Western food is only available in the capital, Bangui. Most of the top-class hotels have good restaurants. The standard of these restaurants is high, but they do tend to be expensive. Otherwise travellers must call at local villages and barter for provisions. Local food is basic. Many dishes contain okra (gombo), although other popular ingredients include rice, bananas and cassava.
Bars are numerous in Bangui with both table and counter service. Drinking and smoking are not encouraged in Muslim society; in Muslim areas, drinking is best done in private. Elsewhere, there are numerous beer halls offering beverages of a high standard.
National specialities:
• Muamba de Galinha is chicken with palm oil and okra.
• Chicken and cumin stew.
• Palm butter soup.
• Shrimps eaten with boiled yams or sweet potatoes.
• Spinach stew, which might also include tomato, peppers, chiles, onions and peanut butter.
• Banana leaves stuffed with beef, onions and peanuts.
• Dongo-Dongo, which is halfway between a soup and a sauce, and is always served with okra and sometimes fish or meat too.
National drinks:
• Two of the most popular brews are palm wine and banana wine.
Tipping: 10 per cent is appropriate in expensive hotels and restaurants. Bargaining is normal.

The few hotels in Bangui have expensive clubs catering for tourists and businessmen; local nightlife is centred on the district known as ‘Kilomètre Cinq’.

Bangui has reasonable shopping facilities, notably for ebony, gold jewellery, butterfly collections and objets d’art made from butterfly wings. However, one of the best methods of finding bargain souvenirs is by bartering with villagers outside the urban areas for their handmade goods. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1600-1900. Some shops close on Monday. The market in Bangui is open 0730-dusk.