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sub-Saharan Africa Topics specific to sub-Saharan Africa. (Includes all countries South of 17 degrees latitude)
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  #1  
Old 15 Nov 2009
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Originally Posted by steve.lorimer View Post
You can get the Angolan visa in Matadi, DRC, but often the DRC won't let you in if you don't have visas arranged for onward travel.
Mmmmm, that may be overstating. Is anyone aware of travelers who could not get into DRC because of lack of visas (or other evidence) of onward travel ... stonewalled so badly they flew over DRC instead? I'm not ...

That said, it's a good idea to have evidence of onward travel, visas or otherwise, when attempting to enter DRC. Expect to be asked for it. In our case in February 09, entering DRC at Kinshasa, a letter of invitation from an outfit in Angola sufficed. A fake letter would have done as well.

So yeah, securing an Angola visa in Abuja is a good idea. The crazy Angolans could stop issuing visas at Matadi tomorrow. Get it when and where you can. But if you don't, just have some evidence of onward travel when entering DRC and you should be fine.
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Old 16 Nov 2009
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Originally Posted by Ride Far View Post
Mmmmm, that may be overstating. Is anyone aware of travelers who could not get into DRC because of lack of visas (or other evidence) of onward travel ... stonewalled so badly they flew over DRC instead? I'm not ...
All the reasearch I did suggested otherwise. I'm sure that you could wing it on the DRC border, perhaps with a fake letter of invitation, but if you can go through Abuja and get your visa there, it's both easy and you have all your ducks in a row for when you do eventually get to the DRC border.

Some examples:
The big problem is DRC and Angola. The DRC embassy in Brazzaville will give you a visa very easily, but it is of no use, because the DRC authorities on the ferry from Brazzaville to Kinshasa won't let you in unless you have a visa for either Zambia or Angola. It is no use saying you don't need a visa for Zambia - they need to see a visa in your passport.
from here: Wendy and Rob go travelling: Info on visas for Angola, DRC, Congo, Gabon

I work for Oasis Overland and we do a south bound trip twice a year through Angola,over the last 4 years i think i must have been to every Angolan embassy in africa trying to get visas !!!
We are now getting double entry transit visas in Abuja Nigeria,(Our friends on a trip at the moment just got them there 1 week ago) all other embasys are hopeless,you can get them in Matadi DRC,BUT the DRC imagration wont let you enter at Kinshasa without a letter from an Angolan embassy stating you are going there to get a visa,this letter is next to imposable to get...
from here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...lan-visa-43436

All that said, the same thread on the HUBB has this - which seams like a decent way to get around the problem:
The visa costs $100 in Abuja and $30 in Matadi. If you want to get it in Matadi then you can get a letter from the Zambian embassy in Brazza saying you can get a Zambian visa on the border. Use that to get into the DRC, then head for Matadi to get your Angolan visa.
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Old 17 Nov 2009
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Originally Posted by steve.lorimer View Post
All the reasearch I did suggested otherwise. I'm sure that you could wing it on the DRC border, perhaps with a fake letter of invitation, but if you can go through Abuja and get your visa there, it's both easy and you have all your ducks in a row for when you do eventually get to the DRC border.
Agreed, it's a good idea to get the Angola visa in Abuja if you can, but people shouldn't be thinking it's an absolute necessity to enter DRC. And agreed too, the Angola visa is one of the bigger headaches of the west side...
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Old 17 Nov 2009
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Looks like the Pool region, between Point Noire and Brazzaville is not getting any safer:

Reuters AlertNet - Congo Republic's Pool region plagued by attacks (15 Oct 2009)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LF672090.htm

Going Franceville, Gabon -> Akou/Ndongo, Congo Brazza -> Brazzaville -> Kinshasa -> Matadi seems the most sensible option.

See Steve's post: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...953#post229446
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Old 19 Nov 2009
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This post was a bit premature... carry on reading further down!

specfically here:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...953#post231671

www.overafrica.org
www.overlandcamperforsale.com
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Old 17 Nov 2009
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Most interesting Steve. Will keep the tip about the Zambian letter in mind.

Does anyone think, a plane ticket from South Africa onwards, dated around 6 six weeks in the future, would suffice to get a visa in Matadi?
There's always talk about letters of invitation but a ready plane ticket should be ample proof I don't intend to become an illegal immigrant and live off the Anglan welfare system ;-)

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Old 17 Nov 2009
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I seem to remember someone mentioning that it worked for them... although I can't be sure. To be honest I wouldn't rely only on the flight. To you and me, yes - proof of onward travel... to some lame-ass border official, who knows? Probably a good idea to visit the Zambian embassy too.
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Old 30 Nov 2009
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Originally Posted by Ride Far View Post
Mmmmm, that may be overstating. Is anyone aware of travelers who could not get into DRC because of lack of visas (or other evidence) of onward travel ... stonewalled so badly they flew over DRC instead? I'm not ...

That said, it's a good idea to have evidence of onward travel, visas or otherwise, when attempting to enter DRC. Expect to be asked for it. In our case in February 09, entering DRC at Kinshasa, a letter of invitation from an outfit in Angola sufficed. A fake letter would have done as well.

So yeah, securing an Angola visa in Abuja is a good idea. The crazy Angolans could stop issuing visas at Matadi tomorrow. Get it when and where you can. But if you don't, just have some evidence of onward travel when entering DRC and you should be fine.
We should have go our Angolan visa in Abuja but instead we didnt want to wait the extra day and sweated it when we got to DRC. They asked us for our Angolan visa in Kinshasa and the only evidence we had for onward travel was a letter from our government internal affairs that had Angola and our names written on it and that seemed to be sufice, so I would if I were to do it again make a letter up with you name and a bogus company on it. We ended up getting our visa from Angolan Embassy in Kinshasa for US$30 and it took 4 hours to issue.
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Old 30 Nov 2009
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angolan visa
I will make a pit stop for a visa in Abuja. Just in case the Angolan embassy/consulate is closed for the holidays by the time I get to Gabon. Not even sure if it still open but my Gabonese friends seem to think it is still there in Libreville.

Rick
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Morocco - Gabon - South Africa
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Old 23 Dec 2009
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Yaounde for gabonese visa
The maps and the improvements to to other roads in Nigeria lead to to elect to take the land crossing by Calabar after getting a visa there to continue to Cameroon. Beautiful countryside but damn terrible roads. 3 days to cover 400 KM. Heads up on Gabonese visas in Yaounde. it takes 3 working days. Drop off your passport with 50,000CFA in the morning and you should be able to pick it up late afternoon 2 days later. no letter of invitation or confirmed hotel reservations required. Had friends prepare some just in case. And there seems to be no wayh to speed up the process.
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Old 23 Dec 2009
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Hi Rick

That's good going, looks like you should meet your Christmas target meet up with your friends.

Apart from the damaged crash bars, has the bike performed OK ?


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