Best Time to Travel to Congo

Best Time to Travel, Kinshasa City Congo, best time for gorilla trekking in Congo Virunga massif and kahuzi biega national parks, Congo wildlife safaris tours. The average day time temperature in Democratic Republic of Congo is 24 degrees Celsius while the nights are between 16 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius. The Annual rainfall ranges from 1100mm to 2000mm while seasons of the year are categorized into four namely; October to December which is a long rainy season, January to February is a short dry season, March to April is a short rainy season and May to September is a long dry season. The Odzala National Park is the main destination in Democratic Republic of Congo and features 1500mm every year and the best time to visit it is May to December.

KINSHASA CITY CONGO – BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

Kin La Belle stands a long-aged misnomer nestled in its monster of electric African sky as visible across all the streets. Kinshasa stands as one of the vibrant African cities famed for its indigenous music and less dangerous compared to some other African cities.  The Lola ya Bonobo is about one hour’s drive from Kinshasa which is the popular site for day excursion from the city.

The Democratic Republic of Congo features the best hotels in the Central of Africa including the famous Kempinski Residence and Fleuve Congo Hotel. Though the nightlife is buzzing in Kinshasa, you can’t take a walk in a range of places at night apart from the areas close to embassies and good hotels.
Kinshasa is popular for its history, music and culture, the neighboring McVallee Lake and the Bonono Orphanage.  The boat ride to Kisangani is a lasting adventure into the Congo’s darkest wild.  The Avenue de tourism presents the best scenic drive along River Congo in Kinshasa.

The men in uniform are common along the road drives in Democratic Republic of Congo and they may or may not request for money from foreigners but it is advisable to carry along a pocket change for a bottle of soda for them. It is important to keep calm and sense of humour as it would help to make things smooth along the way.

If you opt to connect to Kisangani by public ferry, be prepared for an awful but a lasting adventure of its own. It is always expensive if not dangerous to procure or hire own boat to Kisangani. The public Ferry departs Kinshasa with 2 – 4 platforms in tandem that turn into floating dirty market places per 10 – 20 days.

Connecting to Kisangani takes about 15 – 20 days and the boat does not pass through the secluded and beautiful parts of Congo River. There is need for flexibility until you land on a bunk and though you may be required to secure a four bed room alone, the guarantee is low that you will have it yourself.  Mosquitoes and Theft are common along the Ferry and this is not a cruise ship thus hot, not clean and unsafe. It is always exciting to see some fish being sold some of which have never been documented in science prior.

The private boat operators also exist and can as well be used where you travel in a covered boat marked by powerful engines along with a full team of porters, cooks, camping gear and permits.

On a sad note, at about 400km River Congo stretch in the south of Kisangani has developed the man eating crocodiles and canoeing and kayaking should be avoided along that area.

IS CONGO SAFE?

It can be noted that Congo is Safe. The Kinshasa City is recorded to be even safer than Johannesburg and Nairobi where crime rate is high. However, like other cities, there are parts on Kinshasa that one should not walk in alone at night.

Despite the negative media coverage positioning Congo as a land of war torn people, the destination Congo is steadily rising from the civil war conflict especially to the east of the country and presents harmonious travel platform for the world travelers. But the issues of men in uniform still remain though could be avoided with a friendly gesture and compliance.

CONGO VISA INFORMATION AND AIRPORT HASSLES IN KINSHASA

The travellers intending to take up Democratic Republic of Congo Safaris and tours require a valid passport and tourist Visa. The Passport should be valid for six (6) months with at least one blank passport page on which the Visa can be stamped. You require a letter of invitation from your host company in Democratic Republic of Congo which you will attach on the Visa application letter submitted to the local embassy or online at travisa. The letter of invitation has to specify the period of stay, place stay and contact information. The computer generated flight itinerary from a travel agency or an airline detailing the port of entry and exit from Democratic Republic of Congo is as well required.

Other requirements include; the birth certificate copy and a notarized consent letter for minors, medical requirements especially the International Yellow Fever Vaccination and financial statement with enough money to sustain you during the entire period of stay in DR Congo. Important to note is that Democratic Republic of Congo is usually given as Congo- Kinshasa to avoid confusion with the neighbouring Congo Republic. The duration of the Congo Tourist Visa which can be obtained at all accredited Congo Consulates world over is 90 Days for Single entry but Multiple Entry Visas are as well available. Kinshasa Airport though not so developed handles considerable traffic compared to the Brazzaville across the River.  At Kinshasa, you may have issues going through the Immigration formalities in terms of delay and intensive scrutiny but a small tip can take you through such hurdles.