It is a deep dive into the heartland of Africa, into the mysterious Democratic Republic of Congo. A dream of many backpackers and often cited as a dangerous country to travel. Moving from A to B in the DRC is an adventure for outsiders and still challenge for locals and not everything is true about what comes into your mind for Congo. Yes, it still struggles for peace in its eastern region. The UN and other organizations trying to stabilize and support the country and as many refugees from other countries flood over the border, it is a challenge to be faced here. Despite all these efforts, for me Congo resembles still an authentic and real Africa off the beaten track. Rarely a visitor crosses into the DRC and while in Congo for little bit over three weeks, I only met two other travelers - excluding two fellow travelers I met just at the start of my journey.

Finding sights on a map of this huge country is a challenge, but reaching them is even harder. My adventure begins along the border to Rwanda, climbing an active volcano and with a visit to the famous mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park. Continuing in Kisangani, the "touristy" sights almost vanish and a historical-shaded drift on the Congo River begins. Following the call of the jungle, I leave the river and take a hard daytrip over the washed-away infrastructure of the north-western Congo. While a boat ride may take a couple of more days, maybe even weeks, I head to Mbandaka by plane before finishing the journey in Kinshasa, the shiny, even too shiny, capital of the DRC.

Follow the full journey on http://www.followtheshadow.de