Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Do not travelAvoid all travel
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Kinshasa proper
Exercise increased cautionThe capital is chaotic but navigable for careful travelers. Armed robbery, carjackings, and street crime occur, especially at night. Certain neighborhoods are safer than others.
Avoid: Outer suburbs (Njili, Kongo-Loko), poorly lit streets at night, deserted areas, informal settlements.
Common scams: Armed robbery, fake currency, inflated taxi fares, pickpocketing.
Source: US State Department · Verified 2026-07-06
Eastern DRC (Kivu region: North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri)
Do not travelActive armed conflict, militia violence, sexual violence, and banditry are endemic. Dozens of militant groups operate; security is unpredictable. This region is extremely dangerous.
Avoid: All eastern provinces east of Kasai. Specifically: all of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and parts of Kasai and Maniema.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Western/Central DRC (Kasai, Kasai Central, Katanga south)
Reconsider travelBanditry, militia activity, and occasional violence occur. Kasai region has seen recent conflict. Travel is dangerous; permits required.
Avoid: Unmarked roads at night; remote areas without guides; Kasai-Kasai Central border regions.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Central rainforest (Kasai region, Congo region)
Exercise increased cautionRemote rainforest with sparse population and limited government control. Poaching occurs. Access is difficult. Travel with guides.
Avoid: Remote forest areas without organization; wildlife boundaries.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
5 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, US State Department, UK FCDO. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Police Nationale Congolaise
police · Kinshasa
The police number published by UK FCDO, which notes these numbers are confirmed only for Kinshasa and that assistance in other major cities is limited. The number 1700, which circulates for Congolese police, is not what the Foreign Office gives.
SourceSapeurs-Pompiers
fire · Kinshasa
The fire number published by UK FCDO, again confirmed only for Kinshasa.
SourceCentre Prive d'Urgence (CPU)
ambulance · Kinshasa
UK FCDO publishes no ambulance number for the DRC and states that for a medical emergency requiring an ambulance you should contact a hospital directly to request one. This is the emergency centre on the British Embassy list of medical facilities, and calling it directly is what the Foreign Office advice amounts to in practice.
SourceCentre Medical de Kinshasa (CMK)
hospital · Kinshasa
The facility listed first for Kinshasa by the British Embassy, with English-speaking staff and Ministry of Health accreditation. Ngaliema Medical Center on +243 81 50 94 444 and Monkole on +243 89 00 00 385 are the other large options on the same list.
SourceHeal Africa
hospital · Goma
The hospital the British Embassy names for Goma, in the east. It is on the list because Kinshasa is over fifteen hundred kilometres away and effectively unreachable in an emergency from the Kivus. Maison Medical du Centre on +243 99 77 02 897 is the other Goma facility listed. Check current travel advice for the east before going.
Source