Republic of the Congo

Across the Congo River from Kinshasa sits Brazzaville - the two capitals face each other across the water, the closest pair of capital cities in the world after Rome and Vatican City. The Republic of Congo is smaller and quieter than its neighbour, with a coast, a rainforest interior and a river culture built around the Congo and its tributaries. Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the north is among the best places in Africa to track western lowland gorillas, in forest so dense that encounters happen at close range and on foot.

Our guide is being written from the ground up, with the time this place deserves.

We are still gathering the notes that make a guide worth keeping: Odzala forest camp routes, Brazzaville's riverside quarter, river transport logistics and the dishes that cross the Congo from one bank to the other and arrive tasting slightly different.