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Angola vs DRCongo (any recent experience)? Angola vs DRCongo (any recent experience)?
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  #1  
Old 5 Jun 2013
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Angola vs DRCongo (any recent experience)?
Right now we are in Accra (Ghana) applying for visas. We heard this probably will be the only place to get a Angola visa. However this comes at a very high prices (160 USD to be precise). We also found out that hotels, etc. are very expensive in that country. So that got us thinking about going to DRC instead, as we already need a visa for that one as well.

Does anybody have any recent experience with DRC or Angola?
Where to get our visas? We read there should be a DRC embassy in Benin, but we are unable to find the exact location. How about Yaounde (Cameroon)? Not much info on that one as well. We would prefer Cameroon since it is easier then for us to say when we expect to be in DRC.
What are the roads (RN1) like in DRC? Are they similar to Guinea (Conakry) or worse? And what about the bribes and security? Up to now the only bribes we had to pay was at the borders.
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Old 5 Jun 2013
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Originally Posted by sander.en.marianne View Post
What are the roads (RN1) like in DRC? Are they similar to Guinea (Conakry) or worse? And what about the bribes and security? Up to now the only bribes we had to pay was at the borders.

Hi, 160 Euro for the Angola Visa is a good rate if you really get it for this price. I had to fight more then 3 months and payed even more for invitation letter etc. to finaly get a 4 days transit visum. Angola Visa are known to be hard to get. The people at the embassy allways promis you "tomorrow tomorrow..."

Here you can see how the roads look like. I never payed any bribes or hotels:

http://afrikamotorrad.eu/?report=en_westkueste

enjoy Africa, Tobi
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Old 6 Jun 2013
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Hi Sander and Marianne,

Maybe you have already read these Kinshasha - Lubumbashi reports:


Africa: DRC

Democratic Republic of Congo: Lubumbashi to Kinshasa - Expedition Portal

Happy travels!
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  #4  
Old 9 Jun 2013
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I had listened all west-route transafrica travellers who wrote a blog from 2012 in my blog:

Trans-Africa: Gerade Unterwegs...

There you can pickup "newer" informations.

I also try to collect the travelers from 2013.

Many of the added travelers are not listed on the africa overland network, are picked up from the Google and from the guestbooks of the Sleeping Camel / Hippocamp at sample or we meet them on our way.

We did our trip at 2012/13 - but we start with all Visas in our Pockets and have no experience how to optain them on the way.

Surfy
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Old 14 Jun 2013
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Get the Angolan Visa in Accra. Reserve an expensive hotel for a few nights and cancel it after you get your visa. I was able to speed down the entire country in under 48 hours and wild camped both nights without any problem. 90% of the roads are fantastic.

If RN1 is the road from Kinshasha to Matadi then it's in fantastic shape (Chinese) and the only way to go to Angola. I tried the "road" that goes directly south and it was a nightmare before I turned back defeated.

Get your DRC visa in Benin, it's super easy and the guy who issues it is really helpful.

I just got to Namibia a couple of weeks ago, so this is all current info.
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Old 17 Jun 2013
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If you can get the Angola visa for that price, get it and enjoy the country; I couldn't so I crossed DRC. Are you on a bike or a car ? I think people in a 4x4 are having a much harder time than bikers on the tough roads of DRC, for various reasons.

Don't try to compare the roads of DRC to Guinea, it doesn't even look close to anything else on this planet (me think). It's not an alternative to Angola it's an adventure in its own right, and that's how it should be looked at. It's a serious commitment - although quite a few people have done it and all survived to tell the tale (as far as we know).

About the bribes and hassles: it's entirely manageable, if you have the right attitude. I think it's pretty much par for the course for Africa.

My report:

Tour d'Afrique - and then some - Page 9 - ADVrider

Laurent
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