The Congo — here called the Lualaba — runs broad and brown past Kisangani at the upper limit of navigation from Kinshasa, and the riverfront is the city's living artery. Pirogues, dugouts, barges and the occasional rusting boat from the Belgian era jostle for space along the bank. Traders sell smoked fish, cassava, palm wine and forest fruits from improvised stalls.
The downstream port handles the slow week-long barge convoys to Kinshasa, the great experience of African river travel for those who can find a passage. Upstream of the falls, the river is calm and navigable all the way east towards Ubundu. The riverbank around the central market is best visited in the early morning when the catch comes in.