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 you actually see

• 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. Check current travel advice before planning, and arrange the trip through specialist local operators.

Honest expectations

The frame first, always - the east's practicalities are settled with local partners before plans harden. 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.