Republic of the Congo: Five Attractions and Natural Wonders

A quiet corner of the Congo Basin

The Republic of the Congo, not to be confused with its much larger neighbour the Democratic Republic of the Congo across the river, occupies a smaller stretch of the vast Congo Basin — one of the world's great tropical rainforest wildernesses, second in size only to the Amazon. Its capital, Brazzaville, faces Kinshasa directly across the Congo River, the only place in the world where two national capitals sit within sight of each other, and its interior holds some of Central Africa's most important remaining habitat for western lowland gorillas and forest elephants.

The five below run from Brazzaville to the northern rainforest and the Atlantic coast. The country receives very few international visitors, and infrastructure for independent travel remains limited outside the capital.

1. The Basilique Sainte-Anne, Brazzaville

The Basilique Sainte-Anne, completed in 1949 under French colonial rule, is Brazzaville's most recognisable landmark, its distinctive green ceramic-tiled roof visible across much of the city centre. Brazzaville itself, facing Kinshasa (capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) directly across the Congo River, offers riverside views of a genuinely unusual sight: two national capitals within clear view of one another.

2. Odzala-Kokoua National Park

Odzala-Kokoua, one of Africa's oldest national parks, protects dense rainforest in the country's north that holds one of the most important remaining populations of western lowland gorillas, alongside forest elephants, forest buffalo, and hundreds of bird species. A small number of specialist lodges offer guided gorilla tracking here, though visitor numbers remain far lower than at better-known gorilla destinations in East Africa, reflecting both the remoteness of the park and the country's limited tourism infrastructure.

3. The Congo River basin

The Congo River, the second-longest river in Africa and the deepest river in the world, drains a rainforest basin so vast it regulates rainfall patterns across the wider region. River travel remains one of the primary ways to move through much of the country's interior, much as it has been for generations, connecting remote forest communities where roads do not reach.

4. The Likouala swamp forest

The Likouala region in the country's remote north holds one of the largest tropical peat swamp forest systems on earth, only scientifically surveyed in detail in the 2010s and found to store a globally significant amount of carbon. It remains one of the least-visited and least-developed wilderness areas anywhere in Central Africa, reachable only with significant logistical planning.

5. Pointe-Noire

Pointe-Noire, the country's main Atlantic port and the centre of its offshore oil industry, offers wide sandy beaches along the coast and serves as the gateway to Conkouati-Douli National Park further south, which combines coastal lagoons, forest, and marine turtle nesting beaches with lowland gorilla and chimpanzee habitat inland.

The Republic of the Congo remains a genuinely off-the-beaten-path destination: a trip combining Brazzaville with a specialist-guided visit to Odzala-Kokoua is the most realistic way most visitors experience the country's natural highlights, generally arranged well in advance through a tour operator experienced with the region.