Welcome to Republic of Congo

A land of steamy jungles hiding half the world's lowland gorillas, masses of forest elephants, and hooting, swinging troops of chimpanzees; the Congo (not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo across the Congo River) is on the cusp of becoming one of the finest ecotourism destinations in Africa. Parc National Nouabalé-Ndoki and Parc National d'Odzala are two of the most pristine forest reserves on the... Read More

Top experiences in Republic of Congo

Recent articles

A tale of two cities: Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire

Step out of the Congo's wilds and into Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire and discover what some call the heart of French Africa. Though both urban centres exude a distinctive Francophone style that's not replicated elsewhere on the continent, the two couldn’t be more different. Pointe-Noire is a coastal boomtown flowing with oil money and expats, while Brazzaville is a classic central African city with walkable streets which convey a sense of peace that is absent from its neighbour Kinshasa across the river in the DRC.

Fishermen on the Congo River, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Image by Pascal Deloche / Getty Images
Sean Rorison
Lonely Planet Writer

Congo wildlife: closer than ever

The remote jungles of the Congo are not so remote in the Republic of Congo, the friendlier western neighbour of its bigger cousin, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thanks to several years of reasonable stability and improved infrastructure, some of the Congo's best preserved wilderness is more accessible than ever to enterprising tourists. Western lowland gorillas, forest elephants and chimpanzees are just some of the larger wildlife species on display in the country's parks.

The best opportunities for wildlife remain in the north of the Congo. With a decent highway now connecting Brazzaville to Cameroon, as well as numerous internal flights, it's not too difficult to reach the jungle in this region. For the more intrepid, the northeast offers a unique opportunity to experience wetlands along the western bank of the Congo River in the region of Impfondo. Rumours persist of Mokele-Mbembe, the Congo dinosaur, inhabiting this vast swampy region and several expeditions over the years have aimed to seek it out (no luck to date).
Sean Rorison
Lonely Planet Writer

Travel guides

Starting at $10.99

Image for Image for
Republic of Congo photo credits