Lubumbashi
The copper capital of the south, founded as Élisabethville in 1910, on a high plateau near the Zambian border where the dry season lasts half the year.
- Arrival
- Lubumbashi International · FBM
- To the city
- About 11 km north of the centre
- Private jets
- FBM, airport of entry with customs
- Best time
- April to October
The city
Copper town on the plateau.
The Belgian government founded Élisabethville in 1910, and copper has driven the city ever since: it remains the mining centre of the region and the base of many of the country's largest mining companies. With some two and a half million people it is the second city of the DRC, set at about 1,200 metres above the sea.
The seasons are clear-cut. From May to September the plateau barely sees a drop of rain and days stay at twenty-five to thirty degrees; October is the warmest month. From November to March the rains are heavy, with more than 250 mm in December, January and February.
- Lubumbashi National Museum The regional museum of archaeology and ethnology, covering the peoples and the deep past of the south.
- Lubumbashi Zoo Rehabilitated by a non-profit association, and one of the most visited places in the city.
- Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul The Catholic cathedral of the old Élisabethville, in the colonial centre.
Arriving
A long runway on the plateau.
Lubumbashi International lies about eleven kilometres north of the centre, with a 3,200-metre runway at 1,300 metres of altitude.
- Kigali 1 h 50
- Nairobi 2 h 20
- Cape Town 3 h 45
- London 10 h 00 long-range jet
- Singapore 11 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
April to October.
Altitude keeps the heat in check. April to October is dry, with days of twenty-five to thirty-one degrees and almost no rain from May to September. The summer rains, November to March, bring more than 150 mm in every month and over 250 mm at their peak.
- 26° J 253
- 26° F 257
- 26° M 202
- 27° A 60
- 26° M 4
- 25° J 1
- 25° J 0
- 27° A 0
- 30° S 4
- 31° O 37
- 28° N 163
- 26° D 257
Where to stay
By the lake, near the golf course.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book in town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers the DRC. This is the restaurant of the city’s five-star hotel, now run by a chef with two MICHELIN stars in Brussels.
- Le Karavia Signature restaurant, Pullman Lubumbashi Grand Karavia French, international Pullman Grand Karavia, Quartier Golf
Elsewhere in Congo (Kinshasa)
More reasons to come.
Flying to Lubumbashi?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.