Pointe-Noire

Pointe Noire is the second largest city of the Republic of the Congo. It is a major sea port and a tourist destination. The town has a very French feel to it because of the colonial past and the large number of French expatriates and tourists.

Understand
The city, commonly known as PNR, had almost 1.2 million residents in 2017. Pointe-Noire is the centre of the oil industry of the Republic of Congo, one of the main oil producers in Central Africa.

Pointe-Noire is also known for its fishing industry, which is often at odds with the oil development.

Climate
Pointe-Noire has a wet season that spans from October through April, while the remaining 5 months form the dry season. Temperatures are somewhat cooler during the dry season with average temperatures of 24 °C. During the wet season, average temperatures hover around 28 °C.

By train


La Gazelle train links Pointe-Noire with Dolisie and the capital Brazzaville every other day. With proper restaurant car and air condition, it offers one of the more comfortable railway experiences in sub-Saharan Africa. However, despite the train's name, a journey from Brazzaville takes around 15 hours. There are no sleepers available, just regular seats. Other services, using older rolling stock, are also available. While cheaper, they are a rather gruelling experience.



By car
Roads inside the town are in good condition. However, outside of the town they may be impassible to anything less than a 4 wheel drive vehicle.

Do not go outside of PNR without a known driver and a 4WD.

The asphalt road from Brazzaville to Point Noire was finished in 2015, but it is unsafe in the Pool region. The new road is worth driving on just to get a feel for the forest/grassland region of Congo.

By boat
There are no scheduled passenger ferries to Pointe-Noire.

Get around
It is OK to walk around the main parts of town.

In Pointe-Noire, public transport is provided by private operators who operate buses, taxis or common taxis. It is very safe to travel around with a taxi. Taxis in PNR are shared so if you are in a hurry tell him to take you straight where you want to go, and pay FCFA 700-1000. If you take other people from the road you pay FCFA 150-350, depending on the length. For a longer trip (from the airport to the city), it takes FCFA 1000 to 2000. If you use a taxi more than 1 hour you will have to pay FCFA 3000 for that hour.

For collective taxis, known as 100-100, which make round trips along a single route, their price is set at 150 CFA Francs

Work
There are a few junior mining companies setting up close to pointe noire with touching base with including Cominco Resources and Equatorial Resources. If you have the appropriate working visa these companies are worth touching base with.

Buy
Some hotels will accept payment in euros or US dollars. There are also a few money exchange offices. Changing euros or dollars is easy. Very poor rates are given for British pounds.

The artisan village is on the Port Side Beach (next to Le Derrik). Prices will differ for every customer. It is ok to take pictures and send local trustworthy people to buy in your place as they will get at least half of the price. Be careful when buying wood statues as they need to be fumigated for bugs.

Below are some marketplaces where you can find different commodities while you are in this town:


 * Marche de Siafoumou.


 * Brazzaville shopping mall.


 * Marche ba sangeur.


 * Marche Thystere.


 * Marche Voungou.

Drink

 * VonVon Bar.


 * Terminus Mbota Carlos.

Sleep
Hotels in Pointe Noire are very expensive given the standard of accommodation. Also, not many accept credit cards.

Stay safe
Unlike many African cities, it is quite safe to walk in the main parts of the city and the beach area. There are relatively few beggars. Regarding the health issues one may reach different infrastructures available from hospitals, health centers and pharmacies that provide medication and primary consultation, below are some of those facilities;


 * Pharmacie de la Raffinerie.


 * Hopital de Loandjili.


 * Pharmacie Pascal.

Cope
Credit cards are not accepted in many places - only the very best hotels. Internationally linked ATMs are also not too common. Credit du Congo have a few branches with machines that will accept foreign cards.

There are several FM radio stations (all French language), including RFI on 93.2MHz.

Not many people in the town speak English.