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| Congo Kinshasa Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Zaire has changed names back to Congo again. Officially its called the Democratic Republic of Congo, but since this name hardly distinguishes it from (French) Congo (which is also a republic and probably more democratic) we use the terms Congo Kinshasa and Congo Brazaville. Congo Kinshasa is the the biggest country in black Africa. It was quite good for traveling if you like your travels on the rough side, but after the death of Mobutu it is so unclear who rules what part of the country that it is too dangerous for most tastes. Kinshasa the capital is in the part ruled by the internationally recoginezd government. It is a big city and it used to be quite lively, with lots of bars and disco's. |
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| The coolest thing to do used to be to take a trip up the Congo river to Kisangani and to live with the Congolese for a few days, but nowadays it's not the kind of thing to recommend. The east (now under control of Uganda and Burundi military forces) is really beautiful. If you are dying to see lake Kivu and its surroundings the best way to get here is probably from Uganda. _______Economy Edit This Economy—overview: The economy of Democratic Republic of the Congo—a nation endowed with vast potential wealth—has declined significantly since the mid-1980s. The new government has instituted a tight fiscal policy that has curbed inflation and currency depreciation. Plans are underway to introduce a new national currency. Most formal transactions are conducted in hard currency but a barter economy flourishes in all but the largest cities. Most individuals and families survive through subsistence farming or petty trade. International investors show renewed interest especially in the mining and telecommunications sectors. However poor infrastructure an uncertain legal framework corruption and lack of transparency in government economic policy remain a brake on investment and growth. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the new government to help it develop a coherent economic plan. GDP: purchasing power parity—$18 billion (1996 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 1.5% (1996 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$400 (1996 est.) GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 59% industry: 15% services: 26% (1995 est.) Inflation rate—consumer price index: NA% Labor force: total: 14.51 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture 65% industry 16% services 19% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues: $269 million expenditures: $244 million including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) Industries: mining mineral processing consumer products (including textiles footwear cigarettes processed foods and beverages) cement diamonds Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity—capacity: 2.831 million kW (1995) Electricity—production: 5.22 billion kWh (1995) Electricity—consumption per capita: 95 kWh (1995) Agriculture—products: coffee sugar palm oil rubber tea quinine cassava (tapioca) palm oil bananas root crops corn fruits; wood products Exports: total value: $1.9 billion (f.o.b. 1996 est.) commodities: diamonds copper coffee cobalt crude oil partners: Belgium US France Germany Italy UK Japan South Africa Imports: total value: $1.1 billion (c.i.f. 1996 est.) commodities: consumer goods foodstuffs mining and other machinery transport equipment fuels partners: Belgium South Africa US France Germany Italy Japan UK Debt—external: $13.8 billion (1995 est.) Economic aid: recipient: ODA $NA Currency: 1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta Exchange rates: new zaires (Z) per US$1—115 000 (January 1998) 83 764 (October 1996) 7 024 (1995) 1 194 (1994) 3 (1993) note: on 22 October 1993 the new zaire equal to 3 000 000 old zaires was introduced Fiscal year: calendar year ::::::::::Bukavu Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Rond Point Nyawera Rond Point Nyawera www.bukavuonline.com Bukavu is a very calm and beautiful place where people visit for many occassions. There you can find hotels, restaurants, bars, night clubs and many more. They are 40 indigenous languages and 4 lingua francas which are spoken in Bukavu. Most people in Bukavu are Christian and few others are Muslim. We find over 50 churchs in Bukavu. For transport They are taxis available which you can book and they are buses which goes every where every 5 to 10 minutes. Accommodation They are many hotels which are for rent per day or per week at any amount wanted. If you are visiting Bukavu these days make sure you have your indetification with you because of the security that has began. :::::::::Epulu Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Epulu is a tiny jungle settlement in north eastern Congo. Known principally as the site of the conservation project aimed at preserving the large, girraffe-like mammal, the okapi, from extinction, Epulu offers a unique interface between the settled european presence of the conservationist and the local culture. The conservation project is also a place where travellers, by arrangement, can be guided (by armed guard and trackers) to a meeting several hours walk into the jungle with nomadic pygmies. On the bank of a medium size river, Epulu is a beautiful spot. :::::::Goma Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see photo Goma has seen its fair share of hardships over the past decade. In 1994 it was home to upwards of one million Rwandan refugees, escaping