Travel and Visa Requirements for Congolese

• A valid international travel passport
• A completed visa application form
• The applicable visa fee
• Evidence of permission to enter the destination country
• A photocopy of your passport data page
• Financial proof — an original bank statement
• A letter of invitation, where one is required

Exact requirements vary by destination and visa type — always confirm what your destination needs before you apply.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a Central sub-Saharan African country teeming with wildlife and a vast, untapped reserve of mineral wealth. Its capital city is Kinshasa. It is important to note that there are two countries with "Congo" in their name. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also known as Congo-Kinshasa is different from the Republic of Congo which is also known as Congo-Brazaville, the Congo Republic, French Congo or simply the Congo.

DRC has an equatorial climate, hot and humid all year round with no dry season. In DRC simple, lightweight and fast-drying fabrics are the order of the day. Shoes should be waterproof and sturdy as well as comfortable. If you intend to spend sometime in the national parks, long sleeved shirts and long trousers along with jackets and other protective clothing will be a splendid idea to ward off mosquitoes and other insects.

There are more than 200 tribes in Congo with the four largest being Mongo, Luba, Kongo, and Mangbetu-Azonde. The Congolese in general speak Kikongo, Lingala, Tshiluba, Swahili, and French.

Foods eaten throughout the country include maize, cassava (manioc), sweet potatoes, taro, rice, yam, plantain, varieties of peas and nuts, tomatoes, and pumpkins. The national food in the western regions of DRC is mwambe or mwambi. Pulet a moambe, "chicken in moambe sauce" is also a national dish in DRC.

Although DRC does not yet have the infrastructure to support tourism as such, the country has no shortage of spectacular places to visit. Some of these are:

• Lola Ya Bonobo: Bonobos are one of the four great apes. They face a real danger of future extinction as they are hunted for bush meat and their orphaned babies sold as pets in on the black market. This location is a sanctuary for orphaned bonobos.
• Kahuzi Biega National Park: This UNESCO World Heritage Site was created in 1970 to protect the Eastern Lowland Gorillas, an endangered species. Now the park is home to elephants, chimpanzees, antelopes, endemic plants, etc.
• Virunga National Park: This is the country's oldest and most bio-diverse park. The Okapi, an endangered species that looks like a cross between a giraffe and a zebra can be spotted here. Elephants, hippos, lions, and rare exotic birds also live here.
• Mount Nyiragongo: This is an active volcano with an elevation of 3,470m in the Virunga Mountains. You may want to catch sight of the volcano on a visit to DRC.

The great apes such as the bonobos and the eastern lowland gorillas can be found only in the. Accommodation in DRC ranges from budget to luxury.