Safety Tips in Democratic Republic of Congo

While some travel guides will tell you that just about anywhere is safe, I know of few who will recomend a holiday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is a reason that Joseph Conrad used this land to personify Africa's dark heart, as DRC is a dark, violent and downright dangerous destination. I am a journalist, I was posted to various African countries where I honestly feared for my life, none so as much as this unfortunate land, not even Somalia delivered nasties on the scale of DRC. The capital Kinshasa is a truly violent place day or night , the crime levels I witnessed surpassed even those in the wild deserts of Somalia.
It is also worth noting that traffic and pedestrians are required to stop for the raising of the national flag at approximately 6:00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. every day. Police and military personnel often detain people who neglect to do so.The people of DRC are good people trapped in a brutal land, run by a corrupt and violent police and army and truly out of all the places I reported from Africa, DRC is by far the most dangerous and any travel there should be extremely well-planned.

do not go alone in parks,especially at night of course;many people say they work as taxis,in fact,you will go in their car to a desert place where they will take your money and passport,rape you and kill you;before travelling,make a photocopy of your passport,if the police or the army asks for your documents,give the photocopy and tell them that the original is at your hotel.

the picture shows the border uganda-congo(zaire),it does look peaceful ...because you do not hear the bullets

It was bad enough 30 years ago regarding the lack of central control. On one crossing of the Pedicle, soldiers with machine guns stepped out onto the road and flagged us down for a drive. What do you say? 'Sorry I am not headed that way' - like I said, be flexible and things usually work out much better! I hate to think what the situation is like now with all the rebellious factions fighting over the eastern part of the country.

Beware of all the army throughout as they are badly paid. Hence every little white guy is a potential source of income. Knowing about the authority of a uniform these arms flaunting usually tall guys will try to order you about to find out how easy prey you are. While standing your ground still remember 'Life is cheap in Africa' so don't try to be Rambo while avoiding getting looted to badly.

This area is not the safest part of the world. There are regular incursions by Rwandan soldiers & poachers. Our guides all had AK 47 rifles. There is also a large refugee camp nearby it took us 20 minutes just to drive through this one and there were tents as far as the eye could see. There was also an incident in nearby Uganda when some tourists were killed a few years ago. Check out the information on the political situation before you venture anywhere near here.

NYIRAGONGO VOLCANO IS A DANGER IN THE EASTERN REGION OF DRC,
This volcano erupted in 2002 and destoyed the town of goma violently. and up to now this volcano still active.