Best time to go to DRC and Congo

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The two Congos have a lot of potential as holiday destinations. They share the mighty river that gives them their name. They have mountain gorillas and chimps and all manner of other primates. Beyond their natural attractions, they have fascinating cultures and intriguing – if harsh – recent histories. But with potential comes the need for some cold hard facts. Like knowing what’s the best time to go to Congo, and what you should call the countries anyway.

Are they the Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo? Congo-Brazzaville and Congo-Kinshasa (generally the preferred choice on the ground)? Congo and DRC? Little Congo and Big Congo? French Congo and Belgian-but-also-French-speaking Congo?

It’s a minefield, which is quite possibly another thing to look out for if you visit. For more on that, it’s well worth reading up on the current safety situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular.

Hopefully answering the question of when to visit Congo is a little easier.

Why visit Congo and the DRC?

Business or general interest aside, there are several reasons you might decide to visit Congo, as I’ve already hinted at.

Overall, perhaps their biggest attraction is the chance to delve into the dense tree cover of the Congo Rainforest. The Congo Rainforest is the second largest rainforest on Earth, bested only by the Amazon.

Within its thousands of square miles of ancient forest are an estimated 10,000 different animal species. They range from forest elephant and ultra-shy okapi (related to giraffe) to a multitude of primates.

The eastern DRC is one of only three countries in the world where it’s possible to encounter mountain gorillas in the wild. Meanwhile, the Republic of Congo offers great chimp encounters at Tchimpounga Chimp Rehabilitation Centre.

Culturally, the region is home to around 250 ethnic groups. Though many of their treasures are ethemeral in nature, others can be found in internationally sponsored museums.

These include Pointe-Noire’s African Circle Museum, and Kinshasa’s National Museum of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was built by South Korea and opened to the public in late 2019.

For more ideas of what to expect from the Republic of Congo, take a look at my selection of the best things to do there.

Best season to visit DRC (and the Republic of Congo)

The most important issue when planning a trip to DRC or Congo-Brazzaville is awareness of when it rains most.

It must be said though that this region spans an area roughly equivalent to all western Europe. Climate conditions are only generalised here, and can differ substantially from east to west and north to south.

(DRC’s mountain gorillas are located in the country’s far east, with many tours based in neighbouring Uganda or Rwanda.)

The main rainy season in DRC lasts from October until around the end of December. These are therefore the wettest months in DRC and Congo.

With many roads unsurfaced and cities readily flooding, they are best avoided. On the plus side, it can be much easier to obtain a mountain gorilla trekking permit.

There is a second short wet season in March and April when similar conditions exist.

Best time to go to DRC and Congo

It makes the period from May to September probably the best time to visit DRC or the Republic of Congo. During these months there is almost no rain recorded in Kinshasa.

Temperatures are also slightly lower, averaging in the high twenties Celsius rather than the low thirties.

It’s a very different story in the rainforest, when wet weather gear will still be needed. All the same, forest paths are a little easier to traverse. You should also remember that humidity is much higher in the rainforest.

This leaves the months of January and February as a short dry season. It does still rain, but to a lesser extent.

Best time to visit Congo

If you take home just one bit of information, make it this. The best time to go to the DRC and Republic of Congo is the dry season of May to September. Travel at pretty much any other time of year, and you’re likely to find it hard going for all manner of reasons – but mainly due to Congo’s yearly weather patterns.