Trip To Boyoma Falls and Wagenya Fishermen, DR Congo Wildlife Safari Tours
Boyoma Falls in central DR Congo is a unique natural spectacular endowment and is a food-giving place to the soul. The Falls is known for its volume, which is the highest in the world in terms of annual flow rate, and width which measures 4,500 feet across.
Formerly known as the Stanley Falls, the Boyoma Falls are a collection of 7 rapids – each measuring about 4.5 meters high and extending over more than 100 km (62 mi) along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani (also known as Boyoma) in the Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The seven cataracts have a total drop of 61 m (200 ft). They form the largest waterfall by volume of annual flow rate in the world, exceeding both Niagara Falls and Iguazu Falls. The two major cataracts are the first below Ubundu town, forming a narrow and crooked stream that is hardly accessible, and the last that can be seen and visited from Kisangani. At the bottom of the rapids, the Lualaba is known as the Congo River. A 1m-gauge portage railway bypasses the series of rapids, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.
The flow of many waterfalls varies according to the season, and some have been reduced by building dams to harness their power for hydroelectric plants. The flow of the Boyoma waterfall is equivalent to 17 million liters a second to fill more than 140,000 baths per second, or enough for every person on Earth to have two baths a day!
The heart of the Congo Rainforest was one of the last places on Earth to be extensively explored by Western explorers. Henry Morton Stanley, of Stanley and Livingstone fame, stumbled upon the falls during his journey along the Congo River in the 1870s. He named the falls for himself, a moniker that stuck for well over a century. They are now known as Boyoma Falls or Wagenia Falls among native Congolese French speakers.
The Wagenya tribe lives in areas around the falls and uses ancient fishing methods (including baskets) which have been passed on from generation to generation. If you happen to travel between Ubundu and Kisangani, you will be left in awe at the sheer beauty of these falls. After visiting the falls, you can also visit the Wagenya tribe to learn more about their way of life and unique fishing methods. These methods are tailored to work effectively in the fast-flowing rapids and rocks.
Book and Arrange with Ultimate Wild Safaris for the Boyoma Falls tour in DR Congo.
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