Ikela Tourist Places to Visit in Ikela, Tshuapa, Congo, Africa

Ikela Tourist Places to Visit in Ikela, Tshuapa, Congo, Africa

Ikela is a town belonging to the Tshuapa District in the Équateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is situated on the bank of the Tshuapa River, between 1°11′ S latitude and 23°16′ E longitude. Ikela is a town with relatively all basic and modern facilities including an airport. Ikela is the administrative centre of Ikela Territory. Ikela originated as a trading post in the beginning of the twentieth century during the Belgian colonial period. Ikela was also one of the cities of DRC heavily damaged by the Second Congo War. Currently Ikela is mainly noted as a market town.

Connectivity to Ikela:

Like most Congolese airports, Ikela Airport is currently inactive, which recives no scheduled flights. The closest year round functioning airport to Ikela is Boende Airport, which is situated around 400 km from Ikela and operates scheduled flights from Kinshasa and Mbandaka, served by Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation.

Ikela is connected to Boende by direct road link towards the northwest and Kisangani towards the northeast. Buses are rare to see in Ikela but visitors can hire a car or bike from the locals for local travel.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ikela:

Before reaching any city or town, knowing local culture would be helpful to mingle with locals. When come to Ikela’s culture, the greater percentage of people are Christians, who are fond of nature and show ultimate interest in serving visitors.

When comes to food and shopping, Ikela houses few modernized shops and restaurants but many traditional options with tourist favor items.

Things to do in Ikela:

Walking at Tshuapa River
Town tour
Shopping

Places to see in Ikela:

Tshuapa River:

The Tshuapa River measures a length of approximately 1000 km, which flows through the town of Ikela. Apart from Ikela’s people considered it as an economy source, the Tshuapa River is famous among tourists coming to Ikela, who use it to enjoy different water sport activities like fishing, swimming and relaxation point.

Ikela Airport:

The Ikela Airport is situated within the city premise. Although being inactive, the airport sees a large number of visitors year round for its nice location and lovely and impressive surroundings.

Parc National De La Salonga:

UNESCO World Heritage Site, Parc National De La Salonga or the Salonga National Park is the largest tropical rainforest reserve of Africa, situated to the southwest of Ikela. Established in 1970, the park occupies an area of 36,000 km², housing a wide range of animal species, including Congo Peacock, leopards, forest elephants, Dryas monkeys and bonobos. The park is also frequented by bird lovers and hikers.

List of other places of interest near Ikela include:

Garamba National Park
Boyoma Falls
Livingstone Falls
Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Tumba Lediima Natural Reserve
Bailey Bridge
Basankusu Market
Salonga National Park
Maiko National Park
Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
Lola ya Bonobo
Kahuzi-Biéga National Park
Mount Nyiragongo
Virunga National Park

Best time to visit Ikela:

The tour of Ikela can be enjoyed best between the months of May and June when weather is greatly supportive for outdoor activities in Ikela.

Hotels in Ikela:

Hotels are limited in Ikela, highly traditional options with limited facilities and services. So visitors can consider the suggestion of considering the national capital Kinshasa’s hotels for accommodation, which is also recommended and hotels in Kinshasa are provided below: