Republic of the Congo

Why the Republic of the Congo

One thing is worth settling first. This is the Republic of the Congo, the smaller of the two, with its capital at Brazzaville. It is not the Democratic Republic of the Congo across the river, which is a different country.

Odzala-Kokoua

The Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua is inscribed for something slow: it is an exceptionally large-scale example of forest taking back savanna after the last glacial period. Three ecosystem types converge here, the Congolese Forest, the Lower Guinean Forest and savanna, and the forest inside it is of many different ages at once, which is what gives the park its ecology.

Two superlatives come out of that. UNESCO calls it one of the most important strongholds for forest elephants in Central Africa, and recognizes it as the park with the richest primate diversity in the region. The photograph at the top of this page is a forest elephant and her calf at the edge of a clearing.

Food

Saka saka is cassava leaves pounded and cooked long, dark green and slightly bitter, and it appears at most meals in one form or another. Poulet moambe is chicken in palm nut sauce, the same idea as Gabon’s nyembwe under a different name. River fish is grilled or smoked, and cassava in its various forms does the work bread does elsewhere.

Practical orientation

French is the official language and Lingala and Kituba are widely spoken. The currency is the CFA franc. Brazzaville has the main international airport and Pointe Noire is the coastal city.

Violent crime is a concern, though it is not common.

Entry requirements vary by nationality and change. The government of the Republic of the Congo is the authority on them, and this page is not.

This page states no entry, health or security requirements, and is not advice. Check current entry and health requirements with official sources before you travel.