DR CONGO: Discover Kisangani The City On The Island In The Democratic Republic Of Congo

Kisangani formerly Stanleyville is the third largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the capital and largest city of the vast Orientale Province which is about the size of Spain, in the Congo Basin.

The city is found at the furthest navigable point on the Congo River upstream of Kinshasa/Brazzaville at the end of the Boyoma Falls, a series of cataracts along a 100 km stretch of the river.

The city's name comes from Swahili for "the city on the island" due to the number of tributaries in the area that almost completely separate Kisangani as an island.

Kisangani was a former port known as Stanleyville after its founder Henry Morton Stanley.

It traded palm oil and nuts throughout the Congo.

After the Congo gained it's independence and years later was ruled by President Mobutu Sese Seko he renamed he town Kisangani in order to Africanise his country.

Since then Kisangani has remained a major port for the tribes in the northern region in the country.

Being very near the equator and in the middle of the jungle, you might suspect the city has a wet, tropical climate and yes it does!

Humidity is high year-round, averaging 86%! Temperatures are fairly stable year-round, too, averaging 31/20 (88F/68F). The record low is just 16 (61 F).

Rains are heavy throughout much of the year, with a relatively dry season from December to early March.

Total rainfall for the year is 1620mm (63.78 inches) with the rainiest month being October (218mm/8.58in) while the driest is January (53mm/2.09in).

Kisangani is served by Bangoka International Airport. It has one international flight with Kenya Airways to Nairobi. Domestic flights to Goma and Kinshasa on CAA & FlyCongo along with service to Kindu on CAA.

As the end of the navigable stretch of the Congo River, Kisangani was formed largely to unload cargo and transfer it to train to bypass the cataracts.

There are irregular ferry services running between Kisangani and Kinshasa which take about 2-3 weeks. Most of these are old barges tied together and crowded with people riding atop cargo, although a few steamer vessels run this route too.

Overcrowded ferries are common and there have been a few instances of them capsizing, so choose carefully.

If you are lucky, you can negotiate with the captain for a private room or a bedroom.

Many of these ferries are supplied with food from people who bring boats from shore full of goods to trade or barter. A unique and classic trip, it's only for the hearty, experienced traveller, though still preferable to traveling overland.

Kisangani is difficult to reach by road. The only relatively "easy" route into the city is the newly rehabilitated National Route 4 which runs to Bukavu and the Rwandan border.

Much of the road is sealed, but slow-moving trucks and pedestrians & people on bikes keep the speed of vehicles down.

You should expect to encounter a handful of military or police checkpoints where you will likely be harassed for a bribe.

The route isn't terribly safe, with frequent reports of bandits setting up roadblocks and robbing motorists.

Additionally, safety in North/South Kivu is still shaky. You are best off traveling with a trucker or other local vehicle.

If traveling in your own vehicle especially a non-DRC vehicle, try to travel with a local or convoy for safety and to avoid excessive harassment at checkpoints.

Other roads in/out of the city are mostly muddy tracks only suitable for large 4x4 or 6x6 trucks. Travel from other major cities in the DRC can take weeks and isn't a very pleasant experience!

A train line runs south to Ubundu, mainly to haul freight traveling by boat around the cataracts. You should inquire at the train station for tickets and the next train as the trains run on erratic schedules.

Very few taxis and cars in general are available in Kisangani, but there's an easy and fun way to get around.

Stretch out an arm to any passing little motorbike and they'll take you to any place in the city. Normal price is around 1,5 USD. Same goes for natives on bicycles: they are an even cheaper alternative to motorbikes. Slower and less exciting though.

Boyoma Falls. On the edge of Kisangani, these are the last cataracts on the Congo until Kinshasa/Brazzaville.

Fishermen set up conical traps for fish and can be seen tending to these traps. Some have realized that tourists want to see them and there are reports that they will charge dollars to see them,stopping you before reaching the river and/or photographing them.

