ville de la République démocratique du Congo
Kalemie is a town on the west coast of Lake Tanganyika, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The town was founded in the 1890s as a Belgian military base called Albertville or Albertstad.
Reaching Kalemie is difficult and travelling overland can be quite a dangerous journey. There are flights from the capital Kinshasa and Lubumbashi a few times per week with FlyCAA. Flying is by far the most convenient way of travelling here. There is an infrequent rail service from Lubumbashi, officially two-three times per month, but delays and breakdowns are common. Travelling by road is equally frustrating as the main road, the north-south N5, is often impassable. Kalemie being a port city, boats arrive here from other ports on Lake Tanganyika such as Kigoma. However, safety is an issue and accidents happen with some regularity.