Lac de Ma Vallee

Lac de Ma Vallée is a small lake in a wooded valley in the hills south of Kinshasa, with a path around it, pedalos and canoes for hire, and a set of open-air bars and grills along the bank. It is not a wilderness and does not pretend to be: it is where Kinshasa goes on a Sunday to get out of the heat and the traffic. The drive out passes through the Bas-Congo hills, which are green and rolling and a change from the city.

What you actually see

• The lake - a small body of water in a wooded valley, walked around in half an hour.
• The boats - pedalos and canoes hired from the bank.
• The grills - open-air bars and food stalls along the shore, busiest on Sundays.
• The valley - forested slopes around the lake, cooler than the city.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and the most comfortable. Sundays are the busiest day by a long way and are when the place is at its liveliest. Weekdays are quiet and some of the bars do not open.

Honest expectations

It is small and there is little to do beyond eat, drink and sit. Litter around the busier sections is a problem. Swimming is not advisable and the water is not maintained for it.

Nearby

Kinshasa is half an hour north, and the Bombo-Lumene reserve is east of the city.