Day 4 – Nkila Ntari Caves, Brazzaville

After breakfast at our hotel (KM Hotel) in Dolisie, we headed east towards the capital city of Brazzaville. A drive of about 2 hours east lies the Nkila Ntari caves.

Nkila Ntari Caves

The N’kila N’tari or in French Grotte de Nkila-Ntari (Nkila Ntari Caves) are a stunning natural attraction near the village of Dingi. These caves are known for their intricate limestone formations, mysterious passages, and underground caverns. The caves feature stalactites, stalagmites, and other fascinating rock formations, carved over thousands of years by natural processes. They hold significance for local communities, often tied to myths, legends, or traditional practices. Guided tours take visitors through the most accessible parts of the caves, showcasing their unique geological features.

The cave is a river cave and is populated by fish and turtles. Of the two entrances, the main entrance facing towards northeast is easier to access. It is followed by a huge passage which is 20 meters in diameter. The southern entrance allows access to Mantoumbou room, a huge chamber.

While the one kilometer of passage which is visited is mostly spacious, there are several spots where it is necessary to stoop or even crawl. Walking inside the first chamber is easy (with a headlamp), whereas going down to the lower chamber requires a rope and basic climbing skills! Suitable clothing, good shoes and helmet with headlamp are strongly recommended.

Driving east to Brazzaville, we cam across this man selling bush meat, which is common in this part of the world! It is illegal to kill and sell bush meat in Congo-Brazzaville, but locals still do that by standing on the side of the highways.

Another 3 hours east was a turn to our next destination Chutes de Loufoulakari After reaching the Loufoulakari bridge (pont sur la loufoulakari), we were told that the road ahead was closed because of some security situation neat the waterfalls. That lead us to turn back and head to the capital city of Brazzaville.

We arrived in Brazzaville in evening and headed to the Les Rapides Restaurant in the south of the city that has the best views of the Congo River while having dinner or a great meal!

Congo-Brazzaville story highlights on Instagram This trip report can also be seen on our story highlights on Instagram account @travelonthedollar. Click the image on left to go directly to Congo-Brazzaville Highlights, or visit our Instagram profile and under ‘Highlights’, scroll to the right and click on ‘Congo-ROC 1’.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = XAF 585 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult. Note that the expenses do not include international flights to and from Congo-Brazzaville.
 

 
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