• Kinshasa, the capital, does not have many sights of historic interest, but visitors should not miss the prehistoric and ethnological museums at Kinshasa University. A brightly coloured chapel crowns the top of the hill. Nearby is a corner of the equatorial forest surrounding a beautiful lake called Ma Vallée with a tavern on its banks. Other attractions include the fishing port of Kinkole, the Gardens of the Presidential Farm of Nsele made of pagodas, and the extensive pools where angling and swimming may be enjoyed. In both the markets and the suburbs of Kinshasa, there are craftspeople who produce wood and metal items. The National Museum includes some unique pieces of national art.

• In the southwest, the Inkisi Falls (60m/197ft high) at Zongo, and the caves in the region of Mbanza-Ngungu may be visited in one day, but it is preferable to stay for two or three days, for Mbanza-Ngungu is a pleasant resort with a good climate.

• While in the Mbanza-Ngungu area, stop at Kisantu to visit the Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens with their world-famous rare orchids.

• The woods, caves and waterfalls of Boma and equatorial Mayumbe and the Tombs of Tshela can be visited on the way to the ocean beach of Moanda.

• Upemba National Park straddles the River Lualaba, northeast of Bukama, and includes several lakes inhabited by hippos, crocodiles and numerous aquatic birds. Here too are fishermen, cattle farmers and peasants, as well as a number of mining communities. In the north is the Garamba National Park, covering 400,000 hectares (990,000 acres) and featuring lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and giraffes. Virunga National Park comprises two jagged mountain ranges and game that includes lions, elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, hippos and antelopes. Best of all, this park is also renowned for its mountain gorillas.

• Enjoy the Democratic Republic of Congo's areas of watery beauty: Kalemie and the banks of Lake Tanganyika are reminiscent of the French Riviera; the whole of the south is dotted with freshwater lakes such as Munkamba, Fwa and Kasai, with Lake Albert containing more fish than any other lake in Africa and Lake Edward being home to birds of all sizes and colours; and there are numerous impressive waterfalls, such as Kiobo, on the River Lufira, and Lofol, 384m (1,259ft) high, north of Lubumbashi.

• Bunia is the point of departure for numerous excursions into the forests and mountains, native villages, the Caves of Mount Hoyo and the Escaliers de Venus Falls.

• See the highest peak in the Ruwenzori range, the Pic Marguerite, at an altitude of 5119m (15,795ft). The snowline is at 533m (1,776ft). This region is also inhabited by gorillas and by the extremely rare okapi. The mountain scenery between Goma and Beni was regarded as some of the most spectacular in Africa, although the volcanic eruption of Nyiragongo (3,470m/11,385ft) in 2002 damaged the surrounding area to some extent.

Note: Visitors are advised to check the latest travel advice before visiting Congo (Dem Rep).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.