Congo boat rides. A trip by boat along the Congo is one of the world's greatest wild adventures. Trips by pirogue for a few hours or a few days can be arranged in most cities along the river.

Only a couple tour operators in the country offer these rides, but if you speak good enough French or Swahili, you can probably talk a pirogue owner into a short trip,make sure you understand what you're doing & where you're going.

Also you could head to the City Center and visit the bustling Central Market or even opposite Avenues de Atelier, you could have cheap but top quality lunch at La Bourgeoise.

Finally on Avenue Lumumba you could take photos of Lumumba stadium, it is not much but something to keep in memory.

Buy yourself a ride on the great Congo River. You'll really enjoy it. Also see if you can find any traditional souvenirs to remind of the journey.

Expect to eat what's eaten around most of the Congo; rice, maize and fish.

Drink the popular Congolese beer and european wines.

There are a handful of Hotels in Kisangani that are of an Alright standard these would include:

- Hotel Le Renaissance on Route Batwaboli
- Les Chalets on Boulevard du 30 Juin
- Hotel de Canon on Boulevard de 30 Juin
- Hotel Palm Beach on N7
- Grand Ramela below R408

Leaving is easy. Head to the port and get on a boat heading straight to Kinshasa, and from there get to the Ndjili Airport in Ndjili, Kinshasa and board a plane that goes to Europe.

RWANDA: RwandAir To Open Mumbai Route

RwandAir will start flights to Mumbai, India later this years, John Mirenge, the chief executive officer, has said. Mirenge said the airline would start operating four flights to Mumbai per week in December 2016 flying its brand new A330-300 aircraft.

He said the national carrier has already appointed India's Bird Travel as the general sales agent as it prepares to launch the route.

"We want Bird Travel to position our brand by creating awareness about our products and services in this market," Mirenge noted.

He explained that the sales agent will act as the liaison point for the airline's sales development in India, providing ticketing and direct support services.

He added that Bird Travel, which is part of the Bird Group founded in 1971 as an aviation management company, use its vast experience to market RwandAir in the vast travel market presented by India.

The firm specialises in representing airlines and other travel and tourism partners majorly as sales agent for operations, and aviation management.

With over 40 years of experience and more than 45 offices supported by over 6,000 staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporate companies, Praful Khosla, the Bird Travel executive vice-president, is confident RwandAir made a right choice.

"Bird Group is one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian sub-continent. We are therefore delighted to be associated with RwandAir as their exclusive sales agent in India," Khosla said, adding that they are optimistic about the partnership. RwandAir signed a purchase agreement with Airbus A300-200 and A330-300 last year as part of its expansion strategy to Europe and East Asia, including India.

The national carrier is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified, which guarantees its safety and airworthiness.

Sonia Kamikazi, the airline's corporate quality assurance manager, said the certification ensures the airline is competitive in the cutthroat aviation industry.

Currently, the airline flies to 17 destinations, including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville.

MAURITANIA: Mauritania Airlines International To Upgrade Aircrafts

Mauritania Airlines International, airline based in Nouakchott, Mauritania, serving as flag carrier of the country, is looking to replace its two of its three Boeing 737 aircraft with a pair of newer Boeing 737-800 airliners, with delivery later this year.

The carrier currently has two Boeing 737-500, one Boeing 737-700 and one Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft in its fleet of 4 aircraft.

Mauritania Airlines International is also discussing with Embraer an order for more ERJ-145 aircraft.

Mauritania Airlines International was set up in December 2010 in response to the demise of Mauritania Airways.

Mauritania Airlines International operates short- and medium-haul flights from its base at Nouakchott International Airport (NKC).

