Congo (Republic of Congo not DRC)

Congo Driving and Car Hire Info (Republic of Congo, Not DRC )

Driving In Republic of Congo
You should check your Governments website travel advice section before driving abroad in Congo, to get an up to date account of the situation in the country, which generally has ‘essential travel only’ warnings in place.

Roads will generally be in a poor condition and driving standards low. The road conditions will deteriorate in the wet season from November to May and a 4WD is likely to be needed at this time of year. Of the 13,000km of roads in the country around 10% are paved. Chinese investment has led to improvements in main routes -The two main roads are the RN1 and RN2. The RN1 links Brazzaville with Pointe-Noire and with its 548 km is now fully completed, asphalted and in very good condition, permitting to reach the ocean in within 9 hours. The RN2, linking Brazzaville to Ouesso in the North is 820 km long. It is fully paved but some areas are in a bad condition. Presently the time needed to reach Ouesso is about 11 hours.

While tensions have cooled following a peace agreement between Government and rebel groups in late 2017, there continue to be reports of sporadic rebel group activity and military operations against them, large numbers of displaced people, and continued instances of crime and armed banditry in the Pool region.

Expect road blocks and document checks throughout the country and around Brazzaville and Pointe Noire. You should carry a colour photocopy of your passport and Republic of Congo visa with you at all times during your stay and obviously slow down on approach and stop if requested.

There is a good account here from the Lonely Planet forum on what to expect self driving in Congo, though this is from 2010..

Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.

Republic of Congo Car Rental –
Europcar and Avis both seem to allow self drive

Republic of Congo Self Driving Rules–
Europcar seem to allow the vehicle to be taken across international borders with restrictions on travel to certain locations. Cross Border one way rentals don’t seem to be allowed by the big companies.

We currently have no local car rental partners in Congo. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.

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