Wednesday 29th November – Kinshasa

• Arrive at your convenience into Kinshasa – the capital city of DRC which is well connected from many countries within Africa and most of Europe.
• Airport transfer to our hotel can be arranged for €50, check into hotel, and freshen up
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Dinner and overnight in Kinshasa

Thursday 30th November – Kinshasa

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Begin our ultimate Kinshasa city tour – one of the fastest growing megacities in the world! It was formerly known as Léopoldville during its colonial period.
• First stop is Independence Square – where we’ll learn about the road to independence and the key figures that played a vital role.
• Make a special visit to the Mausoleum of the Late President Kabila – the towering 25 foot statue of Kabila was built by the North Koreans.
• Explore Tata-Raphael Stadium – this was the very spot where Rumble in the Jungle took place – the famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Also the “Godfather of Soul”, James Brown performed here in 1974.

Afternoon

• Visit another key figure in Congolese history, the Statue of Patrice Lumumba – an African politician, nationalist and prime minister who played a vital role in the independence movement for the DRC.
• Explore the Palace of the People – Palais du Peuple was commissioned by President Mobutu after being inspired by the Great Hall of the People during his trip to the People’s Republic of China. It cost a whopping $100 million USD.
• Visit Parc Ngaliema – where you will learn about how exploration of the Congo basin led to personal property of a vicious bloody period in the history of the Congo.  Statues of King Leopold II and Henry Morton Stanley once stood here.
• Stop by the Marble Palace – Palais de la Nation; it currently serves as the residence for the president of the DRC including the former leader Mobutu. During the colonial period it housed the colonial Governor-General.
• Dinner and drinks in Kinshasa.
• Overnight in Kinshasa.

Friday 1st December – Kinshasa

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• We’ll go hang out with the infamous La Sape also known as the Sapeurs – today’s version of the well-known fashionable and mannerisms of their colonial predecessors – Dandies. You’ll have a unique experience meeting them, and will take time to learn their way of life.

Afternoon

• Lunch in Kinshasa
• In the afternoon you’ll have an introduction in Congo Voodoo/Fetish Wrestling.  We’ll visit their temple and supernatural shrine before we head for a game of wrestling.  The event itself is not just a wrestling game; the wrestlers paint themselves with voodoo powders and dress dramatically.
• Dinner and drinks in Kinshasa
• Overnight stay in Kinshasa.

Saturday 2nd December – Kinshasa – Zonga Falls

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• A bright and early start, we’ll depart Kinshasa and head for the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary – the Bonobo are a highly intelligent and sociable species of the chimpanzee, more commonly referred to as pygmy chimpanzee.  At the sanctuary they keep bonobos that were rescued from local markets, doomed to be sold for bush meat. We’ll learn more about the bonobos and see how the locals try to give these beautiful mammals their life back.

Afternoon

• Lunch and begin our scenic journey to the mighty Zonga Falls – these falls have an impressive drop of 65 meters – we’ll be there at the right time to see the breathing clouds and rainbows produced by the falls.  Zongo Falls flow down from the Inkisi River before the water joins the enormous Congo River.
• Dinner and drinks by the Zonga falls.
• Overnight stay at the Zonga Falls.

Sunday 3rd December – Zonga Falls – Matadi

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and begin the journey further south towards the city of Matadi – which translates to ‘stone’ in the local Kikongo language.  Matadi is built on steep hills and located at the border with Angola, another YPT favourite!
• We’ll make various stops along the way for photos, while we make our way through the mountains and jungle of Bas Congo.  Here you can observe various settlements along the way.
• Once we arrive in Matadi we’ll start exploring this impressive city – Matadi is a mountainous, historic and humid city and serves as the capital of the Bas Congo province.  Moreover, it serves as a major port city for ships going to Kinshasa or the Atlantic.

Afternoon

• Lunch in Matadi
• Visit the hydroelectric dam, Point Belvedere, Matadi Bridge/OEBK – it’s impressive to see all the international megaprojects which benefit the local population.
• Stop by the port which remains one the largest in Africa and learn about colonial trade.
• You’ll have the opportunity to visit the local market, a perfect place to pick up some gifts and local goods – it’s also an excellent opportunity to interact with locals.
• We enjoy dinner and drinks in this nice quiet little city.
• Overnight stay in Matadi.

