Backpacking the Republic of the Congo independently is doable along the Brazzaville–Dolisie–Pointe-Noire corridor, but the northern gorilla parks effectively require a pre-booked package.
Sort out your visa before you fly, and carry your yellow fever certificate, because it is checked on arrival at Maya-Maya Airport. French does most of the work here, and very little English is spoken outside hotels. Hostels are almost nonexistent, so plan on simple hotels at about 15,000 to 30,000 CFA francs (US$25 to 50) a night. Buses between
Brazzaville and
Pointe-Noire take 8 to 10 hours.
Odzala-Kokoua runs roughly US$1,000 to 1,500 per person per night, including the charter flight.
Ten days covers the Republic of the Congo’s two main cities and the coast comfortably, while 15 days lets you add the gorilla forests of the north.
With 5 days, stay based in
Brazzaville and take a day trip to the
Chutes de Loufoulakari, 2 to 3 hours away by 4x4. With 10 days, add
Pointe-Noire,
Plage de Loango and
Conkouati-Douli National Park, using the one-hour flight from the capital to the coast. With 15 days, add 4 to 5 nights in
Odzala-Kokoua National Park and travel overland through
Dolisie. The June to September dry season makes every dirt road quicker.
Yes, you can travel the south of the Republic of the Congo without a car, since buses and domestic flights link the main cities. You only need a hired 4x4 for rural day trips.
Buses on the paved N1 run from
Brazzaville to
Dolisie in 6 to 7 hours, and from Dolisie to
Pointe-Noire in about 3 hours. Fares between the two big cities run around 10,000 to 15,000 CFA francs (US$17 to 25). The Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire flight takes one hour and usually costs 60,000 to 100,000 CFA francs (US$100 to 165). Taxis cover
Loango from Pointe-Noire.
Odzala-Kokoua is reached by charter flight as part of the lodge package.
The must-visits in the Republic of the Congo are Brazzaville, the gorillas and elephant clearings of Odzala-Kokoua National Park, and the Atlantic coast at Loango.
In
Brazzaville, give a day to the
Basilique Sainte-Anne-du-Congo and the
Poto-Poto School of Painting. Add a day trip to the
Chutes de Loufoulakari, about 2 to 3 hours out by 4x4. In
Odzala-Kokoua, plan 4 to 5 nights to cover gorilla tracking at Ngaga and the wade through streams to Lango Bai. On the coast,
Plage de Loango sits 20 kilometers north of
Pointe-Noire. Pair it with
Conkouati-Douli National Park for its chimpanzee islands.
If time is short in the Republic of the Congo, skip the inland southern towns and the far-north river towns, and put your days into Brazzaville, the coast or Odzala instead.
Nkayi and
Mindouli work well as bus stops on the N1, but not as places to stay. You can also skip
Dolisie unless you plan to visit the Mayombe forest. The
Lésio-Louna Gorilla Reserve means 6 to 8 hours of driving for one day, so drop it if
Odzala-Kokoua is already in your plan.
Impfondo,
Bétou and
Lac Télé involve multi-day river travel, so leave them for a trip of three weeks or more. Flying from Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire saves another full day.
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 Congo in seconds. Try it out!
Try the itinerary plannerv2.webp){kind=logo}
Best Backpacking
