1. Taking pictures is ill advised. Locals get very upset, for they believe that “capturing a person’s image” removes his spirit. 2. The Belgians brew one of the best beers in the world. But the Congolese won’t let their beer-guzzling ex-masters take all the credit. The Simba beer is not only big in taste, its bottle – which is often rundown and bears a crude lion...
Fufu Fufu is the staple food of Congo. It’s a thick paste made from sweet potato or yam, which is boiled and then mashed with a mortar and pestle. A plate of fufu is often accompanied by a peanut soup. To eat the dish in the traditional way, a person begins by carving a small chunk of the thick paste. A ball the size of a marble is then shaped using the right hand. A...
See the great apes According to Charles Darwin, the great apes are our closest link to the animal kingdom. He even went far as to say that we’re a product of natural selection and evolution. Whatever ideas you believe, to observe the mountain gorillas in the wild is a must-see when you set foot in Congo. You might even agree with the natural scientist, not for his...
Kinshasa Kinshasa is the capital and the largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Formerly known as Leopoldville, it was once a trading post before becoming the country’s administrative center in 1920. It sits on the southern bank of the Congo River, facing the city of Brazzaville, which is the capital of the nearby Republic of Congo. Kinshasa is known for...
The Democratic Republic of Congo straddles the equator. One-third of its land lies on the north and two-thirds on the south. Dry and wet seasons are the only two weather patterns in the country. In the north, heavy rains are common from April to October. In the south, the monsoon season begins in November and ends in March. Close to the equator, torrential rains and...
