This is a compilation of advice I have received while preparing for my fieldwork studying pygmy chimpanzees at Lomako, Zaire. Some of it is general for third world travelers, some for anyone going to Zaire, and some specific to field biology in the Lomako area. It is not to be taken as the last word on travel in Zaire, and I urge anyone going there to get as much advice from as many experienced Zaire travelers as possible. A good reference for certain aspects of backcountry travel is Kathleen Meyer's How to Shit in the Woods(2nd Ed., 1994, Ten Speed Press); lots of other great information about backcountry travel is available through The Backcountry Home Page. Travel at your own risk: it's a jungle out there! I make no claims about the accuracy or thouroughness of this information.
Many thanks to Frances White and Kim Wood for providing information regarding their experiences in Zaire.
To keep abreast of the local news: Panafrican News Agency
See a travel clinic at least one month before you leave. It's also a good idea to read up on the latest traveler's information from the CDC.
You may want to get prescriptions for both Larium (mefloquine) and another effective anti-malarial profylaxis like Doxycycline or combined Chloroquine and Proguanil as a back-up. Even if there is no Chloroquine-resistant malaria at your site, if you have to go through the cities, you will probably be exposed to resistant strains. Unfortunately, about half of the people who have taken Larium have had bad side effects, including vivid nightmares and other psycological effects. Larium-induced paranoia/psychosis is common & is the last thing you need in Zaire.
You may want to also get Fansidar as a backup, in case you do get malaria. A U.S. Pharmacist told me it is no longer available and there is no replacement/substitute, but you could still get it in pharmacies in Kinshasa and the interior. Fansidar has caused severe allergic reactions and some fatalities, but these are rare. There are also Fansidar resistant strains of malaria in Africa.
Make sure to get plenty of a good prescription antibiotic for yourself in the States.
Make sure that everything is packed as if it is going to get dropped in deep water before you arrive in Zaire.
You will want to take cash (US dollars) to cover your in-country expenses. Most places did not take credit cards and preferred US to Zairian currency. It is probably better to have more small bills ($5's, $10's, and $20's), because larger bills mean you'll have to change them for New Zaires (NZs) to cover many small expenses at the "informal" markets and in the interior; Changing money can sometimes be very difficult.
Get a 3-month tourist visa, then change it through the American Consulate when you get to Kinshasa.
Get evacuation insurance.
Have multiple copies (5) of yellow card and passport, etc., all stored in different places.
Have all bags padlocked closed (w/obvious locks so no question they're locked when you arrive in Kinshasa.) Put flagging tape or duct tape on the bag to make it easy and obvious to ID.
Air France is best (good food, free champagne), but Swiss Air good. Sabina (Belgian) not as nice, but maybe less expensive. Air Portugal was very helpful.
DO take advantage if long stopover in Europe--get out of airport and see the sights. If long enough, hotel stay should be included in airfare (check with agent).
Bring your own soap and toilet paper everywhere.
Don't go barefoot. It's the easiest way to get worms. Wear flip-flops in water.
Bring some blank paper & carbons when trying to get official documents -- not having paper or not being able to make copies are frequent bureaucratic delay tactics, and a gift of a little extra paper can help grease the wheels.
While in Kinshasa, don't change more money than you need for that day -- zaires loose their value very quickly and are very bulky. Many places prefer to receive US$. However, you should change most of what you'll need in the interior before leaving the big cities. You'll get a much better exchange rate in the big cities than you do in towns in the interior like Basankusu or Baringa, and the availability and willingness of people to change money in the interior is unpredictable. Don't take much Zairois money out of the country. Change it all before you go to catch flight out, because few places outside of Zaire will accept it (it may still be nominally illegal to take NZs out of the country).
If driving, always hire a chauffeur. It is very dangerous to be the driver -- if there is any accident where someone is injured, the driver may be pulled from the car and beaten, but a local is likely to handle the situation better than an ex-pat. The main rule to remember is that if someone is hurt, keep driving and leave the accident scene -- stop to call for help only once you are clear of any potential witnesses.
Don't wear military or military-looking clothes in public in the cities and towns (fatigues should be okay in field). You could be arrested for it. (Kim says harassment by the military/police wasn't as bad in '95 as in '91.)
