Kinshasa to Lumbumbashi - August 2014 Update

It took 39 days for Frederick and Josephine to head North from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa. In August 2014, it took 13 days for Elias and Christina (Mad Nomad) traveling on two Honda XR 250s.  Could this become the new primary route South?

Photo: Mad Nomad (DRC August 2014)

We were still trying to realize that we travelled from Kinshasa to Lubumbashi in just 13 days! This is a route which is considered almost impassable and we haven’t met anyone in this country who has tried it. Sure, it was important that we were using two of the most suitable motorcycles for this kind of use and they were properly equipped. However, of course, we faced some mechanical failures in that rough terrain but we were prepared for them and we could fix them. After all, nothing stopped us and we achieved to become one of those few foreigners who have explored one of the most unspoilt African countries. Finally, our trip in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was much more pleasant than expected… - See more at: http://madnomad.gr/main/en/drc2/#sthash.Cal25W6D.dpuf

Photo: Mad Nomad (DRC August 2014)

Read the full report on the Mad Nomad website:

Photo: Mad Nomad (DRC August 2014)

• D.R. Congo: The Hardest Part
• D. R. Congo: We Made It

Additional Reading:

October 2009 - Lost Route (West to East Africa)
October 2010 - Trip Report: Radio Baobab (Lubumbashi to Kinshasa, Congo)
April 2012 - Congo Overland - Kinshasa to Lubumbashi
November 2013 - Don't Miss the Ferry

Personally, I like the fact that overlanders always find a way when borders between countries constantly open and close.  Perhaps this route will become popular again over the next few years.

Don't miss the ferry...

Organised chaos, the hum of conversation, the smell of diesel, the stench of dirty water... people everywhere... welcome to the Brazzaville to Kinshasa ferry.

Peter Townsend - Land Rover Series I - Congo - Ferry 

Majority of overland routes in Africa involve some sort of ferry crossing, either in the likes of a state funded ferry service, or a simple homemade raft. The most popular ferry that most overlanders encounter is the Egypt to Sudan ferry - a barge takes your vehicle South and you patiently wait out the days on the passenger ferry.  Ferries operate on all major rivers, especially in Central Africa where bridges are hundreds of kilometers apart. These ferry trips take minutes to perhaps an hour max.  The most notorious is surely the Brazzaville to Kinshasa ferry...

Google Maps: Kinshasa to Brazzaville

A bit of history according to Mwana Mboka:

The twin cities of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) and Brazzaville faced each other across 4 kilometers of the Congo River.  Both were founded at the beginning of the 1880s and boat traffic between the two was a priority from the outset, especially as French Congo received all its imports through the Belgian Congo port of Matadi until the Congo-Ocean railway was completed in 1934.  In 1898, the year the railway arrived in Leopoldville from Matadi, the Ste. Congolia started a ferry service to Brazzaville.