Brazzaville
Brazzaville was named after the Italian navigator in the French Navy who “discovered” the Congo River and set up a French “embassy” to grant freedom to African slaves. Today it’s the quieter of the two rivertowns and has a great share of nightlife and dining, friendly locals, and none of the problems with police intimidation that Kinshasa does, not to mention it is much safer to walk around even at night as a foreigner.
Taxis from the airport to anywhere in Brazzaville cost $4 (2000 CFA) and taxis around the city anywhere cost $2 (1000 CFA) Among the Congolese, many are afraid to take river rides because they believe the spirits of the dead reside and haunt the river. For the ones who make their living from it, however, the river is their home and distribution network, a nature-made distribution system of thousands of kilometers in total of navigable waterways and tributaries. The boatmen give rides ranging from 5,000 CFA down the river ($10) to $200 and up for a longer journey within the scope of the day. Port Autonome in Brazzaville is a dirty, squirming mass of humanity carrying strange and smelly cargo back and forth, while the boat launches in Kinshasa extend for easily a mile of different “ticket offices” and operators, belying the city’s sprawling population of 13 million plus.
You can, yes, buy your own pirogue (boat) made from a tree, at 200,000 to 1,000,000 CFA if you know someone local who can help you (or ask us,) $400 to $2,000. You will need an engine and fuel, the latter of which is not very expensive except in the inner Congo tributaries, and then can steer your own way with the right papers and guide down the Congo river. Every small town in DRC has a “police” who may – and if they can, will check your passport, your yellow fever, make up some needed document, and delay you or scare you into payoffs. Beware. Speedboats or anything of that sort have to be imported.
From Brazzaville cars, trucks, trains, and local domestic airlines go to Point Noire (Pointe Noire) and North all the way to Ouesso and as far as Central African Republic and Gabon or Cameroon. Owando, Oyo (the nicest place to stop,) and Ollombo are easy stopovers on the way north. They are all free-standing if not charming villages with surrounding forests and traditional homes and lodging can be found here for around 40,000-60,000 CFA a night ($80-$120). Oyo and Owando are on tributaries of the Congo River and can arrange for a small price boat trips down the fingers of the Congo, deep in forest and away from the hurly burly of the main boatway. Etoumbi is about a further day’s drive on from these towns, and is a great springboard for visits to spectacular Odzalla National Park. Entrance fees are 25,000 CFA ($50) and you can see lots and lots of different large and small African animals here and countless birds.
Now, although Odzala looks very easy to access, it is not. At least, not cheaply. Odzala is managed by African Parks Network, who takes a “Business Approach to Conservation” and is one of the most effective outfits in Central Africa conserving parks anywhere. Wilderness Safaris, the lodge operator, for disclosure an affiliate with SGV, has (to lots of guests’ dismay) soared prices above the range of anywhere else in the 2 Congos, and far above the range of 95% of safari-goers. However, a tourist here is treated to befitting luxury, and gets what he pays for – a truly upscale, unique, and out of this world safari experience that is not available in the most tourist-trodden nations of Africa anymore.
According to African Parks Network, a superb outfit led by ex-special forces military from South Africa, Odzala was at first a dud – and the government took and looted everything. There were right thereafter 4 years where there was no funding. The EU asked APN to run the park with a 25 year mandate – full management control , and a board. The CCC (conservationists) now holds Odzala, and Wilderness is the hospitality operator, also South African. There are inside the park 7 main “bais” clearings in the forest for viewing animals. There are 2 main community bais on the East and South that are concessions. At the time of writing, SGV was in discussions with the APN regarding cooperation with Odzala, Wilderness, APN, and the Congolese government to set up a (truly) affordable tourism operation at Mboko Camp (the airstrip area) and a budget camp nearby. Due to attacks in 2013 of a mob of 200+ people from the villages around Odzala, maddened by the success of the anti-poaching ranger and commander, and to a lack of realistic market expectations for more luxury camps, Mboko has stalled.
The attacks took place when the head of anti-poaching effectively, well, stopped poaching. The villagers, used to getting free money from Odzala tourism for “conservation,” wanted to simlutaneously derive money from “non-conservation” (poaching) as well. In other words, they loved APN and tourism as long as it gave them money but wasn’t effective. In response, the ex elite military from South Africa who lead the park management evacuated the head ranger, and the Congolese President promptly and heroically sent in the entire Congolese army the next morning to neutralize and calm down the villagers. Hence forth, budget lodges in Odzala are still on hold, but at least so is poaching.
