Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Where Next?

Tagged by Zeezee on "Where do you wanna go next?" and here is my respones.

Congo – Kinshasa, is the place I always wish to go but never have any planning yet (so far). Why? The country is too far away, too expensive and current situation, too dangerous. But I like to have at least one time adventure for my vacation, to go through wild forest and Long River to enjoy the real natural.

Congo (Dem Rep) has many beautiful landscapes, with lakes and forests, waterfalls and wildlife. However, this is a vast country, with an almost non-existent transport infrastructure. It is mired in current conflict and a long and intricate history.

Check up this website and I quite like the tour agent itinerary for this CONGO RIVER EXPEDITION but again, still far too expensive for me to go next. So I think my ‘reality’ next holiday will be Asian country.

Sorry huh, I don’t have much choice to choose to continue the chain for this topic.

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Key Information:Tour Duration: 21 day(s)
Group Size: 12 - 16 peopleDestination(s): Zaire, Congo
Season: May - October
Airfare Included: No
Per Person Price: US$4395




Day 1: Arrival in Kinshasa

Day 2: Sightseeing in Kinshasa City tour of Kinshasa, the capital of the D.R.Congo. The tour offers you the opportunity to visit, photograph and learn about the major historical, cultural and natural highlights the city has to offer. Kinshasa, the capital of the D.R.Congo, used to be referred to as "Kin La Belle" - meaning "Beautiful Kinshasa". The many years of turmoil have broken down on this image. But slowly and surely, Kinshasa is regaining its splendour. Some of the major sites include the "Grand Marché", the tomb of former President Laurent Kabila, the "Academy des Beaux Arts" for those who like African art, the rapids of Kinsuka just downstream from the city and the Bonobo Reserve, a sanctuary for orphaned bonobo-monkeys, one of the five Great Apes, and the closest to mankind.

Day 3: Kinshasa to Kisangani

Day 4: Sightseeing in Kisangani Kisangani was founded by Sir Henry Morton Stanley in January 1877. Memorable sites include the Tshopo River Falls and the Wagenia fisheries, set up in the midst of river rapids. Fishing is carried on by means of a complex structure set among the rocks. Lianas attached to cross poles act as stretchers for the nets submerged in the foaming water. The fishermen go about their business in pirogues, plying among rapids and rocks. Their agility and daredevil boldness are an unfailing source of amazement.

Day 5: Travel by boat: Kisangani – Yangambi ( 90 km )Our River Cruiser is a 34-meter long, wooden boat, equipped with two powerful outboard engines. This traditional type of boat is further equipped with safety equipment, sanitary installation, a generator, lighting and freezers

Day 6: Travel by boat: Yangambi – Lokutu (95 km)The Yangambi Biosphere Reserve is a centre for research .Secondary forests with Pycnanthus angolensis and Fagara macrophylla, semi-deciduous secondary rain forests, rain forests with Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, climax forests with Brachystegia laurentii and marshland forests dominate the biosphere reserve. The site is very important from a biodiversity point of view since it hosts about 32,000 tree species.


Day 7: Travel by boat: Lokutu – Mombongo (83 km)Lokutu has about 20.000 people.We visit the Lokutu Oil Palm Plantation. We arrive in the region of the Lokele, a tribe living on the banks of the river. Overnight tented camp

Day 8: Travel by boat: Mombongo – Bumba (106 km)In Bumba, the Congo river broadens out to its widest part, some 20 kilometres across. The river is covered with water hyacinths and practically paved with innumerable islands, through and around which the fishermen's pirogues ply.

Day 9: Travel by boat: Bumba – Lisala (117 km)Lisala is the home town of the former President Mobutu Sese Seko. He was born here in a small municipal maternity clinic. A broad trunked tree - a "Libanga" - commemorates this event with a plaque: "This tree commemorates the birth of the Father of the Zairian Revolution, Mobutu Sese Seko, born on 14 October 1930."


Day 10: Travel by boat: Lisala – Iaté ( 109 km)Iaté: beautiful fishermen lake village. Kind population.

