From the Gombe waterfront you can look across the Congo River -- the world's second largest by volume after the Amazon -- to Brazzaville, the capital of Congo Republic, sitting barely four kilometres away. No two capital cities on earth sit closer to each other, and the contrast between the two skylines is striking: Kinshasa massive and sprawling, Brazzaville smaller and calmer across the brown water.
The river itself is extraordinary to contemplate. At this point it is several kilometres wide and runs with a force that powers some of the most impressive rapids on the continent just downstream at the Pool Malebo narrows. Watch the pirogues -- long dugout canoes -- crossing impossibly loaded with goods and people. The ferry to Brazzaville departs from Ngobila Beach nearby; even if you are not crossing, the dock area gives you a vivid sense of the river's role as the artery of this part of Africa. Come in the late afternoon when the light on the water is at its best.