Monday 4th December – Matadi – Boma – Muanda

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel and board our boat for the next adventure along the Congo River. This journey is quite interesting as the river is dived between the DRC and Angola – which gives us a great opportunity to observe daily life along one of the most important rivers in the world.  We’ll see plenty of fishermen hunting for the famous tigerfish.  You’ll experience the sheer size of the river when you’ll see massive ships heading towards Kinshasa.
• Halfway on our way to Muanda we’ll stop at Boma – a town that was the former capital of the Belgium colony and also the place where Belgium handed over the country to the Congolese in 1959 – a pivotal point in the history of the Congo.

Afternoon

• Lunch in Boma
• While we’re in Boma – the former capital of the Congo Free State we’ll make time to explore the historical former colonial capital city. Boma has preserved its colonial architecture, including the first (metal) church, the cathedral and the first cars (what’s left of it) that arrived in Congo in 1905.
• Visit the famous Baobab Tree – it is here where Henry Stanley spent his first night after having travelled throughout Congo.
• From here we’ll take a sunset boat trip along the Congo River, while passing various shipwrecks for our last stretch to the Atlantic, towards the city of Muanda.
• Once we arrive in Muanda we’ll check into the hotel and freshen up.
• Dinner and much deserved drinks in Muanda.
• Overnight stay in Muanda.

Tuesday 5th December – Muanda – Banana – Muanda

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• We’ll leave Muanda for a short scenic road trip to the Mangrove National Park.
• Tour Highlight: In the park, we take a boat trip to remote fishermen’s villages and experience local life remote from any other place.
• You’ll see first-hand how the local fishermen go oyster fishing.

Afternoon

• Lunch in the area and return to Muanda located at the mouth of the Congo River. Muanda is a preserved colonial seaside town and the biggest city of DR Congo on its small Atlantic Ocean coastline.
• Visit the local market and take a walk along the old colonial buildings before we head to the village of Banana.
• Explore the port of Banana – yes it’s really called Banana.  This was the first colonial outpost in Congo and was occupied by the Dutch and Portuguese before Belgium took over – it also served as the main Belgian naval base during colonial rule. Nowadays, it is famous for its stunning beaches and the ancient buildings, guarded by cannons that remain from colonial times.
• We’ll check out geographical features – Zero Point, here the Congo River and the Atlantic Ocean meet.  It’s here where western explorers ventured deep into the unknown Congo basin which changed the course of history in the region.
• Overnight stay in Muanda.

Wednesday 6th December – Muanda – Kisantu

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel and take a road trip towards Kinshasa. This is a perfect opportunity to see a different side of the province compared to the journey along the Congo River.  Along the drive we’ll make various stops for photo opportunities, relax and reflect on our adventure. The roads are the bumpy, but this is all part of the experience along the way.

Afternoon

• Lunch stop on the way to Kishantu.
• As we head towards Kisantu we’ll make a stop at a local Congolese village – perfect opportunity to interact with curious locals.
• Once we arrive at Kisantu we’ll explore the town which has an impressive cathedral – we’ll find a place for a few much deserved cold beverages.
• Dinner and overnight stay in Kisantu.

Thursday 7th December – Kishantu – Kinshasa 

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• We’ll have a relaxing morning in Kisantu before we continue our final leg of our road trip to Kinshasa – remember we can make stops along the way.

Afternoon

• Lunch on the outskirts of the capital
• As we venture closer to Kinshasa again you’ll notice how the landscape changes from rural villages to a megacity quite quickly – the population as well as the city is ever expanding; it’s estimated that there are 17 million people live here.
• We’ll go for some last-minute shopping before we head to our last night together so we’ll celebrate at a nice restaurant with a view of the Congo River for our goodbye dinner followed by drinks.
• Overnight stay in Kinshasa.

Friday 8th December – Kinshasa 

• Breakfast in hotel
• Airport drop-offs (€50) arranged for those ending the tour
• For those continuing to the Republic of Congo we take the short boat trip to Brazzaville!

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