Matadi is a major city of 300,000 in Western DRC, located on the banks of River Congo. It is the country's chief sea port and the capital of the Bas-Congo province.

Understand

Founded in 1879 by Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Matadi has a strategic position along the Congo river as it's the last navigable port before the impassable Livingstone Falls. It's the gateway to the world for Democratic Republic of Congo and the country's largest port.

Get in

By plane

There's no scheduled flights to Matadi, but the small, unpaved, Matadi Tshimpi Airport can handle small charter flights.

By road

Travelling by road is possible as national road N1 between Kinshasa and the Atlantic port of Banana passes through Matadi. The road is generally in acceptable condition with many paved sections, however there are rough parts which requires a 4x4 vehicle. It's recommended to make inquirers before travelling. Matadi is also the site of the only bridge across Congo river proper. Matadi is next to the border with Angola and it's possible to travel by road from Northern Angola. The nearest city across the border is M'banza-Kongo, while the distance is just over 120 km the state of roads make the journey challenging.

By rail

A better option might be travelling by rail. Passenger trains are once again running to Matadi from the capital Kinshasa. Trains are semi-modern with first-class seats and a dining car. There are departures 1-2 times a week and with a journey time of just seven hours it is one of the faster train services in central Africa.

• 1 Matadi railway station (Gare de Matadi) (Located just north of city centre.). (updated Nov 2019)

Get around

There are many possibilities like the usage of boda-boda, taxi, bus, and as well railway transport which cross the city.

Talk

Citizens around the city uses mostly their local language Kituba (Kikongo), Lingala, Tshibula, and Swahili language and some have a quite understanding of French and Portuguese.

See

• 1 Cathedral of Matadi (Cathédrale Notre-Dame Médiatrice), 1 Avenue de la Mission. Built in 1892. (updated Nov 2019)
• Matadi Bridge.
• Port of Matadi.

Buy

• Kin Marche Matadi.
• Camp Banana.

Eat

• Hotel Vivi Palace.
• Hotel Formoza Matadi.

Drink

• Hotel la fleur.

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Métropole, 2 Avenue Kinkanda. A colonial building built in 1930. While having lost much of its international flair it's still a very decent hotel. (updated Nov 2019)
• Auberge de la Paix.
• Avenue Colonel Carine Lokanga Matadi.

Connect

• 1 Consulate of Angola, 4 Avenue Bukavu, ☏ +243 990 128 122. (updated Nov 2019)