Kinshasa & the West
The capital does not have many sights of historic interest, but the visitor interested in the past should not miss the prehistoric and ethnological museums at Kinshasa University, an ensemble of light, rectangular, well laid-out buildings standing on a hillside. A brightly coloured chapel crowns the top of the hill. Nearby is a corner of the equatorial forest surrounding a beautiful lake called Ma Vallée with a tavern on its banks.
Other attractions include the fishing port of Kinkole, the Gardens of the Presidential Farm of Nsele made of pagodas, and the extensive pools where angling and swimming may be enjoyed. In both the markets and the suburbs of Kinshasa, there are craftspeople who produce wood and metal items. The National Museum includes some unique pieces of national art.
The Inkisi Falls (60m/197ft high) at Zongo and the caves in the region of Mbanza-Ngungu may be visited in one day, but it is preferable to stay for two or three days, for Mbanza-Ngungu is a pleasant resort with a good climate. While in the Mbanza-Ngungu area the visitor should stop at Kisantu to visit the Frère Gillet Botanic Gardens with their world-famous rare orchids.
Further west are the wild slopes and gorges of the River Kwilu, 120km (75 miles) from Mataoi; on the right bank of the river is a spot of rugged beauty called Inga. The woods, caves and waterfalls of Boma and equatorial Mayumbe and the Tombs of Tshela can be visited on the way to the ocean beach of Moanda.
Less easily accessible is the upper valley of the Kwango in the southwest. A long journey through a region of unspoiled natural beauty leads to the Tembo (formerly Guillaume) Falls.
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