Kisangani

Overview

Known in colonial times as Stanleyville, after the explorer Henry M. Stanley established a colonial outpost ("Falls Station") near major cataracts in the Congo River that made the river impassible to boat travel. A railroad was built to bypass the cataracts and opened shipping routes further into the Congo jungle. Kisangani is now a town of decaying beauty. The Belgians left some colonial buildings worth looking at but they are not in good shape. Due to the climate decay happens quite fast.

Kisingani is more than 1000 km from Kinshasa . It used to be possible to go by river boat over the Congo river. Currently river travel is almost non-existant.

For some background info on Kisangani you may read "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul. Great reading.

History