Republic of the Congo Travel

republic of the congo travel… normally, travel blogs start off by saying things like “lovely place”, “magical”, “inspiring”, blablabla…

the republic of the congo was none of these.

campfire in the congo

it was an ok, slightly annoying and overly expensive place to travel in.

that’s not to say i had a bad time there… it’s more to advise that you will get a better bang for your buck elsewhere.

searching for elephants

unless you are interested in bush meat. this is the first time seeing pangolin on the menu…

fresh endangered pangolin on the menu

to start off…

here is the obligatory i heart <insertcitynamehere> sign.

i really hope you enjoy this pic since I got questioned by police for taking this photo…

i heart brazzaville

welcome to fucking brazzaville…

sculptures in the museum of loango

Congo-Brazzaville

here are some random pics of brazzaville that i thought were interesting.

republic of the congo travel blog

the beautiful and relaxing basilica of saint anne, the central train station and the controversial and costly nabema tower.

brazzaville train station
nabema tower, brazzaville

i travelled here shortly after wave one of covid and police kept trying to fine me for wearing the “wrong type of mask”… whatever the fuck that means. one time an old lady yelled at them for detaining me on the street so they let me go.

republic of the congo travel blog

this pic made me smile… kids using the side of a highway as a slide…

republic of the congo travel blog

les sapeurs

covid sadly put a damper on the lovely sub-culture of la sape. i had a wonderful photo essay planned here… instead i encourage you to read more about them online – like this great vogue article.

sapeurism is a fashion movement in the republic of the congo and the democratic republic of the congo based on a dapper and flamboyant aesthetic of old world european dandyism.

les sapeurs

unfortunately, according to quite a few sapeurs i met, many were sadly taking a break from dressing up due to the enforced covid curfew. hopefully by the time you read this things have got back to normal.

les sapeurs

Lésio-Louna Gorilla Reserve

the lésio-louna lowland gorilla sanctuary is by far the best thing to see near brazzaville.

lesio-louana gorilla reserve

since 1999 the reserve has been caring for orphaned gorillas and releasing them back into the wild.

lesio-louana gorilla reserve
lesio-louana gorilla reserve

this next photo cracks me up as it looks like someone dressed up in a gorilla costume in a old comedy film…

who me?

gorilla bum.

gorilla bum
lesio-louana gorilla reserve
gorillas

National Parks

my guide was hungover so we missed seeing the elephants feed along the river. so here are 2 miscellaneous river pics and an elephant made out of tin cans.

republic of the congo travel blog
republic of the congo travel blog
tin can elephant

got insanely lucky with the hippos though!

hippos
hippos

Pointe-Noire

heading to the coast… pointe-noire had a nice chilled vibe to it.

pointe-noire train station
republic of the congo travel blog

sadly, covid again caused issues and there were many abandoned resorts.

abanonded resorts, pointe-noire

but at least this was my first urbex scarecrow.

urbex scarecrow

the museum was small and cute…

pointe-noire museum

and you could buy some street bitcoin and enjoy some lovely pastry at la citronella…

street bitcoin
la citronella, pointe-noire

Hitchhiking along the West Coast

i decided to hitchhike and check out the sights along the coast… most notably the site of the first catholic church in the congo.

first catholic church, congo
first catholic church, congo
first catholic church, congo

i managed to catch some sweet rides along the coast…

hitchhiking in the congo
hitchhiking in the congo

… to the area of the diosso gorges and the loango museum.

republic of the congo travel

the museum is literally in the middle of nowhere. even the locals had trouble directing me to it. but it gave an interesting overview of the history of the area.

loango museum
loango museum

Rastafari Village

the real highlight of the trip was discovering a rastafarian convent in the middle of the congo.

rastafari village

i noticed the flags along the road and got the driver to let me out.

rastafari village, congo

everyone really welcomed me in and made me feel like family. i ended up returning again later in the trip.

rastafari village, congo

i’ll let the rest of the pics speak for themselves…

rastafari convent, congo
rastafari convent, congo
rastafarian convent, congo
rastafarian convent, congo
rastafarian convent, congo
one love
new friends
new friends
republic of the congo travel blo
republic of the congo travel blo
saying goodbye to new friends

wow. congrats. you made it this far…

i am currently on my latest african adventure, sitting in the sweaty lobby of my hotel waiting for a ride that is 12 hours late.

looking back after editing these pics and writing up this blog i slowly realise that maybe i had a great time.

it sounds painfully cheesy to say, but through all the miserable travel, boredom, money spent and annoying times…

it’s always worth it in the end.

check out my other central and west african travel blogs angola and the central african republic.


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