Republic of the Congo Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
The cut
397 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges de Sounda where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Big Ben · 96 m · Eiffel Tower · 330 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
397m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
3.3km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
28°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
6m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
3 °C warmer at the bottom.
In September the afternoon reaches 31 °C on the floor, against 29 °C on the rim. The wettest months are from November to March.
- 29°27°Jan
- 30°27°Feb
- 30°27°Mar
- 30°27°Apr
- 30°27°May
- 29°27°Jun
- 29°26°Jul
- 30°27°Aug
- 31°29°Sep
- 31°28°Oct
- 29°26°Nov
- 29°26°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Republic of the Congo gorges
Gorges de Sounda is a gorge in Republic of the Congo, cut by the Niari river. The relief model measures 397 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 3.3 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Kibangounearest town · 14 km in a straight line
- Gorges de Soundanearest viewpoint · 1.5 km from the floor
- Antonio Agostinho-Neto International Airport (PNR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 88 km in a straight line
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Niari runs highest from December to March.
The Niari carries about 883 m³/s on average here. It runs highest from December to March. It is lowest from July to September.
- 1,687 m³/sJan
- 1,426 m³/sFeb
- 1,379 m³/sMar
- 1,330 m³/sApr
- 1,102 m³/sMay
- 672 m³/sJun
- 361 m³/sJul
- 222 m³/sAug
- 242 m³/sSep
- 633 m³/sOct
- 1,326 m³/sNov
- 1,705 m³/sDec
From about 222 m³/s in the lowest month to 1,705 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 55,486 km².
Follow the Kouilou-Niari River from source to mouth on Riveryas
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
1.8 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 7.0 × 7.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 1viewpoints within 5 kmGorges de Sounda
- 1hotels and guesthouses within 8 km
- marked hiking routes within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- climbing crags within 3 km
- footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls within 4 km
- caves within 3 km
- car parks within 3 km
- information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- bus stops within 2 km
- campsites within 8 km
- restaurants and cafés within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Kibangou14 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges de Sounda.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 29 |
| Afternoon · rim | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 26 |
| Night · rim | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
| Rain (mm) | 161 | 147 | 167 | 146 | 92 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 144 | 226 | 188 |
| Rainy days | 25 | 24 | 27 | 26 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 27 |
| Sun hours/day | 4.4 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 27 | 21 | 161 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 30 | 27 | 21 | 147 | 4.3 |
| Mar | 30 | 27 | 21 | 167 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 30 | 27 | 21 | 146 | 5.0 |
| May | 30 | 27 | 20 | 92 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 29 | 27 | 18 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Jul | 29 | 26 | 16 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 30 | 27 | 17 | 2 | 2.0 |
| Sep | 31 | 29 | 19 | 24 | 1.3 |
| Oct | 31 | 28 | 20 | 144 | 2.3 |
| Nov | 29 | 26 | 21 | 226 | 3.2 |
| Dec | 29 | 26 | 21 | 188 | 3.5 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (6 m) and the rim (417 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 93% | 156% | 73% | 51% | 153% | — | — | — | 38% | 51% | 133% | 77% |
| 2021 | 69% | 60% | 125% | 71% | 43% | — | — | — | 63% | 41% | 86% | 93% |
| 2022 | 33% | 35% | 82% | 98% | 84% | — | — | — | 115% | 71% | 84% | 81% |
| 2023 | 60% | 145% | 104% | 138% | 94% | — | — | — | 37% | 85% | 121% | 144% |
| 2024 | 30% | 136% | 102% | 129% | 49% | — | — | — | 70% | 45% | 123% | 79% |
| 2025 | 60% | 57% | 53% | 44% | 143% | — | — | — | 14% | 30% | 101% | 55% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges de Sounda
Republic of the Congo
- 397 mDepth
- 3.3 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 28°Steepest wall
Gorges de Diosso
Republic of the Congo · 71 km
- 60 mDepth
- 8.4 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 12°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q22380039) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here