Don't carry your camera openly in Kinshasa, and be very careful about carrying it in Basankusu. Taking photos of seemingly innocuous things like certain buildings, roads, ports of any kind, and any number of other things may be illegal and is likely to get you arrested. Even carrying a camera might invite trouble with the police.
Beggars are common in the city. It is best not to give to people on the streets -- if you do, more beggars will come. Some polio victims in wheelchairs are quite aggressive at begging. If you want to give, the best way to do it is through the missions.
Constantly confirm flight plans. When you arrive in country, confirm departing flight with airline. When you get back to city from field, check back with airline to confirm flight right away.
Always go to missions if stuck in any town or village. The Project usually uses the Catholic Missions because they have a better infrastructure and are more entrenched in the country, but the Protestant missions are sometimes friendlier.
At restaurants, always ask "What do you have?" The menus don't necessarily mean much. "Filet Americain" means raw ground beef and egg. Most people & restaurants will serve meat at most meals (even vegetable dishes almost always had fish or meat added). Along the river you can usually get fish, but often meals and soups will contain beef at missions and in the city.
Always peel your own fruits and avoid salads and raw stuff. It's okay to buy bread at street vendors.
Don't drink things with ice. Buy bottled water for while in Kinshasa & on route to site (a 1.5L bottle per day per person seemed about right). Drink LOTS of water, especially on the road (travel tends to dehydrate, and extra fluids help you cope with all the exotic things hitting your system).
Beer in Zaire is pretty good. One beer is usually a full liter. Palm wine is also not bad, but watch out for litoko (distilled palm wine = Zairian equivalent of moonshine).
You can give mail to anyone who is leaving the country soon (ex-pat custom). You should pay the postage.
Ndjili is international airport ("Closest thing to hell on earth."-FJW). Ndolo is local.
There should be protocol person there looking for you (must arrange this in advance).
People will come up and try to carry bags in exchange for cash--avoid having too many porters at airport.
Protocol person should find out how much it will cost to get you & equipment through customs (may also help with arranging taxi to hotel).
Taxi to hotel: can haggle for prices--set price before going anywhere. Taxi prices are based on zones within town, but hard to get usual pricing info (try to ask protocol?) & driver may try for more with foreigners.
Any brown, green or yellow car may be a taxi--locals recognize by make, but drivers will probably be looking for passengers. Don't be surprised if there are holes in the floor.
DO NOT take taxi with other passengers or allow driver to take additional passengers after you (frequent robbery technique). Hold onto your possessions if the window is open.
It is best to be with someone you know. Wear backpacks or waistpacks in front-- thieves may try to cut straps and run if on back. If there are two of you, keep any bags, parcels between you at all times.
Keep money in one or more pouches/moneybelt UNDER CLOTHES, but make sure you can access without stripping on the street. It is usually a good idea to have a little money in your pockets for quick access when needed to bribe someone, er... offer them a Coke or a beer.
Don't wear obvious jewelry.
Avoid the areas around the Golf Course and near the old Peace Corps building-- muggers frequently steal items then flee across golf course here.
Don't go out at night.
Don't go into Cité without someone trustworthy.
If you're staying at CAP, you can lock your stuff into closets. Don't leave stuff lying out, and lock your packs. People are more likely to try to pilfer small items than to take everything.
Stay at CAP (Centre Acuielle Protestant) -- nice place, lots of English speakers. CAP is run by Steve Weak's brother. It's near Wally Herzog's place and the American club ("on road down toward river with Embassy houses, behind big blue building"?) on Ave. de Lilacs. Ask about Steve & Julia Weaks and Harry & LuAnn Goodall (Julia Weaks is Harry Goodall's sister; Harry works for Hepatitis International; Julia is an MD running American Zaire clinic). Ask if you can leave a suitcase here with your nicer clothes to pick up on your way out so you don't have to take them into the field. Make sure you tell them the DATE you're returning, and try to sound certain of it, so they don't think they'll be storing it for you for some indefinite time.
The restaurant across from CAP is great for lunch (Mama ____?'s). Fufu (manioc dumplings) is good, but avoid chekwang (a.k.a. kwanga: chewy, fermented manioc for traveling -- will no doubt get plenty in the field).
