The Kembe Falls

At Kembe the Kotto river spreads wide and steps down in terraced curtains - a broad stairway of falls braiding around rock islands, gallery forest crowding the banks and mist softening the drops in the wet months' aftermath. The falls rank among the country's scenic treasures on any listing, fishing pirogues work the pools below, and the site's roadside geography once made it the east's classic pause. Visits sit within the country's standing arranged-travel frame, with local guides framing the day where arrangements allow.

What's there

• The terraced curtains - the Kotto braiding down its stairway.
• The rock islands - green anchors splitting the flow.
• The gallery banks - forest walls framing the river.
• The pirogue pools - fishing life below the drops.

When to go

November to February eases the roads; flows run fullest just after the rains. Arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Things to know

At the falls: rocks and currents ask full respect, facilities are none, and the reward is a great river working in privacy.

Nearby

Kembe town and the Kotto's forest reaches.

Key facts