Things to Do in Bangui Cathedral

Sunset bell-tower lookout

Climb the narrow spiral of coral-coloured stairs for a 360-degree river view. You'll smell woodsmoke from riverside kitchens. Boat engines cough to life as the sky bruises purple. The caretaker usually appears with a hefty key around 17:00. He expects a small goodwill gesture.

Sunday morning service with archdiocese choir

The eight o'clock mass floods the nave with layered harmonies. The faint sweetness of crushed pineapple comes from the communion cup. Worshippers sway in unison. Their bright kitenge fabrics rustle like dry leaves.

Wartime memorial photo exhibit in the crypt

A dim underground corridor displays fading images of the 2013 militia occupation. The air tastes chalky with old concrete. The echo of your footsteps feels intrusive. Most visitors move slowly and speak in whispers.

Palm-wine courtyard with clergy

Behind the sacristy, plastic chairs circle a mango tree. Retired priests share calabashes of milky palm wine there. The drink smells faintly sour, almost like fermenting coconut. Conversation drifts between French, Sango and Latin jokes.

Riverside craft market just outside the gates

Before you reach the steps, vendors unroll raffia mats. They're stacked with ebony crucifixes and Ubangi-fish-skin wallets. Hammers tap wood in rhythm. The smell of freshly carved okoumé sawdust hangs thick.

Hôtel Levy's Patio, two blocks east, where courtyard bougainvillea drops pink petals into the plunge pool

Résidence Hada near the old Parliament, popular with NGO staff and offering generator backup when the grid naps

Village du Bord de Mer river lodge, upstream cabanas whose wooden decks creak hypnotically under your feet

Auberge de Jeunesse du Plateau, bare-bones but friendly, and the rooftop bar shows French football on fuzzy TVs

Ledger Plaza, set in a converted colonial house with high ceilings and resident weaver birds

Relais des Chutes, a mid-range compound bordering a small waterfall - you'll hear it more than see it at night