No, the Central African Republic is one of the hardest countries in Africa to backpack independently, mainly because of security and almost no tourist infrastructure.
Much of the north and east, including Manovo-Gounda St. Floris and Bria, is controlled by armed groups and off the table. The workable zone is
Bangui,
Boali, the
Lobaye and the southwest toward
Bayanga. You need a visa arranged in advance, a yellow fever certificate and plenty of cash in CFA francs, since ATMs outside Bangui are rare. Budget guesthouses in Bangui run about 15,000 to 35,000 XAF (US$25 to 60) a night, and a trusted local fixer is close to mandatory.
Plan on 10 to 15 days in the Central African Republic to see the capital and reach Dzanga-Sangha without rushing.
Five days covers
Bangui, a day trip to the
Boali Waterfalls (about 95 kilometers, 2 hours each way) and a night in
Mbaïki. Ten days lets you add four or five nights in
Bayanga by charter flight of around 90 minutes. Fifteen days is what an overland trip through Bouar, Berbérati and Nola needs, because road legs of 4 to 7 hours on laterite and broken asphalt rarely allow more than one moving day at a time.
Yes, you can travel the Central African Republic without your own car, using shared bush taxis, minibuses and trucks, though it is slow and tiring.
Shared transport leaves Bangui’s gare routière for the west when full, usually early morning. Bangui to
Bouar along the main Cameroon road takes 8 to 12 hours, Bangui to
Berbérati a full long day or more, and fares run roughly 15,000 to 25,000 XAF (US$25 to 40). The final run from
Nola to
Bayanga is 3 to 5 hours and often needs a hired 4x4. Many travelers fly to Bayanga on a charter, with shared seats around US$500 to 1,000.
The must-visit places in the Central African Republic are Dzanga-Sangha National Park, the Boali Waterfalls and the capital, Bangui.
In
Dzanga-Sangha, based in
Bayanga, the Dzanga Bai clearing draws 50 to 100 forest elephants at a time, and habituated western lowland gorillas can be tracked nearby; give it at least 4 nights. The
Boali Waterfalls, about 2 hours north of Bangui, drop around 50 meters and are fullest from July to October. In
Bangui, the Boganda National Museum and the Oubangui riverfront fill one good day. With more time, the megaliths around
Bouar justify the 8 to 12 hour trip west.
If you are short on time in the Central African Republic, skip the long overland run west and the diamond towns, and fly straight from Bangui to Bayanga.
Carnot,
Berbérati and
Nola show real daily life but cost 4 to 5 days of road for little sightseeing. Bangui itself needs only 1 to 2 days; the Central Market and PK5 can go if you are pressed. The northern and eastern parks such as
Manovo-Gounda St. Floris and
Bamingui-Bangoran are effectively out of reach for independent travelers, so leave them off the plan and put the saved days into
Dzanga-Sangha, where 4 to 5 nights beat 2 rushed ones.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Central African Republic in seconds. Try it out!
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