Ubundu

Ubundu
Commune
Ubundu is a port on the Congo River, about a 100 km up a muddy road from Kisangani.
Ubundu
Coordinates: 0°21′32″S25°26′00″E / 0.358813°S 25.433221°E / -0.358813; 25.433221
Country	DR Congo
Province	Tshopo
Territory	Ubundu
Time zone	UTC+2 (CAT)
Climate	Tropical raninforest (Af)
National language	Swahili

Ubundu, formerly known as Ponthierville or Ponthierstad, is a town located in the Tshopo Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the administrative center of the territory of the same name. It is on the Lualaba River, or Upper Congo, just above the Boyoma Falls.

History

As the river is not navigable from here downstream to Kisangani, a portage railway was built to link the settlement to Kisangani. It was built and operated during the colonial era by the Compagnie du chemin de fer du Congo supérieur aux Grands Lacs africains of CFL (1902-1960) whose rail and river steamer service connected Kisangani with Katanga. Upstream from Ubundu the river is navigable as far as Kasongo.

In 1951, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and the crew of the film The African Queen arrived in Ubundu by train for filming in the jungle. In those days, the town was described as a "pretty colonial outpost". ^[1]

The area saw some of the worst fighting during the Second Congo War. By around 2003, the town had no electricity, has very few facilities, and was considered a "very dangerous" place. ^[2]

In July of 2025, the DRC signed a $257 million concession contract to revamp the 115 kilometre long Kisangani–Ubundu railway segment, expected for completion in 2028. ^[3]

See also

• Transport in DRC

References

1. Butcher, Tim (2007). Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart . Chatto and Windus. p. 226. ISBN   9780701179816.
2. Butcher, Tim (2007). Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart. Chatto and Windus. pp. 227–230. ISBN   9780701179816.
3. Klein, Anne-Laure (July 10, 2025). "DRC Signs $257M Railway Concession for Kisangani Ubundu Line" . Retrieved December 16, 2025.