It doesn’t get much more adventurous than a river journey on the mighty Congo River, all in a private tour and this in a comfortable boat. Congo is the most mysterious and mythical country in all of Africa and named after the majestic Congo River penetrating the deep jungles of the heart of Africa and meandering its way to the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the last great adventures in the world and you cannot be further off the beaten track than this. It’s a unique expedition, like you’ve never experienced before and will offer you a very different experience than any other travel you’ve ever had.
Our journey starts in Kisangani, where we will meet the fishermen of Wagenia Falls, famous for their wooden structures that they build on the Congo rapids to catch big fish. We will stay with them on their island where their king lives and will be treated to their traditional dance and other rituals. We continue our way to Yangambi, where we will visit an old Belgian, but perfectly preserved research station from the colonial era, which is now being revived thanks to new funding. It is a fantastic place, with a huge herbarium and impressive library. After Yangambi, we will visit tribes such as the Lokele, who are famous for their drums with which they communicate from one village to another and will also meet pygmy tribes.
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We stop in villages around Lokutu and Mobongo and get to know the local villagers and fishermen. We usually stay in tented camps and eat simple local meals.
Our journey will pass through the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Reserve and we will also have a stop in Bumba, before continuing to Lisala, where we will get a tour to one of the palaces built by Mobutu.
We will now slowly go through the Ngiri Reserve, known for its chimpanzees and bonobos. In Mbandaka we get a well varied city tour and visit a ceremony of the mysterious sect of Nzambe Ya Bakoko, where we get an exclusive insight into their culture. At the Lac Tumba reserve we will see the Mabali Reserve where we will visit another old research center with impressive colonial buildings, residences and labs surrounded by the jungle and near the lake. We even find one of the pavilions where King Leopold 3 once stayed. We will of course explore the lake and are treated to fantastic vistas.
After Mbandaka we’ll dive into the bush in search of wild bonobos. Our agency is the only to offer bonobo tracking in Congo. During our stay at the base camp for bonobo tracking we’ll also have an evening of traditional dance with the Téké tribe. After the bonobos we go to Kinshasa, with a stop in Maluku. We advise everyone to take at least three buffer days in Kinshasa in case of any delays.
Check out our bonobo safari here:
The tour lasts exactly three weeks. We will wait for you in Kinshasa and take the plane together with you to Kisangani. In the end, you should take a few buffer days in Kinshasa just to be sure, in case of delays.
Price:
– Two persons (all in): 49.000 usd (without domestic tickets)
– Per person joining: 5.999 usd extra per person
We also offer this as a group tour once per year:
Duration: 21 days
Date: Thursday, May 4 to Thursday, May 25, 2023
Thursday 2 May to Thursday 23 May 2024
Minimum of: eight people
Price: USD 9,850 per person
Includes: Accommodation with breakfast in Kinshasa; full-board accommodation/camping along the river; transport; activities, professional guide (French, Spanish, English, Dutch), invitation letter, entrance fees to parks and sights. (Meals in Kinshasa and Lunch in Kisangani not included)
Why choose Congo Voyages for your river tour?
Be very careful with (foreign) individuals and (fake) agencies offering these tours on the cheap using old boats with holes in them and rusty engines posing serious safety hazards. We set up this tour together with the governors of Tshopo and Equateur and the Ministry of Tourism. We will have a government agent from the ANR with us and also a written permission from the Ministry to avoid annoyances and bribe attempts from immigration and other authorities on the way. We carefully plan our trips for months, sending our own people to the village chiefs to plan our activities and get permission to enter their territory. The many checkpoints will be notified of our travel and potential problems will be reduced to a minimum.
We have seen people advertising boat trips on the internet who got in serious problems, because they entered restricted areas due to ill-prepared itineraries. Our trip includes a wide range of activities such as wildlife safaris, visits to exclusive tribes like the Lokele and we’ll also get to stay on the island of the Wagenia fishermen on the Congo River. We will get to see historical sites such as Mobutu’s old palace in Lisala and we will also join ceremonies of mysterious cults and pygmy tribes in which we’ll be always assisted by government-licensed guides and agents.
All of our travels have well-prepared itineraries, rather than winging it and dealing with problems which could’ve been avoided and asking our clients for more money along the way as problems pile up as they have no financial buffer and are not prepared to any unforeseen circumstances of which there will be plenty. Some of these operators are slowly being banned by some sites.
Have a look at some of our videos!