the ethnic strife across the border. The influx of refugees combined with a total lack of infrastructure turned the area into a breeding ground for disease, including an outbreak of cholera that claimed thousands of lives. The Rwandan government claimed that the refugee camps were home to thousands of Hutu extremists and staged attacks on the camps in November 1996 and August 1998, killing hundreds if not thousands. A few short years later tragedy struck again with the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo. Located just outside of the city's northern limits the Volcano erupted in the early hours of January 17, 2002. Most Goma residents were able to escape across the border to Gisenyi in Rwanda but over 200 people lost their lives. The "red river" of lava ravaged the town, destroying the homes or property of over 350,000 residents. Today, despite continued violence in the North Kivu region, Goma is slowly recovering. The remnants from Mt. Nyiragongo's eruption are still present everywhere. Homes, shops and roads are slowly being rebuilt - on top of the hardened lava. Every reminders of the devastation caused by the event are everywhere. Most striking are the remnants of the city's cathedral, encased in lava yet still visible under your feet. Goma is a pleasant little town with a few restaurants, hotels, post office and lots of football and pool tables. At the time of writing (July 2005) visas were easily obtained at the border with Rwanda for 30$. For now you can climb the Volcano and pass the night in a tente at the top of the volcano and admire the lake of red lava inside the crater. This with Gorilla treking can be aranged by any tour operator based in Goma. ::::::::::Kinshasa Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i The Water Page The capital and largest city of Congo with 9 million inhabitants is a large, sprawling city on the Congo River directly across from Brazzaville, Congo Republic. It is one of the craziets places on the planet right now. When things return to normal there, be sure to visit St. Anne’s Cathedral (and the art market nearby), the botanical gardens, the Aviators’ and Stanley monuments and the ethnological museum at Lovanium University. Also spend some time people watching and walking through both the old and new sections of town to look at the various shops. In the Gombe district, the most affluent part of town, upscale shops and restaurants can be found. At night, visit the restaurants and nightclubs in the Matonge area downtown, where the high pitched sounds of live pop music ring out. Be aware that the area is notorious for robberies. Plan to stay one night in the capital. Should you have additional time, hire a taxi or car with driver and take a day to drive along the Congo River road to Zongo Falls, stopping at the little villages along the way. ::::::::Kisangani Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Known in colonial times as Stanleyville, after the explorer Henry M. Stanley established a colonial outpost ("Falls Station") near major cataracts in the Congo River that made the river impassible to boat travel. A railroad was built to bypass the cataracts and opened shipping routes further into the Congo jungle. Kisangani is now a town of decaying beauty. The Belgians left some colonial buildings worth looking at but they are not in good shape. Due to the climate decay happens quite fast. Kisingani is more than 1000 km from Kinshasa. It used to be possible to go by river boat over the Congo river. Currently river travel is almost non-existant. For some background info on Kisangani you may read "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul. Great reading. ::::::::Kisangani Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Known in colonial times as Stanleyville, after the explorer Henry M. Stanley established a colonial outpost ("Falls Station") near major cataracts in the Congo River that made the river impassible to boat travel. A railroad was built to bypass the cataracts and opened shipping routes further into the Congo jungle. Kisangani is now a town of decaying beauty. The Belgians left some colonial buildings worth looking at but they are not in good shape. Due to the climate decay happens quite fast. Kisingani is more than 1000 km from Kinshasa. It used to be possible to go by river boat over the Congo river. Currently river travel is almost non-existant. For some background info on Kisangani you may read "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul. Great reading. :::::::Kolwezi Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see It was the scene of an infamous massacre of European miners and their families in May of 1978. This was believed to be caused by separatist rebels (katanga) fighting against the central government of president Mobutu. The result was that the French and the Belgians sent their paratroopers into this town to to restore order. :::::Lubumbashi Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see i Located in the south some 1500 km southeast of Kinshasa, Lubumbashi is pretty close to the border with Zambia and things here tend to be pretty different form the rest of the country. With about 1 million people, Lumumbashi, is a relatively compact city with gardens, nicely kept homes and red-dirt roads. There aren't any real sights or attractions, but a tour to see the mines that brought the region its wealth in the 1970s is well worth your time :::::::::::Mbandaka Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see It is a cty in the Demcratic Republic of the Congo- formerly Zaire, formerly the Belgian Congo. |
