Introduction
The smaller, friendlier and marginally more peaceful of the Congos. With one of the world's largest chimpanzee populations and the mighty Congo River ebbing on its southern border, Congo (Brazzaville) has plenty to trigger the imagination. But recent violence has strangled the country's nascent tourist industry and reduced visitors to a trickle.
Destination Facts
Capital: Brazzaville
President: Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +1
Area: 342000
Population: 2600000
Languages: (aka Kikongo), Christian (50%), animist (48%), Muslim (2%)
Currency: CFA Franc BEAC (CFA)
Country Dialing Code: 242
Getting there and away
You can fly to Brazzaville from Libreville (Gabon), Douala (Cameroon), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Luanda (Angola). There is a daily ferry service between Kinshasa in Congo (DRC) and Brazzaville. The trip costs 25.00 and takes 20 minutes, though you should reserve a total of two hours for the over-complicated border bureaucracy on either side.
Getting around
Instability in the Pool Region has meant passenger trains between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire via Dolisie (Loubomo) have stopped running. A fine tar road goes north from the capital as far as President Denis Sassou Nguesso's home town of Oyo. Beyond that the roads deteriorate. From Owando onwards the journey north can only be made in a convoy of 4-wheel drives, stopping every twenty minutes for one vehicle to pull the other out of a hole. The coast also has a new road which reaches right down the coast to the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. Shared taxis and minibuses run on an ad hoc basis between towns and villages. They are ridiculously cheap, great fun and crammed with Congolese taking chickens and even goats back to the capital from their village. From Brazzaville's MayaMaya airport Trans Air Congo runs four flights a day to the coastal town of Pointe Noire and two flights a day to the towns of Dolisie (Loubomo) and Nkayi. Flights to Imfondo leave once a week. Alternatively, barges run from the Central African Republic all the way to Brazzaville, although they leave irregularly, and the journey can take anything from ten days to three weeks depending on the vessel and whether the rains have come. Known as the 'Congolese Highway' this is a preferred mode of transport for many, with barges crammed to the teeth until they resemble floating towns. They are a truly Congolese experience but settle down for some communal living at very close quarters. Most barges are operated by the logging companies so ask around at 'the Beach', Brazzaville's river port.
Weather
In the south of the country near the capital, daily temperatures are fairly consistently between 20 ° C (68 ° F) and 30 ° C (86 ° F), being slightly cooler in the drier middle of the year. Farther north, things are warmer and wetter, particularly in the middle of the year.
Places of Interest
With one of the world's largest chimpanzee populations and the mighty Congo River ebbing on its southern border, Congo (Brazzaville) has plenty to trigger the imagination. But recent violence has strangled the country's nascent tourist industry and reduced visitors to a trickle.
Warning
Parts of Congo remain unsafe for travel particularly in the Pool region, along the Ubangi River border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the road and rail routes between Brazzaville and Point Noire. Check Safe Travel for current government warnings.
Related country: Equatorial Guinea Country, Central African Republic Country, Democratic Republic of Congo Country
The smaller, friendlier and marginally more peaceful of the Congos. With one of the world's largest chimpanzee populations and the mighty Congo River ebbing on its southern border, Congo (Brazzaville) has plenty to trigger the imagination. But recent violence has strangled the country's nascent tourist industry and reduced visitors to a trickle.
Destination Facts
Capital: Brazzaville
President: Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT +1
Area: 342000
Population: 2600000
Languages: (aka Kikongo), Christian (50%), animist (48%), Muslim (2%)
Currency: CFA Franc BEAC (CFA)
Country Dialing Code: 242
You can fly to Brazzaville from Libreville (Gabon), Douala (Cameroon), Johannesburg (South Africa) and Luanda (Angola). There is a daily ferry service between Kinshasa in Congo (DRC) and Brazzaville. The trip costs 25.00 and takes 20 minutes, though you should reserve a total of two hours for the over-complicated border bureaucracy on either side.
Getting around
Instability in the Pool Region has meant passenger trains between Brazzaville and Pointe Noire via Dolisie (Loubomo) have stopped running. A fine tar road goes north from the capital as far as President Denis Sassou Nguesso's home town of Oyo. Beyond that the roads deteriorate. From Owando onwards the journey north can only be made in a convoy of 4-wheel drives, stopping every twenty minutes for one vehicle to pull the other out of a hole. The coast also has a new road which reaches right down the coast to the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. Shared taxis and minibuses run on an ad hoc basis between towns and villages. They are ridiculously cheap, great fun and crammed with Congolese taking chickens and even goats back to the capital from their village. From Brazzaville's MayaMaya airport Trans Air Congo runs four flights a day to the coastal town of Pointe Noire and two flights a day to the towns of Dolisie (Loubomo) and Nkayi. Flights to Imfondo leave once a week. Alternatively, barges run from the Central African Republic all the way to Brazzaville, although they leave irregularly, and the journey can take anything from ten days to three weeks depending on the vessel and whether the rains have come. Known as the 'Congolese Highway' this is a preferred mode of transport for many, with barges crammed to the teeth until they resemble floating towns. They are a truly Congolese experience but settle down for some communal living at very close quarters. Most barges are operated by the logging companies so ask around at 'the Beach', Brazzaville's river port.
Weather
In the south of the country near the capital, daily temperatures are fairly consistently between 20 ° C (68 ° F) and 30 ° C (86 ° F), being slightly cooler in the drier middle of the year. Farther north, things are warmer and wetter, particularly in the middle of the year.
With one of the world's largest chimpanzee populations and the mighty Congo River ebbing on its southern border, Congo (Brazzaville) has plenty to trigger the imagination. But recent violence has strangled the country's nascent tourist industry and reduced visitors to a trickle.
Warning
Parts of Congo remain unsafe for travel particularly in the Pool region, along the Ubangi River border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and on the road and rail routes between Brazzaville and Point Noire. Check Safe Travel for current government warnings.
Related country: Equatorial Guinea Country, Central African Republic Country, Democratic Republic of Congo Country
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