Kolwezi · Lualaba Province · DR Congo

The Congo you haven't seen yet.

Copper mines that built an empire. Waterfalls no guidebook has mapped. A memorial that changed a continent's history. Lualaba Expeditions takes you into the real Copperbelt — guided by the people who call it home.

  • Licensed DRC tour operator
  • Local, English/French/Chinese-speaking guides
  • Community-partnered, revenue stays local
  • Secure online enquiry & booking
Why Kolwezi

An entire province the rest of the world skipped.

Kolwezi sits at the centre of the richest cobalt and copper reserves on Earth — and almost nobody outside the mining industry has ever visited it as a traveller. That's the opportunity. You get colonial-era headframes without a fence of tour buses, waterfalls higher than Victoria Falls with no queue, and a memorial to one of Africa's defining independence leaders, told by Congolese guides rather than a foreign textbook.

We built Lualaba Expeditions because the expats, engineers and diplomats already living here kept asking the same question: "is there anything to actually do?" There is. A lot. It just needed a guide.

Heritage

A hundred and twenty years of mining history, told on-site.

Wilderness

Two of Central Africa's least-visited national parks.

People

Community tourism where the money visibly stays local.

Open-pit copper mine viewpoint near Kolwezi at dusk with headframe silhouette
Traditional Tshokwe music and dance performance for visitors in a Katangese village
Community-based tourism

Be Part of the People

This is our flagship promise: every homestay, every cooking class, every artisan workshop is booked directly with the family or cooperative that runs it. No middlemen skimming the difference.

70%+of the tour price paid directly to host families & artisans
14partner households and cooperatives across Lualaba

Meet the communities

What travellers say

Trusted by expats, historians and adventurers alike

★★★★★

"We've lived in Kolwezi for two years and had no idea the mine heritage tour existed. Brought my visiting parents — genuinely the best day we've had here."

Sarah M.Mining expat, Kolwezi
★★★★★

"The Lumumba tour was handled with real care and honesty — not sanitised, not sensationalised. Our guide's own family history made it unforgettable."

Thomas B.History traveller, Belgium
★★★★★

"Lofoi Falls is taller than Victoria Falls and we had the entire viewpoint to ourselves. Logistics were flawless from Lubumbashi airport onward."

Grace K.Adventure traveller, Nairobi
@lualabaexpeditions

Latest from the field

Instagram post: sunrise over the Lualaba river Instagram post: hikers at Kundelungu plateau Instagram post: village cooking class Instagram post: historic mine headframe Instagram post: Lumumba memorial visit Instagram post: Tshokwe artisan carving