t forget a good dose of humor and patience!
Accommodation is in mid range accommodation. Be sure that you have been vaccinated against yellow fever and have your vaccination proof with you, have also been vaccinated against COVID and if necessary have the necessary PCR test results with you if requested by the airline. We recommend flying with Brussels Airlines and are not responsible for delayed or canceled flights. We try to follow the program as closely as possible, but keep in mind that this can always change and some flexibility is needed.
All prices are based on a shared room. If you want a single room, there will be an extra charge. Please note that apart from the lodges in Garamba and Virunga (with single beds) and Zongo it is not allowed to share a room with someone of the same sex in Congo. We are of course very sorry and do not agree with this, but have no influence on this. We are not responsible for the consequences if our customers do not comply with this.
Why choose Congo Voyages for this tour?
We are the only local agency with people who are actually on site, and apart from a “lost Belgian expat”, our team consists entirely of Congolese with years of experience in the field. We work closely with the authorities such as the Ministry of Tourism, ICCN, but also the military who help us to secure sensitive areas. Our tours will only take place if all safety conditions have been met and the necessary permissions have been granted and if we have been given the green light from the local authorities/chiefs if necessary.
Beware of (fake) travel agents who copy our itineraries and offer our tours for a lower price. Most of them are Ugandan, Rwandan and Spanish operators who have never been to Congo and recruit locals without knowledge of the field or a license on the internet to do their travels, often with disastrous results, with people being arrested or defrauded and put in jail. worst case no one even shows up.
