Ilebo Tourist Places to Visit in Ilebo, Kasaï, Cango, Africa

Ilebo Tourist Places to Visit in Ilebo, Kasaï, Cango, Africa

Ilebo is a town situated in Kasaï District in the Kasaï-Occidental province of the African country the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ilebo is situated on the bank of the Kasaï River, around 920 km east of the national capital, Kinshasa. Ilebo is one of the gateways to the largest tropical rainforest reserve of Africa, the Salonga National Park, which is located towards the north of Ilebo. Ilebo geographically coordinates with 4°19′ S latitude and 20°36′ E longitude.

History of Ilebo:

The history of Ilebo begins with its foundation as a trading center in the seventeenth century. With the arrival of the Belgians in the 19th century, Ilebo began to develop as one of the major towns of the country. Its name once had been changed into Port-Francqui during the Belgian colonial administration in 1901 and after the independence of the country in 1960, Ilebo regained its original name.

How to reach Ilebo?

Ilebo Airport is situated around 3 km away from the heart of Ilebo. The airport operates scheduled flights to the country capital, Kinshasa, served by Malila Airlift.

Ilebo is also reachable directly from Kinshasa by bus and ferry services. The railway connectivity of Lubumbashi extends to Lubumbashi and other southern cities of the country.

The local transportation of Ilebo is catered by buses, taxis and rental cars and bikes.

Food and Shopping in Ilebo:

Ilebo is a town for all basic and modern amenities like shops, restaurants, handicraft stores and health clinic but credit card is generally not accepted in any shops and restaurants in the town, so visitors are advised to bring some local currency.

Things to do in Ilebo:

Boat riding
Swimming
Fishing

Tourist Attractions in Ilebo:

Kasai River:

Kasai River originates in Angola and flows through the heart of DRC, where the town of Ilebo lies on its bank. The river bank is popular among both locals and tourists in Ilebo as fishing, swimming and boating point.

Salonga National Park:

The Salonga National Park is the largest tropical rainforest reserve in Africa with an area of 36,000 km². UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salonga is a paradise for bird and animal lovers with a large number of faunal species including Congo Peacock, leopards, forest elephants, giant pangolin, tree pangolin, and Angolan slender mongoose. The Salonga National Park was established in 1970 and is located few kilometers north of Ilebo.

Ilebo Airport:

The Ilebo Airport is a landmark site, situated 3 km away from the city centre. Apart from arrival of flights, Ilebo Airport is also well known for its construction and lovely surrounding environment.

List of other places of interest near Ilebo include:

Okapi Wildlife Reserve
Garamba National Park
Boyoma Falls
Mount Nyiragongo
Virunga National Park
Maiko National Park
Lake Kivu
Livingstone Falls
Lola ya Bonobo
Kahuzi-Biéga National Park
Jardin d’Eden
Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
Lukaya River
Congo River

Best time to visit Ilebo:

Like most parts of the country, from June to August is the ideal time to enjoy the tour of Ilebo in DRC.

Hotels in and around Ilebo:

Hotels are limited in Ilebo, moreover tourist favor hotel is difficult to see in the town. So tourists are suggested to refer hotels in the national capital Kinshasa as most tourists generally do. The below list includes hotels in Kinshasa (around 920 km from Ilebo):