Go to Embassy & check in at Consulate. Joao Escodi is the Public Affairs Officer at the American Embassy in Kinshasa (as of October 1995 -- Kim didn't meet). Consulate is on Marché d'Ivoire (where malachite, sand paintings and sometimes chimps are sold). Dress nice when you go to the Embassy; it helps to impress them as a member of the business/professional community rather than a Peace Corp-esque college kid. Ask about getting mail there, and get visas changed for longer stays. Ask about AERWA -- the American club. It's on a road along the river, Avenue d'Lilac, to the left of CAP. If someone at the embassy asks "is there anything we can do?" , ask for use of AREWA.
AREWA has open movies on Tues. & Thurs. nights. You can generally get a ride back to hotel with someone there. Jean-Luc is the head of AERWA.
The Ivory Market is the best open market for souvenirs.
Go to the Grand Marché to buy field supplies. Be especially careful about theft at Grand Marché.
Check in at the Minister of Education to get Authorization for research. They will want a letter in French addressed to the Minister: Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, Universitaire et de la Recherche Scientifique, 10 Ave du Haut Commandement , Tel. 33117-33118, Telecel (cellular phone) 42140. Institut de Recherche Scientifique - conseilleur=Didi Maharja. $100 research tax.
Talk to Wally Herzog, #4 Ave. d'Lilac. He has a computer with a printer, and a fax. (telecel 33858). Change money with Wally; ask Wally if/how much he should be paid. Ask Wally who's flying and how to book internal flight.
The Ave. 30 Juin is the main drag in Kinshasa. Grocery stores (Express, Select), pharmacies (Pharmastop), probably hardware stores. Buy groceries so you can eat in hotel if don't want to go out; CAP has no attached restaurant, no room service.
Go to/ Stay at Hotel Memling if CAP is not available. Be careful, there are a lot of muggings in this area.
Catholic Mission in Kinshasa (Chez les Catholiques = St. Anne's): Père Paul(?) They have a woodshop and a bookstore.
Visit the Intercon Hotel, but don't stay there. People there will have info on transportation out of town. You can send faxes from there (but also from Wally's). They have nice gift shops and you can get a good dinner there.
Other Contacts:
Work out how much excess baggage you can take before you buy supplies in Kinshasa.
Buy (duty-free at airport) whisky to give as gifts at missions.
Most market purchases involve haggling. Don't show much interest in buying goods. Offer to pay half of what you're asked for item. Walking away and yelling are common and useful strategies.
Worth it to buy a good map of Zaire.
Go to the Grand Marché to buy pangas (cloths) for guides' wives, and to buy field supplies. Be especially careful about theft at Grand Marché.
Buy any medicines in Kinshasa, for yourself and for giving to field guides (they won't necessarily be available in Basankusu). Get :
Buy souvenirs and Christmas presents in Kinshasa on your way out of the country. The Ivory Market is the best open market for souvenirs. Watch out for "bone" items -- they may actually be ivory (CITES violation). Sellers often say ivory items are cattle bone to appease foreign buyers.
Ask Wally Herzog about who's flying and how to book flights.
Go to Ndolo to book internal flight. Ask for Marcel le Sergent with CAA, telecel 44675. Kim used CAA (owner also owns palm plantation at Basankusu); cost $900 round trip plus $300 for excess bags. Can also book flight on MAF: Tel. 25503 / 50079 / 77871, Telex 21435, Easylink 62768140 . Make sure to book space for extra baggage. Have the bags weighed several hours early to guarentee a seat. You can get to Lomako from Baringa (closest), Basankusu, Boende (avoid: worse than Kinshasa) or Mbandaka (farthest, regional capital).
You might try to get in touch with Blatner (has offices in Kinshasa). He runs an airline and a plantation in Basankusu. He used to run the Bokoli plantation, but it isn't really operating anymore.
Can hire a ride on any truck. Try the Catholic missions first (they have the most resources in the country), then the Protestants.
Always go to missions if stuck in any town or village.
