Central African Republic

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Bangui

Population

3,580,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Indigenous beliefs, Christianity (Protestant, Catholic), Islam

Languages

Sango, French

Calling Code

+236

Time Zone

UTC +1

Nationality

Central African

Local name

Republique Centrafricaine

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Introduction

Located in, well, the center of Africa, the Central African Republic (CAR) boasts many of the same attractions as its surrounding African nations, but presents them in a different way. Its national park and other parks are home to a vast variety of animals, as are its rainforests. The towns have that characteristic bustling African feel. What sets CAR apart is the low-key way the country has taken to displaying its assets. Tour operators are few. Instead, travellers are helpfully assisted by pygmies or other locals, who add a cultural dynamism which most tour operators can't match.

Like many of its surrounding African nations, however, CAR is home to much violence. Care should be taken, since foreigners are a particularly popular target amongst thieves and muggers.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

The Central African Republic is made up of 14 administrative prefectures, 2 economic prefectures (Nana-Grébizi and Sangha-Mbaéré) and an autonomous commune (Bangui).

The administrative prefectures are

• Bamingui-Bangoran
• Basse-Kotto
• Haute-Kotto
• Haut-Mbomou
• Kémo
• Lobaye
• Mambéré-Kadéï
• Mbomou
• Nana-Mambéré
• Ombella-M'Poko
• Ouaka
• Ouham
• Ouham-Pendé
• Vakaga

Cities

• Bangui - The capital
• Berbérati
• Bimbo
• Carnot
• Bambari
• Bouar
• Bossangoa
• Bria
• Bangassou

Sights and Activities

Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park

The Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park is one the Unesco World Heritage List but is also on their list of sites which are in danger. The park has a diverse wealth of flora and fauna and its vast savannahs are home to a wide variety of species, including black rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, red-fronted gazelles, buffalo and even the rare wild dogs. There are also numerous types of waterfowl in the northern floodplains.

Dzanga-Sangha National Park

The Dzanga-Sangha National Park is located in the southwest of the Central African Republic on the border area with Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. Unlike most of the country, the parks sees a steady influx of adventurous travellers, although numbers are no where near the parks in the east and south of the continent. You will definately see some fantastic wildlife here including lowland gorillas, elephants and lions. The Baka still live in this remote corner of Africa. Bayanga is the gateway to visit the park and is best reached by charter flight. There are several guesthouses and one lodge to stay in.

M'Baïki

Southwest of Bangui is the village of M'Baïki. The village has a beautiful setting surrounded by rainforest and home to timber, coffee and tobacco plantations in the area. There are Pygmy settlements in the rainforests surrounding Mbaiki and about 10kilometres of M'Baïki is the village of Sabe, worth visiting for its ebony sculptures.

Chutes de Boali

The Chutes de Boali are a 50 metres high chain of waterfalls and are most impressive during the late rainy season when months of rain has caused the normal trickle to end in a dramatic curtain of water. Unfortunately, much of the waterfalls flowing is controlled by a huge Chinese-built dam upriver, but they usually release some water on Sunday for the tourists. A dam shame again!

Other sights and activities

• Bokassa's Presidential Palace - just outide Bangui
• Boganda Museum - Bangui

Events and Festivals

Weather

The Central African Republic has a hot and humid tropical climate year round, but with some differences between the north and the south.
In the north of the country, there is single rainy season from June to September and a long and warm to hot dry season from October to April. The total amount of rain is much less compared to the southern zones, averaging around 900 mm a year. Temperatures during the hot season (March - May) can reach well over 40 degrees Celcius during the days.
The southern parts of the country have a more equatorial climate, with rain throughout the year, with only a short relatively dry season from December to Feburary. Averaging around 1500 to 2000 mm of rain, most of the rain falls between June and October. Temperatures here are around 30 degrees Celsius during the day, 20 degrees at night year round.

Getting there

Plane

Bangui M’Poko International Airport (BGF) near the capital Bangui is where all international planes arrive and depart. Destinations include Douala and Tripoli with Afriqiyah Airways, Paris with Air France, Brazzaville, Douala, Yaoundé with Cameroon Airlines and Brazzaville, Cotonou, Douala, N'Djamena with Toumaï Air Chad.

By Car

It's not advised to travel overland through the Central African Republic due to safety situations, but if you insist, you can use most crossings which are used by public transport or walking. Have your papers and insurance in order and expect long crossings, with bribes and hassling. Some roads might be impassable after heavy rains.

By Bus

The Central African Republic is surrounded by countries which are not really safe to say the least. Crossings to and from Chad and Sudan are notorious. Crossings to the Republic of Congo and DRC (see below) are possible by boat but take quite a time. Crossings to and from Cameroon are relatively straightforward compared to this with trucks and buses from Bangui to Garoua-Boulaï, overnighting in Bouar. From Garoua-Boulaï, minibuses go to N’Gaoundal, and trains go from there to Yaoundé.
To Chad, the main crossing is at Sido, on the route to Sarh. Trucks go from Bangui to Kaga Bandoro, but from there only occasional trucks and minibuses go to Kabo (checkpoint here) and on to the border. Once in Chad, pick-ups go from Sido and Maro to Sarh.
Some borders with Sudan are closed (Darfur situation), but the usual route from Bangui to Juba, via Obo, might be open. The other much rougher route from Bangui to Nyala via Birao in the northeastern corner of CAR takes at least two weeks travel as traffic is scarce and roads are in an extremely bad condition. It's not the safest route to travel to and from CAR, so don't take your chances unless you know what you are doing.

By Boat

There are river boats (Socatraf company) between Bangui and Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo where the Congo River is met. Boats go once every two or three weeks, and only between June and November. It takes about a week. Barges serve the route as well but take about two weeks. They go every week though, are cheaper and less crowded.
Boats to Zongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo are usually off limits to foreign travellers.

Getting Around

By Plane

Few domestic scheduled services exist, but sometimes there might be flights between Bangui and Berberati. Other plane travel will be mostly by chartered services, but note that safety regulations are by far not of the type we are used to in the west.

By Car

Several roads are tarred and in reasonable condition. Many other roads are gravel roads, some of which are actually in a good condition, sometimes even better than the tarred roads which are full of potholes. Some gravel roads and other secondary roads can be impassable after heavy rains, and only be passable with high clearance 4wd vehicles. Traffic drives on the right and you need an international driving permit to rent a car from several international and local companies in Bangui and the international airport.

By Bus

Minibuses, trucks and pickups all travel the main roads between Bangui and the major cities and towns. They are overcrowded and uncomfortable but apart from some river travel, are the best way of getting around by public transport. They are cheap and a great way to get to know locals.

By Boat

Ferries travel the waters from Bangui to several towns further up the Ubangui River.

Red Tape

All nationals need a visa. Check the nearest CAR Embassy for more information about the process and requirements.

Money

See also Money matters

Central African Republic uses the CFA Franc as a currency. The CFA Franc is divided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 francs while banknotes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 francs
The exchange range is fixed at aproximately 656 CFA Francs for one Euro.

In Central African Republic the Central African CFA Franc (XAF) is used which has the same vallue as the West African CFA Franc (XOF), but it's not possible to use both currencies in the same country.

Fourteen countries in Africa use this currency, eight in West Africa and six in Central Africa. The West African CFA Franc can only be used in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while the Central African CFA Franc can only be used in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Work

Study

Language

French is the official business language, with Sango as the national language. There are over 60 other loocal languages spoken.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to the Central African Republic is: 236
To make an international call from , the code is: 00

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