Day 1: Domestic Flight from Goma or Kinshasa to Kisangani
We will organize a domestic flight for you either from Goma or Kinshasa, and fly to Kisangani, a city lying at the central heart of Africa’s great rainforests, 3rd largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the provincial capital of Tshopo, founded by Sir Henry Morton Stanley in January 1877. Arrive and transfer to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Kisangani City Tour
After breakfast, set off for a city tour. Visit Tshopo River Falls and the Wagenia fisheries, set up amid river rapids. Fishing is carried out using a complex structure set among the rocks. The fishermen use pirogues to ply among rapids and rocks. Their agility and daredevil boldness are an unfailing source of amazement. Return to the hotel, dinner, and overnight.
Day 3: Boat Trip from Kisangani to Yangambi
After breakfast, transfer to Yangambi by boat, passing pockets of lush green secondary forest, semi-deciduous secondary rainforest, climax forests with Brachystegia laurentii flora, and marshland forest inhabited by colorful birdlife and animals. Arrive late in the afternoon, visit the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, a center for research hosting about 32,000 tree species. Wildlife includes elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus), and monkeys (Cercopithecus spp.). Dinner and overnight in tents.
Day 4: Boat Trip from Yangambi to Lokutu (95 km)
Arrive in Lokutu (formerly Elisabetha), a village in Tshopo province on the west bank of the Congo River. After lunch, visit the Feronia Palm Oil Plantation, the largest in DRC, covering 63,560 hectares. Return to camp, dinner, and overnight.
Day 5: Boat Trip from Lokutu to Mombongo (83 km)
After breakfast, take a boat from Lokutu, the village of the Lokele tribe, to Mombongo. En route, observe local daily life along the river, where people buy and sell produce using small boats. Arrive late in the evening, dinner, and overnight.
Day 6: Boat Trip from Mombongo to Bumba (106 km)
After breakfast, head to Bumba, meeting Bafoto pygmies. The Congo River broadens to approximately 20 km and is covered with water hyacinths. Interact with the pygmies, dinner, and overnight.
Day 7: Boat Trip from Bumba to Lisala (117 km)
After breakfast, embark to Lisala, capital of Mongala Province. Explore the city, visit the Cathédrale Saint-Hermès, the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lisala. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Boat Trip from Lisala to Iaté (109 km)
After breakfast, embark to Iaté village. Explore the village and interact with locals. Set up camp ashore, prepare dinner, and overnight.
Day 9: Boat Trip from Iaté to Moleka (95 km)
Embark to Moleka. Explore the Congo Basin Forest, home to approximately 10,000 tropical plant species, 30% unique to the region. Wildlife includes forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos, and lowland and mountain gorillas. Arrive, walk in the village, dinner, and overnight.
Day 10: Boat Trip from Moleka to Bolobo (121 km)
Morning After Breakfast proceed to Bolobo, a vilage located on the Congo River in Mai-Ndombe Province in the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a polation estimated at 31,366. The predominant tribe is that of the Banunu people, who originate from upriver and whose Bobangi language was the former trade language for the area. Lingala, one of the four national languages of the DRC, is now used for trading and intertribal communication. Other local tribal groupings include the Bateke (the natives of this area) and Batende, who have their own Bantu languages. Bolobo was visited by Henry Morton Stanley on his trip down the Congo River in the 19th century. arrive and Intaract with local Paole. Dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Boat Trip from Bolobo to Malonga (77 km)
On this day, we will wake up in the morning enjoy our Breakfast, thereafter Embark in our boat and transfer to malonga village. From here is where you will start to realise that The Congo River can tick a lot of impressive feats off its list: as Africa's most powerful river, the second most voluminous river in the world, the fifth longest, the deepest in world and It even passes through the second-largest rainforest in the world. arrive walk in village dinner and overnight.
Days 12–13: Boat Trip from Malonga to Mbandaka (105 km)
After Breakafast we will Embark to Bandaka town in our wooden boat, we will spend two night in town, we will have enough time to walk in the city exploring what it has to offer including a visit of where the line of Equator passes, Bamanya Catholic Mission station: A research center for Central African history, located 10 kilometers east of Mbandaka, and Eala Botanic Garden: A botanical garden with around 4,000–5,000 species, located about 7 kilometers east of Mbandaka. Mbandaka is located near the confluence of the Congo and Ruki rivers. It is the capital of Équateur Province. The city was founded in 1883 by British explorer Henry Morton Stanley under the name Équateurville. Mbandaka is largely populated by people of the Mongo ethnic group, although people from many different tribes and regions live in the city. The main languages spoken in Mbandaka are Lingala, French, and Mongo. Dinner and overnight both nights.
