Matadi
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Kongo-Central · 100 m
Description
Matadi is where ocean ships stop, a hundred and fifty kilometres up the Congo from the sea and directly below the first of the Livingstone rapids, which no vessel can pass. Stanley founded it in 1879 and the railway of 1898 was cut through the hills to carry cargo around the falls to Kinshasa. The town climbs those hills in terraces of stairways and steep lanes. The Matadi bridge of 1983 spans the river in a single leap of five hundred and twenty metres. Upstream at Yelala a rock carries the cross and inscription Diogo Cão cut in 1485.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – August
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Matadi bridge over the Congo
- The port where ocean ships end
- Chutes de Yelala(Day trip)
- Diogo Cão inscription of 1485 at Yelala(Day trip)
- Stairway streets of the hillside quarters
- Matadi railway station and the line of 1898
- Vivi across the water, the first capital
- Boma and its colonial waterfront(Day trip)
- Congo gorge seen from the bridge deck
- Marché central de Matadi
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame Médiatrice de toutes les Grâces
- Grilled river fish and fufu at the market stalls
- Road south to the Angolan border at Noqui
- Livingstone Falls, where navigation ends
Getting there
- Airports:
- MAT
- Train stations:
- Matadi
- Border town:
- Democratic Republic of the Congo