Matadi

Matadi is the head of ocean navigation on the Congo, about a hundred and fifty kilometres from the sea, and it is built on rock so steep that the streets climb in steps and switchbacks above the port. The name means stone. The Maréchal bridge, a suspension span opened in 1983 and built with Japanese assistance, crosses the gorge below the town and is the only bridge over the Congo anywhere downstream of Kinshasa. The port handles most of the country's imports.

History

Matadi lies near the site of the state of Vungu, first mentioned in 1535 and said to have been destroyed in 1624. Henry Morton Stanley founded the town in 1879, and as the last navigable port going upstream it became the furthest inland port of the Congo Free State. The Matadi-Kinshasa Railway, built between 1890 and 1898, let goods from deep in the interior reach the port and made the town an important trading centre, and Portuguese and French commercial interests from neighbouring Angola and the French Congo shaped its architecture and layout. It is the country's chief seaport, 148 km from the river mouth (Wikipedia, Matadi).

What you'll find

• The port - ocean-going ships at the head of navigation, a hundred and fifty kilometres inland.
• The Marechal bridge - a suspension span across the Congo gorge, opened in 1983.
• The gorge - the river running fast and deep between rock walls below the town.
• The stepped streets - a town built on rock, with switchback roads and stairs between levels.

When to go

May to September is the dry season and the most comfortable. The lower Congo is hot and humid year-round. Mornings are best for walking the steep streets.

What to expect

This is a working port city with little for visitors and no real tourism infrastructure. Photography around the port and the bridge is restricted and can attract attention. The heat and the gradients make walking hard work.

Nearby

Boma is downstream towards the coast, and Inga falls are upstream.

Key facts