Tour 71 - Congo Expedition - the Second
               A Journey into the heart of Africa

Please klick on the map to enlarge and print out the Africa map with our routs.

This journey is unique.

Nearly 3,000 km through the Dem. Rep. of Congo, from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa.
We will explore a country that is completely unaffected by tourism. Separated from the turbulent provinces in the east by 1000 km of rain forest, this trip is far from being a relaxing holiday trip through Africa. A total lack of infrastructure, miserable tracks, a very doubtful network of river ferries and bridges. The landscape alternates between huge extents of grassland, bush and tree savannah. There will be dusty sand tracks and rocky and muddy stretches along our route.

Nowhere else in Africa have I ever found such hospitable people, such clean villages, and such an authentic Africa like here in Congo. While the markets elsewhere in Africa are full of clothing and tin cans, televisions and satellite dishes, we experience something completely different here in the interior. Mainly local goods are being sold. Maggots as thick as your finger, live or roasted, smoked caterpillars or fat termites. Roots of all kinds, manioc leaves or "feuilles de patates" are thrown into the pot. And the best part is that (almost) everything tastes good, especially if you do not know what you are eating. But we also have provisions on board, so that we can always come back to eat some familiar food.

We will almost always be spending the night in the wide-open space of the grass savannah and in villages.
And also at missions. These missions were mostly built at the beginning of the last century. The impressive architecture and the friendly padres and missionary sisters make our stay memorable.

The Congolese are extremely curious. We will be a small sensation in every village we cross, where 100 or 200 people can stand around us to watch us camp, cook, and spend our evenings. This is anything but easy. As one of the travellers expressed it: We are like popstars here – without any privacy – almost crushed by the fans. – An accurate description of what we sometimes encounter here.

Our travel dates are at the perfect time, during the brief dry season. Nonetheless, this trip will push many to their limits. I am not referring to physical limits. Of course, such a journey is also physically taxing. But so are mountain hikes, bicycle tours or a visit to the fitness studio. I am referring to mental limits. To be on the road for weeks on end on poor tracks, under hard conditions, through savannah and forest. The lack of any form of luxury. Bugs that torment you. Absolutely pure nature – it is not for everyone. Those who expect adventure à la Indiana Jones are completely wrong – that is Hollywood.

Travelling under such extreme conditions requires the unconditional active assistance of all participants. Nobody should think that they would be served by the others. Everybody has to help every day, according to their skills and strength.

Two months – and "only" 3,500 km, that is an average of 55 kilometres per day. So we have enough time to travel without being pressed for time and discover lots of interesting places along the way.

And what makes Congo so special? Congo is special in itself. Those who have been there will never forget it - both the good and the bad.

Our journey begins in Zambia, gently and unhurried, like a holiday trip. Our accommodations, with a swimming pool and wonderful garden, lie close to the town centre of Livingstone.

Week 1

• We will cross Zambia and visit the following points of interest.
• The National Park surrounding the Victoria Falls and the waterfalls
• Lusaka, the capital of Zambia
• Memorial at the site of the mysterious plane crash where UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld died in 1961. It meanwhile appears certain that the plane crash was a conspiracy by western secret services.
• Onward journey to the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Sanctuary ( www.chimfunshi.de ). This unique conservation area for chimpanzees is a paradise at the Kafue River. We will be here for two full days and three nights.

Week 2

• Border crossing to Congo
• Lubumbashi; very clean and beautiful city. There are big copper mines in the area. Here, we can stock up on our supplies again.
• Likasi, we will spend the night at the mission.
• The tracks begin one we leave Likasi. We will be driving towards Lubudi on hard tracks for 2-3 days through tree and bush savannah. The beautiful mission is from the early 20th century. It is run by catholic nuns. We will be staying here for two nights.

Weeks 3 and 4

• The tracks remain very bad during the next few days. The ground is hard and rocky, we can only advance at walking pace. There are only a few villages, we hardly see any more vehicles.
• Difficult river crossing on a temporary bridge near Luakabindu.
• We cross the Congo River.
• After travelling another 500 kilometres on extremely bad, rocky tracks, we reach the most interesting regions of Congo. The diamond regions of the two Kasai provinces.

