The checklist as a PDF
Entry, health, money, transport and safety, laid out for print, with their sources and verification date.
Congo - Kinshasa
Central Africa
Congo Basin, tropical forest, waterfalls and buzzing cities. From Kinshasa to the natural heritage of Salonga and Virunga.
- On the map
CapitalKinshasa
When to goJune to September
Suggested length10 days min.
CurrencyCongolese franc
LanguagesFrench
The Viafro verdict
For whom, and for which trip.
An editorial bearing, with no percentage and no rating: our criteria are written down, and every “good to know” links to its source.
- For which trip
- Kinshasa · Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega · Muanda Plage · Lubumbashi · Goma
- Best season
- June to September, from Kinshasa’s normals
- Length
- Allow at least 10 days for these 5 essentials, one stop every two or three days. (Viafro’s rule of thumb)
Best time to visit
Twelve months, in colour.
Hover or tap a month: its reading and its source appear. Bars measure rain, the figure is the capital’s mean maximum.
Avoid
November
Kinshasa: mean maximum 31 °C, 247 mm of rain · rainy season.
- Mean maximum
- 31 °C
- Rain
- 247 mm
- Station
- Kinshasa
Source: Wikipedia (climate normals)
Before you go
The essentials, tab by tab.
Entry, health, safety, money and facts: dated official extracts, never paraphrased.
Visa, passport, customs
GOV.UK advice, written for British passport holders. French travellers: see France Diplomatie (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/republique-democratique-du-congo/conseils-aux-voyageurs-entree-sejour).
- Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive in DRC. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
- You must have a visa to visit DRC.
- To enter DRC, you must have certificates to prove you’ve had: a yellow fever vaccination
Vaccines, malaria, water
This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor or an international vaccination centre before you travel.
- At least 8 weeks before your trip: Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of DRC. Read more about altitude sickness on TravelHealthPro.
- Medical care is extremely limited. The Centre Prive d’Urgence (CPU) clinic in Kinshasa is able to cope with basic health problems and to stabilise a patient after most serious accidents. Outside Kinshasa, Western-standard medical facilities are almost non-existent.
Per the ministries
Viafro gives no safety rating: here are the zones and advice published by the French ministry (in French) and the official extracts, with their dates.
Vigilance zones published by France Diplomatie (in French) · page updated on 15 Sept 2026 · see the official map
- Red · Zones formellement déconseillées (en rouge)
Est du pays
La prise de Goma (Nord Kivu) puis Bukavu (Sud Kivu) par la rébellion du M23, soutenu par les forces armées rwandaises, a entrainé une dégradation de la sécurité liée à la dissémination d’armes à feu, à la présence de…
- Orange · Zones déconseillées sauf raison impérative (en orange)
En raison de l’instabilité politique et de l’insécurité générale, le reste du pays est placé en zone déconseillée sauf raison impérative.
Provinces du Kasaï, Kasaï central et Kasaï oriental
- There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
What the country’s law provides
Photography, alcohol, drugs, relationships: the rules published by the ministries, quoted as they stand, without comment.
- Taking photographs of some government and military buildings is illegal, particularly borders or military installations. You risk being arrested and detained. Journalists should not conduct interviews or film without the necessary local permits.
Currency
Congolese francViafro publishes no price or budget range without a source: amounts will come from our own expenses recorded on the ground, dated and itemised.
- There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of DRC. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty. You may have difficulties when entering DRC if you are travelling with:
Express card
Structured data from Wikidata and the CIA World Factbook, re-checked at every site update.
- Population · 2025
- 112,832,473
- Time zone
- no time difference with Paris
- Plugs and voltage
- Type C, E and G plugs · 220 V
- Driving side
- Driving on the right
- Calling code
- +243
- Languages
- French
- Area
- 2,344,858 km²
- Highest point
- Mount Stanley, 5,109 m
- Main religions
- Christian 93/1%, Kimbanguist 2.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 1.3%, unspecified 0.2%
Getting there and around
Airports, roads and transport.
- KNDKindu Airport
- FIHN'Djili International AirportKinshasa official site
- MDKMbandaka AirportMbandaka
- IRPMatari AirportIsiro
Direct flights from Paris are to be checked on the airport’s or airline’s website.
