Central African Republic Travel Guide - Getting There

The main airlines serving the Central African Republic are Air France (AF), Benin Golf Air, Cameroon Airlines and Sudan Airways. There are regular flights from Bangui to various African cities, including Libreville and N’Djaména.

From London to Bangui is 11 hours (including approximately 1 hour stopover in Paris). There are also connections between Bangui and Douala (Cameroon), Lagos (Nigeria), and other West African destinations.

Bangui M’Poko (BGF) is 7km (4 miles) southeast of Bangui of the city (journey time – 30 minutes). To/from the airport: Taxis are available to the city (journey time – 15 minutes), during flight hours. A bus service to the city meets all flights. Facilities: Restaurant, post office, bar and car hire/parking.

XAF2,000 is levied on all passengers.

The route by ferry along the Ubangi to Bangui from the Congo (Rep) or the Congo (Dem Rep) is run by ACCF (tel: 610 967) and SOCATRAF (tel: 614 315). However, it is not operating at present, owing to rebel activity in the northern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A car/passenger ferry normally operates across the Ubangi between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangui–Zongo and Bangassou–Ndu. Fares are very low, although the service breaks down frequently and may be disrupted by political instability.

It is sometimes possible to hire a boat, although this is expensive.

Visitors may not cross the river to the Congo (Dem Rep) on Saturday or Sunday, as the customs posts in that country do not operate at the weekend.

Road access is from the Congo (Dem Rep), Chad and Cameroon. There are reasonable all-weather roads from Yaoundé (Cameroon) and N'Djaména (Chad). The border with Cameroon may be closed; it is necessary to check locally near the time of travel. Theoretically, all borders are open; however, non-residents can experience difficulty obtaining permission to cross them.