Republic of the Congo

Understand

History Following independence as the Congo Republic on August 15, 1960, Fulbert Youlou ruled as the country's first president until labour elements and rival political parties instigated a three-day uprising that ousted him. The Congolese military took charge of the country briefly and installed a civilian provisional government headed by Alphonse Massamba-Débat. Under the 1963 constitution, Massamba-Débat was elected President for a five-year term but it was ended abruptly with an August 1968 coup d'état. Captain Marien Ngouabi, who had participated in the coup, assumed the presidency on 31 December 1968. One year later, President Ngouabi proclaimed Congo to be Africa's first "people's republic" and announced the decision of the National Revolutionary Movement to change its name to the Congolese Labour Party (PCT). On 16 March 1977, President Ngouabi was assassinated. An 11-member Military Committee of the Party (CMP) was named to head an interim government with Col. (later Gen.) Joachim Yhombi-Opango to serve as President of the Republic. After decades of turbulent politics bolstered by Marxist-Leninist rhetoric, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congo completed a transition to multi-party democracy with elections in August 1992. Denis Sassou Nguesso conceded defeat and Congo's new president, Prof. Pascal Lissouba, was inaugurated on 31 August 1992. However, Congo's democratic progress was derailed in 1997. As presidential elections scheduled for July 1997 approached, tensions between the Lissouba and Sassou camps mounted. On 5 June, President Lissouba's government forces surrounded Sassou's compound in Brazzaville and Sassou ordered members of his private militia, known as "Cobras", to resist. Thus began a 4-month conflict that destroyed or damaged much o

See

Odzala National Park Gorillas in Lesio Louna Gorilla Reserve. Colonial and post-colonial architecture in Brazzaville. Sangha Trinational - a forest in the Sangha and Likouala region that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (shared with Cameroon and the Central African Republic).

Do

Fish for the Goliath Tiger Fish on the Congo River — the largest fish ever caught was 56 kg.

Eat

There is good and healthy Chinese food at Osaka Restaurant, in Pointe Noire. The average price for a meal is US$12-18. All meals are served in nice clean dishes, the restaurant is indoors and has AC, with a back-up generator, just in case. Some of the workers speak English and French. There are several great restaurants in Brazzaville. Any taxi driver can take you to one of these nicer places (FCFA 5000-15 000). Most places are closed on Sundays. Expect beers to be overpriced here (FCFA 1000-2000).

Drink

Palm wine is a local favorite in the village. Beer is the favorite in town next to Fanta, Coke etc. There is also a local red wine (

Buy

Money

The currency of the country is the Central African CFA franc, denoted FCFA (ISO currency code: XAF). It's also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs. The U.S. dollar is not widely accepted.

ATMs All Ecobank ATMs in the Republic of the Congo take Mastercard and Visa card for cash withdrawal.

Shopping There is an artisan mart and boutiques in the market near the BDEAC (Banque Developpement pour les Etats de l'Afrique Centrale). Really beautiful jewelry, masks, paintings, and other artwork. All business is conducted in cash. Small change is very scarce and hard to come by. Do not accept torn or taped banknotes.

Getting there

Visa requirements The Republic of the Congo is not a country you can just waltz into. There are few visa-free arrangements in place, and thus, almost everyone requires a visa to visit the country. Citizens of the following countries can obtain a visa on arrival: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, and the United Arab Emirates. For everyone else, you must possess a valid passport and you must submit the following: two completed visa application forms, two passport photographs, airline tickets, a travel itinerary, an invitation letter from a Congolese individual or organisation (a hotel reservation will normally suffice), and proof you've been vaccinated against yellow fever. Visa fees tend to be very expensive (The Congolese embassy in the United States charges $200 for visa applications), so plan accordingly. Congolese embassies recommend that you submit all relevant documentation (usually a month before your trip) in advance. Visas typically take 7-10 days to process. If you hold an "official letter of invitation" you can, in theory, enter the country without a visa, but it may be difficult to obtain because there's little information available on how to obtain it.

By plane

Maya-Maya Airport (BZV IATA), ☏ +242 820-996. The main airport of the country is in Brazzaville. It offers flights from Paris, Casablanca, and so on. (updated Mar 2022)

By car It's safe to drive in the Republic of the Congo. A good sealed road goes north from Brazzaville, but only as far north as President Sassou's hometown of Oyo. Beyond Oyo, the roads get very bumpy and are totally impassable in the rain. It is also very hard to get a rental car that you can drive yourself.

By boat Passenger and VIP ferries operate daily between Brazz

Getting around

By shared taxi or minibus Ridiculously cheap shared taxis and minibuses run on an ad hoc basis between towns and villages, crammed with Congolese villagers taking all sorts of livestock for sale in Brazzaville.

By taxi

Taxis in the Republic of the Congo do not have a meter, which means you have to negotiate for a reasonable fare before going anywhere. Don't expect this to be an easy process if you do not possess solid French language and negotiation skills. In the capital city, Brazzaville, taxis are white and green in colour. If you want to go to the city centre from the airport, it will cost you 3000 CFA. In the main city, however, the official taxi fare stands at 700 CFA.

By train

The Congo-Ocean Railway (COR, or CFCO) re-opened between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in Apr 2023 after a 7-year closure. It is scheduled to take 16 hours to complete the 502 kilometres (312 mi) journey. It is the only land route between Congo's two major cities.