Central Africa

Central Africa is a region of Africa bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the African Rift Valley in the east, the Sahel plains in the north, and the Zambezi basin in the south.

Cities

 * — capital of the Central African Republic
 * — Angolan exclave with large oil wealth and an active independence movement
 * — capital of the Republic of the Congo; contiguous with its much larger neighbour across the Congo river, Kinshasa
 * — gateway town to wonderful volcano trekking and gorilla park in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * — capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the most populous city in Africa
 * capital of Gabon and a major oil commerce centre
 * — the capital of Angola which has been through a huge renaissance in past decade
 * — capital of Equatorial Guinea, offshore on the island of Bioko
 * — the capital of Cameroon

Other destinations

 * — large rainforest park on the Sangha River in the Central African Republic.
 * — a vast, isolated national park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has become relatively safe to visit, if you have enough time to actually get there!
 * — is dedicated to the protection of gorillas in the Republic of the Congo.
 * — a 100-km stretch of virgin beaches and adjacent rainforest in Gabon, both scenic and a place to view leopards, elephants, gorillas, & monkeys on the beach.
 * — vast park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is off-limits for most tourists due to constant conflict in the area.
 * — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important national park in the Central African Republic.
 * — a beautiful grasslands region in Cameroon inhabited by semi-Bantu and Fulani people.
 * — Africa's first national park, very important for the future conservation of the mountain gorilla, and threatened by the Democratic Republic of the Congo's conflicts.

Understand
While the climate is significantly tropical, warm around the year, the Congo basin has the most rainfall on the continent, with more arid savanna climate in the north and south.

Much of central Africa has an unfortunate history of serious armed conflict, involving various rebel militias and other violent groups. South Sudan and the Central African Republic suffer from civil wars, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has long faced a complex and changing array of rebel groups.

Large parts of the region are seriously underdeveloped; do your research and make careful preparations.

In many of these countries, photography is heavily regulated or at least viewed with suspicion. If in doubt, obtain permission from an authority before taking photos.

Get in
African highways connect many cities in West Africa, with Nigeria being the main hub.

Flying from other African cities can be dangerous, as many airlines have a very poor safety record. Check this before choosing to travel with an airline.

In order of size, here are the main air hubs.

Lagos Airport – Several flights per day to London. Less frequent flights also to other major cities in Europe

Dakar Airport - Many flights to Milan, Madrid, Brussels and Paris

Accra Airport - Many flights to the UK (Manchester, London, Glasgow) as well as Frankfurt.

Abidjan Airport - Flights to Paris, Brussels and Dubai

Get around
Outside major cities, most of Central Africa has poor infrastructure. Offroad driving and general aviation are usually needed.

By train
Rail networks across Central Africa are fragmented and often oriented towards carrying freight from the interior to ports, meaning that they usually do not connect larger cities well. The last decade have seen a renewed interest in railways but decades of neglect means that there is still a very long way to go before passenger train can be useful for the average tourist. With that said, there are a few routes that might be useful when travelling.


 * Cameroon has perhaps the most well developed railway network in the region, with daily departures between Douala and the capital Yaoundé as well as overnight service to Ngaoundéré


 * The Transgabonais railway line in Gabon connects Owendo, a suburb of the capital Libreville with Franceville in the interior. There are several trains per week.


 * Within Democratic Republic of Congo the only reliable route is between the capital Kinshasa and Matadi. There are several departures per week.


 * The Republic of Congo has passenger services between Pointe-Noire and the capital Brazzaville.

Talk
The predominant languages in this region are mostly Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan languages. French and Portuguese are the most common official languages, and are often widely spoken as they are used as lingua francas within linguistically diverse countries. Except for South Sudan and parts of Cameroon where English is an official language, English is spoken by almost nobody, even in major cities.

Wildlife
Animals such as mandrills, bonobos, Western Lowland gorillas and African forest elephants.

Stay safe
Much of Central Africa has an unfortunate history of severe armed conflict, including a variety of rebel militias and other violent groups. South Sudan and the Central African Republic are suffering from civil wars, and the DR Congo has long been dealing with a complicated and shifting set of rebel groups.

Large parts of the region are seriously underdeveloped; do your research and make thorough preparations.

In several of these countries, photography is heavily restricted or at least viewed with suspicion. If in doubt, get permission from an authority before taking pictures.