Day 11: Travel by boat: Iaté – Moleka ( 95 km )The river expands, either by flowing round countless islands, or by spreading out into what settlers call “pools”.

Day 12: Travel by boat: Moleka – Bolombo ( 121 km )Overnight tented camp

Day 13: Travel by boat: Bolombo – Malonga ( 77 km )Makanza is formerly New Antwerp. Here the river

Day 14: Travel by boat: Malonga – Mbandaka ( 105 km )The Congo crosses the Equator shortly before Mbandaka. Mbandaka is the biggest town, 730.000 souls, between Kisangani and Kinshasa. It is the region of the Mongo tribe.

Day 15: Travel by boat: Mbandaka – Malanga (90km)Mbandaka is the capital of the Equatorial Province, on the left bank of the Congo in the angle formed by the left bank of the Ruki River and the bank of the Congo. Mbandaka was established on 17th June 1883, by Stanley and Van Gèle. Slightly north of Irebu the Congo forms a vast delta about 14 km broad. This is the point at which the Ubangi joins the Congo.

Day 16: Travel by boat: Malanga – Lukolela plantation (101 km) Up to Lukolela are Mpoto and Sungu followed by gombe where the river narrows again. This feature is known as the Liranga Narrows. Visit of a cacao plantation. The plantation has suffered from the isolation due to the civil war.

Day 17: Travel by boat: Lukolela – Croissement (99 km) At Lukolela the river narrows and is bordered by cliffs of a height of 20 – 25 m. Lukolela was established by Stanley on 12th September 1893. The river maintains a width of 6 – 9 km and is studded with islands.

Day 18: Travel by boat: Croissement – Kalengé ( 110 km )Yumbi: Early catholic mission. There are rock outcrops at the bottom of the navigation channel. At Bolobo the width of the river is reduced to less than 2 km.

Day 19: Travel by boat: Kalengé – Epuna (155 km )Epuna is not far from Kwamouth. Kwamouth is on the left bank at the confluence of the Kwa, the name of the Kasai River where it joins the Congo.

Day 20: Travel by boat: Epuna – Maluku (89 km )The River runs through what has been called the channel or passage, where the banks are steep and the river is wedged in between the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. Islands are few and there are nio sand-banks. We arrive in Maluku. Here the Congo becomes the Pool Malebo. Transfer to hotel in Kinshasa.

Day 21: Kinshasa Hotel to airport transfer departure
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Link from Zeezee's blog:
Zeethedevil wanna go wild in South Africa
eastcoastlife of Singapore yearns to go Switzerland
This Singaporean Melayu in Europe aka Azrin going LANSING MICHIGAN.
Shoppingmum to Europe
Angeleyes off to Bora-Bora
Giddy Tiger snorkelling in The Maldives
Jess to Europe
Mybabybay wants to go Round The World
Samm will go to Japan
Bernard dreams of New Zealand

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

my dear, you sure or not. got MANY mosquitoes and have to go under the sun wor... you will be pasting yourself with lots of sun block and burning a coil of mosquito coil all the time!! heheheh

Pauline said...

Hahaha, tat why I still not been there yet, I really need to overcome this 'mosquito' issue first.

eastcoastlife said...

You and Zeezee like Africa so much arh? Both wan to go African geh! But nice country if dun mind the weather and crime rates. :)

eastcoastlife said...

You forgot to put in the links for the other taggees....

Pauline said...

ECL, paiseh, i dont ve any blogger to link this chain.

eastcoastlife said...

No, for a tag, you need to put in the previous bloggers' sites so your readers can check them out and read their posts.

Just go back to zeezee's post and copy the links of the other bloggers. They will also get a link to your blog and they can come to read your post.

Your first time ah? :)

Pauline said...

Paiseh, paiseh, still alot for me to learn, hee hee.
Get it done liao!

Pauline said...

Paiseh, paiseh, still alot for me to learn, hee hee.
Get it done liao!