Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Diplomatic representations

For more information

Embassy of Congo (RDC) in Greece
3a, Iras
154 52 Psychico
Phone: 2106776123
Fax: 2106776124
ambathenes@minaffecirdc.cd

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
UT Library on line

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Rail companies

Flight from Greece

No aircraft company offers air connection between Athens and Kinshasa. To find out air connections from Greece to the Democratic Republic of Congo click here.

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Traffic drives on the right. Owing to poor maintenance, the roads are among the worst in Africa and only achieve a fair standard around the main towns. It is wise to check that bridges are safe before crossing. Vehicle thefts, including hijackings at gunpoint, occur. Bus: Services run between the main towns but are crowded and unreliable. Taxi: Available in Kinshasa but unreliable. Car hire: Available on a limited basis at the airport. Documentation: International Driving Permit required.

Road maps

Find an itinerary

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Kinshasa: The capital does not have many sights of historic interest, but the visitor interested in the past should not miss the prehistoric and ethnological museums at Kinshasa University, an ensemble of light, rectangular, well laid-out buildings standing on a hillside. A brightly-coloured chapel crowns the top of the hill. Nearby is a corner of the equatorial forest surrounding a beautiful lake called Ma Vallée with a tavern on its banks. Other attractions include the fishing port of Kinkole, the Gardens of the Presidential Farm of Nsele made of pagodas, and the extensive pools where angling and swimming may be enjoyed. In both the markets and the suburbs of Kinshasa there are craftsmen who produce wood and metal items. The National Museum includes some unique works of national art.
Southwest Congo and Bandundu: The Insiki Falls (60m/197ft high) in Zongo and the caves in the region of Mbanza-Ngungu may be visited in one day, but it is preferable to stay for two or three days, for Mbanza-Ngungu is a pleasant resort with a good climate. While in the Mbanza-Ngungu area the visitor should stop at Kisantu to visit the 'Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens' with their world-famous rare orchids. Further west are the wild slopes and gorges of the Kwilu River, 120km (75 miles) from Mataoi; on the right bank of the river is a spot of rugged beauty called Inga. The woods, caves and waterfalls of Boma and equatorial Mayumbe and the Tombs of Tshela can be visited on the way to the ocean beach of Moanda. Less easily accessible is the upper valley of the Kwango in the southwest. A long journey through a region of unspoiled natural beauty leads to the Tembo (formerly Guillaume) Falls.
Kasai and Shaba: In the south, the Upemba National Park straddles the River Lualaba, northeast of Bugama, and includes several lakes inhabited by hippos, crocodiles and numerous aquatic birds. Here too are fishermen, cattle farmers and peasants, as well as a number of mining communities. Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi are typical tropical towns; Kalemie and the banks of the Tanganyika Lake are reminiscent of the French Riviera. The whole south is dotted with freshwater lakes such as Munkamba, Fwa and Kasai; there are also numerous impressive waterfalls, such as Kiobo, on the River Lufira, and Lofol, 384m (1259ft) high, north of Lubumbashi.
Upper Congo and the Kivu: The high plateaux of Congo extend across the eastern part of the country, around the Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward, Albert and Bukavu lakes. Bunia is a small, pretty town featuring villas, restaurants and hotels. In the north is the Garamba National Park, covering 400,000 hectares and featuring lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and giraffes. Lake Albert, which contains more fishes than any other lake in Africa, lies at an altitude of over 618m (2,027ft). It can be reached from Bunia, which is also the point of departure for numerous excursions into the forests and mountains, native villages, the Caves of Mount Hoyo and the 'Escaliers de Venus' Falls. Lake Edward is the home for birds of all sizes and colours. The highest peak in the Ruwenzori range is the Marguerite Pic, at an altitude of 5,119m (15,795ft). The snowline is at 450m (1776ft). This region is also inhabited by gorillas and by the extremely rare okapi. The mountain scenery between Goma and Beni is considered as some of the most spectacular in Africa, although the road is bad.
Virunga National park: Covering an area of 12,000 km² (4633 sq miles), this comprises an immense plain bounded by two jagged mountain ranges that serve as a natural enclosure for the animals which roam in liberty in this huge natural reserve. Game includes numerous lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes, hippos and colourful aquatic birds. In this park, near Goma, it is possible to climb the still active volcanoes of Nyamuragira, 3,055m (10,022ft), and Nyiragongo, 3,470m (11,385ft).

Tourism organizations

Eating

Food specialties

There are a number of good restaurants in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi, but prices are high. Hotels and restaurants which cater for tourists are generally expensive and serve international and national dishes. A typical speciality is moambe chicken, cooked in fresh palm oil with rice and spinach. The capital Kinshasa offers French, Belgian and local cuisine, but again restaurants are expensive and cater essentially for business people. Small restaurants and snack bars offer Chinese, Tunisian and Greek food.

Drinks

Dietary taboos

Paying

Domestic currency

Congolese Franc

ISO Code

CDF

To obtain domestic currency

Franc Congolais (FC) = 1,000 centimes. Owing to the precarious nature of the economy the denominations of the currency are subject to rapid change.

Possible means of payment

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Democratic Republic of Congo, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

French

Other languages spoken

Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Business language

English

Getting some knowledge

Free translation tools

Babel Fish - Free French-English-French traduction of texts and web pages
lexicool - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
Babel Fish - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
lexilogo - Free Greek-French-Greek translator

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

© Export Entreprises SA, all rights reserved.
Last updates: