Mbandaka
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Africa
About Mbandaka
Mbandaka is a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Province.
The city was founded in 1883 by British explorer Henry Morton Stanley under the name Équateurville.
The headquarters of the Fourth Naval Region of the Navy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are located in the city.
Mbandaka lies on the east bank of the Congo River below the mouth of the Ruki River, a tributary of the Congo. South of the Ngiri Reserve, a large area of swamp forest on the opposite bank of the Congo, it is located at the center of the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe wetland.
Mbandaka is the capital of Équateur province, and located only a few kilometers from the equator. It is home to Mbandaka airport and is linked by a four to seven day trip by river barge journey to Kinshasa and Boende. Kinshasa is an hour's plane ride away.
Mbandaka is largely populated by people of the Mongo ethnic group, although people from many different tribes and regions live in the city. The main languages spoken in...
Mbandaka travel guide
Understand
As Mbandaka city is located in an area where it touches on Congo River and Ruki river, this makes it the handler of the headquarters of Fourth Naval Region of the Navy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the local ethnic group of people residing Mbandaka on a large percentage are called Mongo.
Getting there
Mbandaka Airport. By boat through the river as it links Mbandaka to Kinshasa and Boende.
See
1 Catholic Mission station and Central African history research centre of Bamanya. A large research centre for Central African history, originally set up by Fathers Gustaaf Hulstaert (1900–1990) and Honoré Vinck, is at the Catholic mission station of Bamanya (Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC)), 10 kilometres east of Mbandaka. (updated May 2020) 2 Botanic Garden of Eala (Jardin Botanique d'Eala). One of the finest botanical gardens of central Africa is at nearby Eala, about 7 km east of the town centre. The Botanic Garden of Eala, founded in 1900, contains between 4,000 and 5,000 species. It covers approximately 370 hectares with special collections (125 ha), forest (190 ha), marsh (50 ha) and savanna "Euobe" (7 ha). The garden is neglected and unfenced and there is illegal logging. The last catalogue was published in 1924. (updated May 2020) First Habitat for Humanity International housing project. Mbandaka is the home of the world's first project of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity's founder Millard Fuller served as missionary with the Disciples of Christ Church in Mbandaka from 1973-76. The housing project Fuller started in Mbandaka in 1973 became the original project of Habitat for Humanity when Fuller founded Habitat upon his return to the United States. (updated May 2020) Ligne de l'equateur, tourist attraction place.
Buy
Marche de Basoko. Maison Willy Bakombela. Marche Central de Mbandaka2.
Sleep
1 Nina River Hotel, Avenue Bolenge, ☏ +243 999 972 266. Riverside hotel with pool. (updated May 2020) Hotel Wimpey. Hotel Samanta. Mputu Palace. Centre d'Accueil Vatican. Puits M'Bandaka-1. Centre Tomodja Onakoy.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.