Mauritania Airlines flies to many destinations including Cotonou, Brazzaville, Abidjan, Conakry, Bamako, Zouerat, Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, Casablanca, Dakar and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

CONGO: Congolese Airline To Launch Dubai Flights

Congolese national airline Equatorial Congo Airlines has announced plans to launch commercial flights to Dubai at the end of next month

The carrier, also known as ECAir, launched its maiden flight to Dubai from Brazzaville on Wednesday night, carrying officials from the Republic of Congo.

The airline will start of a three times a week service between Dubai International and Brazzaville, Congo, from March 31, the airline said in a statement.

The new route will operate a Boeing 757 aircraft for the Monday, Thursday and Saturday flights, it added.

Airline chairman Jean Louis Osso said: "This is a historic event for ECAir because this will strengthen our Middle East network through one of the most important hubs in the world.

"This flight is the first direct connection from Brazzaville, Congo to the United Arab Emirates. The Middle East, particularly Dubai, is one of the most preferred destinations of travellers from Central Africa because it has so much to offer to both leisure and business travellers."

Helen Woodrow, vice president of Forecasting & Research at Dubai Airports added: "Africa is a fast growing market with huge potential and we are happy to welcome ECAir as an important link between the Republic of Congo and Dubai one that is sure to further boost tourism, trade and commerce between both markets."

According to the annual traffic report released recently by Dubai Airports, the world's second busiest hub for international passengers showed a 13 percent increase in 2013 in passenger traffic arriving from Africa.

ECAir has a fleet of five aircraft, and flies more than 300,000 passengers per year to seven destinations.

CONGO: Sabena And ECAir Combine For New MRO in Congo

Belgian MRO specialist Sabena Aerospace is to establish a new facility in Brazzaville following a joint venture deal with Equatorial Congo Airlines (ECair)

The two organisations plan to create an EASA compliant aircraft MRO facility in the Republic of Congo capital.
The JV—called sa@ec, for sabenaaerospace@ecair—will be majority controlled by the Belgian MRO provider, which is EASA Part 145, and EASA Part 147 approved.

At the signing event the companies said that an MRO hangar able to handle Boeing 787’s will be built at Brazzaville’s Maya Maya International Airport.

A training centre will also be established to create a labour force and help build a safety-orientated culture in the Republic of Congo.

At the Paris signing ceremony, ECair CEO Fatima Beyina-Moussa said: "One of our priorities is training and we are confident that this partnership between Equatorial Congo Airlines and Sabena Aerospace will play a key role in our moving to the next level.”
ECair have slowly expanded its fleet and route network to help in government plans to develop Maya Maya airport into a regional Central African passenger and freight hub.

The Congolese government has invested heavily in aviation infrastructure with over $200 million having been invested in Maya Maya refurbishment.

RWANDA: Rwanda Air To Route Flights To India And China Via Dubai

Information received from an aviation source in Dubai suggests that RwandAir, due to receive two Airbus A330 wide body aircraft next year, may consider routing the planned flights to Guangzhou and Mumbai via Dubai.

Plans by RwandAir to launch Mumbai flights, using a B737-800NG via Dar es Salaam, came to naught when the Tanzanian aviation regulators denied the airline fifth freedom rights, claiming their own national airline was planning to launch flights, a preposterous suggestion causing widespread amusement considering the moribund state of Air Tanzania.

The Airbus order however puts paid to that plan as RwandAir will be able to launch flights from Kigali directly to Mumbai, but given that the airline apparently holds fifth freedom rights out of Dubai, may it well be a viable option to route is East bound intercontinental flights via DXB and pick up additional traffic from there.

The source attributed the information to RwandAir’s Deputy CEO Mr. Jean-Paul Nyirubutama, who is in the UAE for the Dubai Air Show, where he reportedly spoke to the media.

