Congo DRC

The border of DRC is adjacent to the Angolan border.  We spent 4 hours there registering at the immigration, police and saying hello to the Gendarmie who just wanted to see us and have a chat.  Again, we were pleased we had made a form with all our information on it, as it speeded things up a bit and did not mean Elza had to spell out all our names and parents names in French! Tubbs got a few marriage proposals but she turned them down saying she was too young. Unfortunately this only encouraged them to ask her age; they laughed when they found out, probably thinking she was almost past being eligible for marriage!  

They searched all of our cars thoroughly in the heat. This is the first time we have had such a big check.  We had to open all the boxes and they even opened cards and had good fun looking at photos of Krissys nephew and niece, at which point the girls got annoyed. Six people checked the vehicles, one from each office and made the Americans open up their tents.  Luckily for us the discovery of Bayo in the Pinzgauer distracted their search of Sid and they moved on. 

Again we had to take an immigration official with us to act as a guide to Muanda as there are many tracks leading there.  We had our passports with us this time so we were a lot more relaxed.  The Immigration man in Muanda was very helpful and efficient and was concerned that we should not be delayed any longer that day.  As the road to Boma is in a very bad state and takes 4 hours we decided to stay the rest of the afternoon in Muanda and head off early the next morning. 

We tried the Catholic mission first but the man wanted $50. He spoke in German to Urs and would not change his price.  We drove across the street and stayed with the Catholic Sisters.  A beautiful, tranquil place where we were made to feel very welcome.  We had a room with shower and toilet for $20 for all of us.  They had a beer stocked fridge and made a great breakfast the next morning. It was good to relax after the last few days.

It took 5 hours to drive to Boma.  The road is deeply rutted; some of the holes we drove through were higher than the windows of the landy.  To Slades disappointment it is the dry season here so there is not much mud to play in but it is obvious when it does rain that this road is a nightmare or a landy driver019s paradise.  After Boma it was a further 3 hours to Matatdi.  It is a lovely drive, on tarmac, through the hills and with views of the massive Congo River. Looking at the town from the opposite hill was very impressive. It is spread out along the river and over the hills, looking like an Italian city.  Someone told us that the bridge across the Congo had washed away.  He was very much out of date as a massive suspension bridge now spans across. It cost $2 per car to cross.

The sisters had recommended we stay at their convent in Matadi. The Lonely Planet has no info on the town so we were grateful for the tip.  Hopefully, we can get our Angolan visas quickly here. Not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We waited 5 days at the convent for the Angolan visa, a slightly different time scale than a German traveler that passed through at the beginning of the year and got his visa in three hours! We were told on the first day, Friday that the Consul was on holiday and to come back on Monday morning at 9.30am. Some how we were not surprised that we had to wait as the Angolan embassies are anything but predictable. In Libreville from the same office, within our group, the cost and duration of the visa varied and now in Congo it had doubled in price to $80 and was for 30 days, the price and duration of the visa was non negotiable, a real bugger as it is bloody expensive.

We all filed into the office at 9.30am only to find that the Consul was still away and could not be contacted which sounded dubious as everyone of importance here has a mobile phone. The secretary told us to leave our $80 and to come back tomorrow. After a debate about the pros and cons of giving $720 and the prospects of getting a visa this century we handed over the cash and after a burst of activity and 3 hour wait, we were told to come back the next day! Surprisingly we got it the next day after another 3 hour wait however this time we had brought cards and books to keep us entertained.  This delay is nothing compared to the two other men we met there who had been waiting for one month to get their visas processed and they had jobs and families in Angola expecting them back.

The convent had been a good place to stay and we soon got used to the early morning singing and drum accompaniment.  We spent our time doing the usual stuff like laundry, website update and car maintenance and the rest was spent eating and sweating! The sisters provided us with breakfast and they were in turn keen to learn from us how to make pizza and bread pudding. They also wanted to learn English and any new word learnt led to lots of giggling. When Jen presented the Mother Superior with a French English Dictionary she jumped up and down and laughed like an excited school girl. Elza got her 5 minutes of fame here also.  The local television crew turned up to interview us, they had heard we were in town and wanted to know what we were doing here.  Elza appeared on the television that night which was very amusing. Fame at last.

The border crossing was passed with no problems and we entered our 4^th country in 2 weeks!

DRC Summary

Border Information:

Entry: 4 hours

Exit:

Piste Information

Muanda to Boma: 105km in 5 hours.  The road is deeply rutted from the overloaded trucks. In the wet season it would be a nightmare if you do not like mud and getting stuck.

Boma to Matadi: 120km in 3 hours.  Tarmac. Suspension Bridge to Matadi cost $2 per car.

Accommodation

Catholic Convent (Sisters of Charity) Muanda

S 5.55.834 E 12.20.650

Catholic Convent (Sisters of Charity) Matadi

S 5.49.898 E 13.27.651

Visa Information

Angolan Embassy

Transit visa cost $80 for 30 days. It could not be made shorter and for less cost. Passport pictures required, passport photocopy, letter asking for permission to enter and lots of patience!