Weeks 5 and 6

• The tracks get a little better, and there are more villages along the way.
• Mbuji-Mayi, the capital of the province Kasai Oriental, is the capital of industrial diamonds and is bustling with activity.
• We reach Lac Muncamba – the Muncamba Lake. A true paradise. We have been on the road for four weeks already, three weeks of which in Congo. It will do us all good to rest here at this wonderful spot for a few days. The mission station is located directly at the lake. There is a sandy beach, clear water, a restaurant and cold beverages. Time to relax and gather our strength.
•  We continue on poor tracks to Kananga, the capital of the province Kasai Occidental. A friendly city at the heart of Congo. Internet, markets, shops and supply with new fuel. And workshops, in case the tracks were too hard on our vehicle.
• We will camp in the catholic nuns' garden, at a big mission station that is more than 100 years old. We will be staying here for two or three days.

Weeks 7 and 8

• Our planned itinerary continues through Mweka, Ilebo, Idiofa towards Kikwit. This route will take us into the rainforest. We must cross several rivers with ferries or over bridges.
  In 2011, this route was impassable for heavy vehicles or trucks. According to local statements, repair work has already been started. We are confident that this planned route will be possible for us in 2013.
• If this route is not possible after all, we will, like in 2011, travel through Tschikapa to Kikwit. Here, extremely sandy tracks await us once we are past Tshikapa.
   
• Already 100 km ahead of Kikwit, a new tarred road begins which then leads to Kinshasa (700 km).
• The capital city of Kinshasa is a pulsating metropolis with several million inhabitants. "La ville, qui bouge" - "the city that moves" - in the true sense of the word. Meanwhile, there are an estimated 12 million inhabitants. Congolese music is appreciated all over Africa and the smoothness of their dancing and swinging hips is second to no other African people. The ambience in the dance clubs in the city is unique and testifies to an untroubled zest for life, despite the difficult economic situation. But the Congolese are used to this since the day they are born.
• One hour outside of Kinshasa, there is a unique reservation for bonobos (www.friendsofbonobos.de). They are hardly known and are often confused with chimpanzees. With almost 99% genetic similarity, they are closer to humans than any other species. We will be staying there for two nights. (We can only visit this reservation if we arrive on time in Kinshasa according to our travel itinerary)
• Then we will drive back to Kinshasa and will set up our last camp at the Protestant mission.

Especially with this trip, we can only provide an approximate time and route plan. It could happen that we must stop for several days at a bottleneck in the road, because a lorry is blocking the way. Or that the travel itinerary must be changed, because a bridge or ferry cannot be used. This is how it is in Congo, this is how it was 30 years ago when I came for the first time to the former Zaire, and it will always be so in the future.

Overview and brief travel information

We will be at the starting point in Livingstone/Zambia two days before the trip begins and for another five days after the end of the tour in Kinshasa/Congo. Thus, you can choose your dates of arrival and departure flexibly.
If you have any enquiries regarding this trip, please send me an email. I spend eight months of each year in Africa - so I am hard to reach. My office will inform me of your enquiry and I will contact you during my next stay in Germany.

The following changes were made to the standard terms and conditions for this trip:

• You receive 5 % discount if you register before September 30, 2012.

• A deposit of 200€ will be charged. This will not be reimbursed upon cancellation.

• The price of the trip must be paid in full 2 months before the beginning of the trip. If the participant cancels the trip after this time, 80 % of the price of the trip will be retained.

The price of the trip includes:

• All camping fees
• Admission to the Victoria Falls in Livingstone/Zambia
• Admission to the memorial of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld
• Admission to the chimpanzee conservation area "Sanctuary Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage" / Zambia
• Several days visit to Lac Muncamba in Kasai / Congo
• Two-day visit to the "Loya ya Bonobo – Bonobos' paradise", close to Kinshasa / Congo
• All meals (except for at the start and end points, in cities and at accommodations with a restaurant)

The price of the trip does not include:

• Flight ticket

• Visa fees

• Border fees

• Accommodations in rooms

• Meals at restaurants

• Taxi fees

Visa regulation for Zambia:

The following countries (and others) do not require visas to enter Zambia:
 

Botswana	Cyprus	Guyana
Ireland	Malta	Namibia
Romania	South Africa	Swaziland

Countries that can obtain Visas at any Zambian Missions abroad or at Port of entra:

top