To boost continental flights from across Africa, key to feeding traffic into their planned intercontinental services to China, India and Europe, will a further two Boeing B737-800NG SkyInterior be joining the fleet in 2016 as well, very likely staged to arrive prior to the two A330’s which are due in Kigali in September and December next year respectively. RwandAir presently serves the West African destinations of Brazzaville, Libreville, Douala, Lagos and Accra while in Southern Africa flying daily to Johannesburg, a flight which presently routes three times a week via Lusaka. In Eastern Africa does RwandAir serve Bujumbura, Entebbe, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Mombasa and, as a sole domestic destination, Kamembe in the south east of the country at the border to Congo.

Dubai is served daily too with three flights routing via Mombasa, where the airline again has fifth freedom rights in both directions.

MAURITIUS: Carlson Rezidor Opens Three Hotels In Rep Of Congo & Mauritius

Carlson Rezidor has simultaneously opened three landmark hotels in Africa and Mauritius. These marked a record number of openings for the group on the continent in the space of a day. The hotels that were opened are:

• Radisson Blu M’Bamou Palace Hotel in Brazzaville (the capital city of the Republic of Congo)

• Radisson Blu Azuri Resort and Spa in Mauritius

• Radisson Blu Poste La Fayette Resort and Spa in Mauritius

Radisson Blu, in the upper upscale segment, is the core brand of The Rezidor Hotel Group, the largest brand of its kind in Europe in the past few years and, the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa.

“It’s about delivering your pipeline and opening your hotels and we are delighted to open three Radisson Blu hotels in the same week,” commented Andrew McLachlan, Vice President Business Development for Africa & Indian Ocean Islands, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. “We have opened four Radisson Blu hotels across Africa this year in Cape Town, Brazzaville and two in Mauritius. We will open a further four Radisson Blu hotels before Christmas 2015. The next opening will be in Nairobi in October, followed by Lomé in November, and then Maputo and Marrakech in December.”

“Africa is one of our most important markets for growth. We believe in the great potential of this continent and are committed to constantly strengthening our role as a key player in the travel and tourism sector across the continent,” added McLachlan.

The group’s overall development strategy is built on asset-light, sustainable growth with a particular focus on emerging markets. In addition to the eight Radisson Blu hotels opening in 2015, Carlson Rezidor will also open its first Park Inn by Radisson in Nigeria in Q4-2015.

According to an independent study completed by W-Hospitality earlier this year, Carlson Rezidor’s upper upscale brand, Radisson Blu, continues to occupy first position in terms of the number of hotels and rooms in its development pipeline. Its sister brand, Park Inn by Radisson (ranked 4th), is also in the top 10 out of the more than 80 hotel brands pipelines tracked in Africa in 2015.

“We are committed to the development of hotels in the emerging markets of Africa, and see further potential for our core brand Radisson Blu in more capital cities and financial hubs across the continent. Our aim is to be a leading operator in Africa and a responsible partner by creating jobs for local talent and, interacting with the communities in the countries in which we are active. We believe we can make a difference”, commented Andrew McLachlan of Carlson Rezidor.

QATAR: Qatar Completes Inter-line Agreement With Air Maroc

Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement.

The inter-line agreement with Air Maroc will take effect from tomorrow, connecting the two carrier routes between Qatar and Morocco on Royal Air Maroc operation across West Africa.

Passenger can now book single itinerary connecting Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc with one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.

Qatar Airways travellers travelling to Casablanca will now be able to connect onto the West African cities of Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Praia, Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Abidjan, Libreville, Banjul, Conakry, Bissau, Monrovia, Bamako, Niamey, Lagos, Nouakchott, Freetown and Lomé.

Passengers will also be able to travel onwards to Marrakech within Morocco, Agadir, Tangier, Guelmime, Tan Tan, Tetouan, Al Hoceima, Fes, Errachidia, Oujda, Nador, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Laayounte, Dakhla and Beni Mellal.

Royal Air Maroc will launch its thrice-weekly B787 operation to Doha on September 9,

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “The launch of this codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc is great news for our business passengers who frequently travel on Qatar Airways, as they will be able to connect seamlessly onwards to almost 20 destinations across the West African region.”