Democratic Republic of Congo Off The Beaten Path

Hakuna matata tours and Nyiragongo volcano in Goma

by walker22

The day was here. I had wanted to trek up Nyiragongo Volcano, to an active lava lake for two years now. It had been closed due to the rebels’ attacks on Goma in 2008 and had only been open again since March 1st of this year. Just three months after it’s opening, I was going to trek up one of Congo’s most fascinating natural wonders with Hakuna Matata Tours. My driver Tomote picked me up and we took a short five-minute drive to the Rwanda-Congo border. I paid my $35 visa fee, and we met my guide Peechin. Then we drove into Goma to pick up two UN workers from Tanzania who would also be trekking with us. It was a bumpy ride out of Goma to the Parc National des Virunga. I had heard that in Goma there were a lot of UN workers and peacekeepers but I was still surprised. I passed three UN camps just on the way to the volcano. Virtually every other car on the road in Goma is from some sector of...

The 'Pedicle'

by Bwana_Brown

The transit road across the Pedicle was used mostly by the locals - not a big tourist area. This strangely-shaped piece of Zaire that stuck down into Zambia was more of a nuisance than anything when trying to get from the Copperbelt towns to the northeastern part of Zambia. However, it was always interesting to see what things were like as we passed through this infrequently visited country! Photo of me on one of the Luapula River ferry crossings (with another ferry headed in the other direction in the background).The strange shape of the Pedicle actually arises from the fact that when the country was run as a Belgian colony, the Belgians discovered the large extent of the underground copper deposits in this part of Africa before the British in adjoining Zambia (Northern Rhodesia then) did. As a result, they were able to get the British to agree to the strange boundary shape while...

Enjoy Life - Maybe It Isn't So Bad After All !

by Bwana_Brown

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I knew that I was probably having the best time of my life during those 3 years in Central Africa but, just in case, every once in a while as I walked down a street in Luanshya I would just laugh out loud and thank my lucky stars! In reality, life was not so bad for the Africans either - things were orderly and there was a great economy that kept things chugging along. This photo shows some Africans enjoying a slow 1973 ferry ride across the Luapula River on the Zaire-Zambia border. I wonder how they are doing now? Zambia's copper industry (and its economy has collapsed), AIDS is rampant in this part of Africa and I do not even want to think about what has happened to the people of Zaire. Something went badly off the rails somewhere.

This IS the beaten path

by cloudsitter

see title

Is there any beaten one?? Stay...

by cosmopolit

Is there any beaten one?? Stay out of war zones is my advise.

jacq4u2's Off The Beaten Path Tip

by jacq4u2

jacq4u2's Off The Beaten Path Tip

by jacq4u2

my friend took me on a trip on...

by jacq4u2

my friend took me on a trip on ' le fleuve ' ( the river) , for a afternoon on the banks

jacq4u2's Off The Beaten Path Tip

by jacq4u2

view of goma refugee camp,with...

by fabrice

view of goma refugee camp,with people from rwanda