If you are thinking of where to take your family out on a holiday, visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire). The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is situated in Central Africa and crosses the equator to the northern central region. Being the third largest country in Africa, her population is 62,660,551 people and the official language is French.



If you are determined about taking a meal in DRC, pop in one of the hotels and enjoy a tasty delicious meal. One of the national dishes is moambe which is made of eight ingredients including palm nuts, chicken, fish, rice, cassava leaves, bananas and hot pepper sauce.Bootled water is cheap to find in this country though there is the option of the usual soft drinks such as Coke, Pepsi and Miranda which are available in most places and are safe to drink. There are also traditional beers and ginger.

Accommodation in this country is of high class. You can book any kind of hotels ranging from 3 to 5 stars. The Grand Hotel and Memling are the oldest and most comfortable hotels with satellite, pool, restaurants and a bar that are located in Kinshasa one of the towns in this country. As you visit the various attraction, these hotels are good places to stay in. Others include Hotel Venus, African Dream, Hotel Cana, Hotel Invest, Hotel Pyramid, Hotel stroll among others. Kinshasa town is the best place for nightlife, especially in the sprawling area of the city where most people live. The local music scene here is thriving. There are numerous dance clubs and Congolese music is popular throughout Africa.

The best time to visit DRC is determined by the area you are planning to visit. Apart from high altitudes areas, most of the country is hot and humid all year round with daytime temperature around 30 degrees. Rainfall is scant near the coast but increases as you move inland. The dry season is considered the best time to visit in the north and is from December and February while in the south, the best time to tour is between April and October.

DRC is made up of a rich landscape with waterfalls, swamps, forests and a great variety of wildlife while the coastal plain is dotted with lagoons. This is where you will find Congo River which is the second biggest river in the world. Others include the spectacular Zongo falls found on the Zongo River, Bonobo sanctuary which is a beautiful park where you can meet the endangered Bonobo Apes and the Kisantu botanic gardens. There are various national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo that attract a number of tourists. They include rare and endemic species like common Chimpanzees and the Bonobo Mountain Gorillas, white Rhinos among other animals. The most visited national park that is found in the north eastern is called the Virunga national park. This is the oldest national park in Africa with 7000 species of birds and 200 species of mammals. For those who like wildlife, don't miss to visit this place and see all kinds of wildlife. Another is the Salonga national park which is the largest factory in Africa's equatorial forest and is most famous with elephants. The country's major archaeological and ethnological museums are the National Museum of Kinshasa and the National Museum of Lubumbashi. The Academy of Fine Arts in Kinshasa exhibits and sells paintings and sculptures that are tourist attractions.