Kinshasa (DRC) & Brazzaville (Congo) Tour

Itinerary

Monday 2 December – Brazzaville (Congo)

• Arrival in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.
• OR: arrival from Libreville, Gabon, from our Gabon Highlights Tour.
• Overnight stay in Brazzaville.

Tuesday 3 December – Brazzaville – Kinshasa (DR Congo)

• Early morning departure to the ferry that will take us to Kinshasha, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (also known as DR Congo or DRC). While you can fly directly to Kinshasa, its much faster and easier to travel via Brazzaville.
• After customs we’ll start our city tour in Kinshasa.
• See the Rumble in the Jungle 20th of May Stadium (Tata-Raphael Stadium) from outside.
• Highlight: In the afternoon we’ll hang out with the sapeurs, today’s version of the well-known dandy’s. We’ll meet them, take time to learn about their culture, take photos and learn about their dances, songs and matching colorful dress.
• Overnight stay in Kinshasa.

Wednesday 4 December – Kinshasa

• Highlight: In the morning we’ll leave Kinshasa and head for the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary. Here they keep bonobos that were rescued from local markets, doomed to be sold for bush meat. We’ll learn more about the bonobos and see how the locals try to give the bonobos their life back. 
• Statue of Patrice Lumumba, designed by North Koreans.
• Palace of the People, it’s the seat of the National Assembly and Senate of the DRC.
• Parc Ngaliema, including the old statues of King Leopold and Stanley.
• Overnight stay in Kinshasa.

Thursday 5 December – Kinshasa  

• Independence Square, one of the main squares of Kinshasa.
• Mausoleum of the Late President Kabila, including his statue design by North Koreans (see how it looks like Kim Il Sung’s statue)
• Highlight: In the afternoon we’ll go for an unique experience. We’ll have an introduction to spiritual cemeromy by Tata Ghonda and his compagnons in DRC.
• Overnight stay in Kinshasa.

Friday 6 December – Kinshasa – Brazzaville (Congo)

• In the morning we head for the boat back to Brazzaville.
• Border formalities on both sides of the Congo river.
• At 12:00 we head for a city tour to explore the capital Brazzaville.
• See the Nabemba Tower from outside. The highest building in the country has been quite controversial. It was heavily damaged during the Civil War and even today still has a lot of costs.
• St Anne Basilica, a beautiful catholic church in the center of the city.
• We will head for the Pierre Savorgnan de Brazzaville Memorial. The memorial is dedicated to an Italian explorer who founded Brazzaville.
• Highlight: Afternoon visit to the Brazzaville versions sapeurs. The sapeurs are the dandy’s of today’s Africa. Dressed up in fancy clothes they walk down the streets in order to be seen. Small differences can be seen with the ones in Kinshasa.
• Overnight stay in Brazzaville.

Saturday 7 December – Brazzaville – Lesio Luna 

• We leave the capital and North, towards the Lesio Luna Wildlife Park.
• Upon arrival, we’ll take a boat to venture around the jungle and wetlands. Along the way we may spot hippopotamus, forest buffalo, red river hog, and several types of duiker.
• Highlight: We visit the Silverback Gorillas, together with our guide we’ll try to see them and see how they are living in the park.
• After a late lunch we head back to Brazzaville after an intense day in the park.
• Overnight stay in Brazzaville.

Sunday 8 December – Brazzaville

• End of group A: airport drop off.
• OR continue with West Congo & Cabinda Tour