On the road
- If you are planning to drive in Democratic Republic of Congo, see information on driving abroad. You’ll need a 1968 International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive in DRC. You will not be able to buy an IDP outside the UK, so get one before you travel.
Destinations
The essentials.
Kinshasa
Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega
Muanda Plage
Lubumbashi
Goma
Nyiragongo
Cai Tjeenk Willink (Caitjeenk)Must-try food
Six dishes, and where to taste them.
Poulet à la moambé
Palm butter or palm cream, frequently known as moambe, mwambe or nyembwe, is an ingredient made from the pericarp (not the seeds) of palm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) tree. It forms an important ingredient in stews and sauces in
Pondu
Saka saka is a dish from Central Africa, West Africa, and the Comoros (East Africa) made from cassava leaves that are pounded and then boiled. The name of the dish varies from country to country and from one African language to another.
Fufu
Fufu (or fufuo, foofoo, foufou foo-foo ) is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine originally made from boiled cassava, plantains, and cocoyam. Fufu's prevalence in West Africa has been noted in local literature, such as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apar
Liboké ya Mbisi
Poisson épicé cuit dans des feuilles de bananier. (summary in French)
Makayabu
Poisson salé, souvent de la morue, préparé en sauce ou frit. (summary in French)
Nyama choma
Nyama Choma is a specialty of grilled or barbecued goat meat or cattle meat. Roasted meat is very popular in Tanzania and Kenya, where it is considered the national dish. The expression nyama choma means "barbecue meat" in Kiswahili. Nyama choma gatherings are
Culture and etiquette
Customs, dress, useful words.
- Bonjourhello
- Mercithank you
- S’il vous plaîtplease
- Entries checked on Wiktionary.
- Religions: Christian 93/1%, Kimbanguist 2.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other 1.2%, none 1.3%, unspecified 0.2%.
- Languages: French (official), Lingala (a trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba.
Festivals and events
The big dates.
- National holiday
Independence Day, 30 June (1960) ; independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium).
Fixed dates and moveable events, each with its source; moveable dates change every year and are to be checked on an official calendar.
Did you know?
Three things to remember.
The country’s highest point, Mount Stanley, reaches 5,109 m.
112,832,473 inhabitants in 2025 on 2,344,858 km², about 48 per km².
Independence on 30 June 1960 (from Belgium).
The country on video
Congo - Kinshasa, in motion.
Gallery
See it before you go.
Real photographs: free images under a verified licence and Viafro images. Never a generated image. Credits in the footer.
Share your trip with #viafro: the best images will join this gallery, with your credit.
Live, work, invest
A few key figures.
Sourced data (World Bank). No investment advice.
GDP per capita (current US$)807World Bank · 2025GDP growth5.8 %World Bank · 2025Unemployment (ILO estimate)4.4 %World Bank · 2025International tourist arrivals351World Bank · 2016
World Bank data (World Development Indicators), consulted on 28 Oct 2026. Tourist arrivals are the latest year published.
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Sources and verification dates · 16 sources, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Travel advice · GOV.UK (FCDO)Entry, visa, safety: the official page, kept up to date by the ministry. Travel health · US CDCVaccines and precautions from a reference medical source. World Heritage · UNESCOThe country’s inscribed sites and tentative list. WikidataCapital and currency, verified structured data.
- Wikidata · Congo - Kinshasa (Q974)
- World Bank · World Development Indicators
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Congo - Kinshasa · Foreign travel advice · Entry requirements (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Congo - Kinshasa · Foreign travel advice · Health (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Congo - Kinshasa · Foreign travel advice · Safety and security (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- Wiktionary · Checked entries (French)
- Wikipedia · Moambe (fr article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Saka saka (en article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Fufu (en article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Liboke (es article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Cuisine congolaise (fr article, dish verification; Viafro description)
- Wikipedia · Nyama choma
- CIA World Factbook · Congo - Kinshasa (public domain) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- France Diplomatie · Congo-Kinshasa · Travel advice · Security (zones, in French) (page updated on 15 Sept 2026)
- Wikidata · Airports of the country (IATA code, traffic) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia (climate normals) · Kinshasa · monthly normals (Starlings Roost Weather{{cite web) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
Information checked on 28 Oct 2026. Check the official source before you travel. Viafro gives no safety rating and publishes no price without a source.
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