Bolobo

Bolobo is a town on the Congo River in Mai-Ndombe province and the administrative center of Bolobo Territory; its 2009 population was estimated at around 31,000. The predominant ethnic group is the Banunu, who originate from further upriver and whose Bobangi language was historically the area's trade language; the Bateke, the region's original inhabitants, and the Batende are also present. Henry Morton Stanley passed through Bolobo on his 19th-century descent of the Congo River, and the town later became a center of Baptist Missionary Society activity — missionary George Grenfell operated from the steamer Peace, and the mission built a hospital, primary and secondary schools, a printing press, and a Bible institute, staffed by British and later American Peace Corps personnel until conditions deteriorated in the 1990s. The climate is tropical with a rainy and dry season.

By Plane

Via the nearest major airport in the province.

By Car / Road

Road connections link Bolobo to other towns in the province. River transport on the Congo is also used.

Walking and motorbike taxis.

The local market and surrounding natural landscape.

Visiting the market. Exploring the surrounding countryside.

Local Congolese cuisine.

Sachet water and palm wine.

Basic guest house accommodation.

Local produce and handicrafts.

Inongo — Mai-Ndombe's provincial capital.