Day 14: Boat Trip from Mbandaka to Malanga (90 km)
Embark in our Boat after taking our Breakfast, and head to Malanga village. from Malanga Up to Lukolela the river narrows again. This feature is known as the Liranga Narrows. this area used to have several cacao plantation. Unfortenatly the plantation suffered from the isolation due to the civil war in 1997 t0 2002. arrive take dinner and Overnight.
Day 15: Boat Trip from Malanga to Lukolela
After an early breakfast, we will proceed by boat to Lukolela. Lukolela is a town in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated on the Congo River bank, directly opposite Loukolela in the Republic of Congo. The river narrows here and is bordered by cliffs rising 20–25 meters high. Lukolela was established by Henry Morton Stanley on 12th September 1893. At this stretch, the river maintains a width of 6–9 km and is studded with islands. Arrive at Lukolela and overnight.
Day 16: Boat Trip from Lukolela to Yumbi (113 km)
After breakfast, we will take our boat and head to Yumbi, a town and territory in Mai-Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town lies on the eastern bank of the Congo River, between Bolobo and Lukolela. Yumbi serves as the headquarters of Yumbi Territory and has a population of approximately 50,000. Upon arrival, enjoy a walk in the town and overnight stay.
Day 17: Boat Trip from Yumbi to Tshumbiri (80 km)
After breakfast, embark on our boat and proceed to Tshumbiri, located on the shores of the Congo River in Mai-Ndombe Province. Mai-Ndombe is one of the 21 newest provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, created in 2015 when the former Bandundu Province was split into Mai-Ndombe, Kwango, and Kwilu. The province was formed from the Plateaux and Mai-Ndombe districts, with Inongo as its capital. Upon arrival in Tshumbiri, enjoy a walk in the village, interact with locals, and take dinner and overnight.
Day 18: Boat Trip from Tshumbiri to Kwamouth (90 km)
Wake up in the morning at 8:00 AM, have breakfast, and then depart Tshumbiri by boat, heading to Kwamouth. Kwamouth is a small town in Mai-Ndombe Province and serves as the headquarters of the Kwamouth Territory. The town is situated at the mouth of the Kwah River, the final stretch of the Kasai River after it merges with the Fimi River, where it flows into the mighty Congo River. Arrive in the late afternoon, take a walk around the village, interact with locals, enjoy dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 19: Boat Trip from Kwamouth to Maluku (89 km)
In the morning at 8:00 AM, after breakfast, depart Kwamouth by boat and head to Maluku, one of the 24 communes of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. From Epuna, a village located not far from Kwamouth, the river flows through a narrow channel, with steep banks wedged between the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. Islands are few, and there are no sandbanks. Upon arrival in Maluku, the Congo River expands into the Pool Malebo. Transfer to your hotel in Kinshasa, enjoy dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 20: Kinshasa City Tour
After breakfast at 9:00 AM, embark on a city tour of Kinshasa, the capital of the D.R. Congo. This tour provides an opportunity to explore, photograph, and learn about the city’s major historical, cultural, and natural highlights. Once referred to as « Kin La Belle » – meaning Beautiful Kinshasa – the city is gradually regaining its former splendour after years of turmoil. Key sites you will visit include:
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Grand Marché – the bustling central market
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Tomb of former President Laurent Kabila
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Académie des Beaux-Arts – for lovers of African art
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Rapids of Kinsuka, located just downstream from the city
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Statue of Patrice Lumumba, the father of Congolese independence
Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 21: Visit Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary
After breakfast at 9:00 AM, visit the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, founded by Claudine André in 1994. Located just outside Kinshasa, the sanctuary provides a safe haven for bonobos, the endangered great apes found only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lola ya Bonobo means “paradise for bonobos” in Lingala, the main language of Kinshasa.
By 2007, the sanctuary was home to 52 bonobos living across 30 hectares of primary forest. Bonobos, along with the common chimpanzee, are the closest living relatives to humans. Their separation from chimpanzees is believed to have occurred 1.5–2 million years ago due to the formation of the Congo River, which limited their natural range to the south of the river.
During this approximately 2-hour walking tour, observe baby bonobos under the care of sanctuary staff and watch adult bonobos in their natural environment. After the visit, return to Kinshasa for relaxation, dinner, and overnight stay.
Day 22: Departure Flight, End of Tour
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. End of the tour.Africa advent