Be really nice to the missionaries -- they have done a lot to help people doing research at Lomako. Let them know that you are new at this, so they'll fill you in on what is expected of mission visitors. Offer to help them, take mail for them, etc.
They will probably charge $3-$4 per night (payable in US$). This will include meals. They will not decide on a fee until you are leaving, and it may be somewhat arbitrary. It is good to also offer to help out with work around the mission.
Make sure you are on time or early for meals. There will be a napkin ring at the table with your room number on it. At the beginning of the meal, you are expected to stand at attention until they say grace.
Père Jan and Père Otto are at the Catholic Mission in Basankusu.
Père Corneille (aka Père Keese) and Père Gerard are at the Catholic mission in Baringa. Jean-Pierre is an assistant there (very nice guy).
Daniel, Roland and Hannah were at the Protestant mission in Baringa (they may be gone by now).
Ask at the missions about the best way to get to the site. They will be able to tell you if the roads are good. If they are, you should try to drive from Basankusu to Baringa. If not, take a canoe (pirogue) all the way upriver from Basankusu to the site.
If traveling on the rivers, make sure to take out some binoculars to look at the wildlife on the banks. Keep an African mammal field guide handy, in a sturdy ziplock bag. The screaming you might hear at night is from tree hyraxes (not to be confused with the very loud cicadas).
There is a company called MILONA that runs a truck from Basankusu to Baringa. Maurice (from Rwanda) is the person to ask for.
If driving, always hire a chauffeur. It is very dangerous to be the driver -- if there is any accident where someone is injured, the driver may be pulled from the car and beaten, but a local is likely to handle the situation better than an ex-pat. The main rule to remember is that if someone is hurt, keep driving and leave the accident scene -- stop to call for help only once you are clear of any potential witnesses.
The drive from Basankusu to Baringa usually takes about 6 hours. It might be worth getting a tree saw to help clear the way. Some Zairians might try to get money from you by felling a tree just ahead of you, so that you can pay them to help remove it. Take extra passengers along for the ride. This is important, because you may need extra hands to help push you out of ditches, etc.
Hire lots of people to carry stuff. Write down who carries what so there are no arguments upon arrival about how much each deserves for their labor.
Hire a cook for camp. Make sure rice and beans are picked through before cooking; they often contain small rocks.
Keep a bidon filled with boiled, filtered water.
If you need baskets to store fruits, etc. you can ask people to make them for you (they're effective, but not very durable).
You can buy locally grown produce (manioc, plantain, papaya, avocados, etc.) at the site. Rice and beans are also available occasionally. You should buy fish from the local fishermen--make sure you pay for fish by the kilo, not by the day, or else you won't get much fish for your money.
Write up a contract for everyone you employ to help avoid misunderstandings.
Anytime someone is sent out on an errand they should be given an "attestation": a letter stating they are employed by you. Also give them kwanga (a.k.a. chakwang) to eat on the way.
Set specific days for medicine dispensing/clinic services. Don't let them come for these services at other times or you may never get a chance to get research done.
Take one day per week off to keep up on notes and paperwork at the site.
Hire someone to wash and iron clothes (clothes are ironed to prevent mango fly worms, which grow under skin - NASTY).
When doing work away from camp, wear long pants. Always tuck pants into your socks to prevent critters from crawling up them.
"De-Worm" yourself regularly (every week or two?).
A front of army ants will sound like rain coming into your house. If army ants come through camp, RUN. Make sure to shake out your clothes before putting them on. Army ants don't sting, but they will get in your hair and give painful bites.
Watch out for big, flat spiders (not web-builders) in the houses. They like to live in the ndeli palm thatch roofs, and have a nasty bite.
Ndeli palm used for thatching has spikes on it.
There are biting moths at Ndeli. There are also ticks -- check for them when bathing. There are also "chigos" or "chiggers"-- these are sand fleas that burrow under your toenails and itch like hell. They don't break the skin, they just leave an egg sac. Use scalpel blade, needle or tweezers to get them out. Sprinkling water in the houses cuts down on these.
You will want to wear shorts & short sleeves at camp; it gets hot. Just spray mosquito repellent once per day. Mosquitoes aren't too bad around Lomako, maybe because it's a blackwater (acid) river.