Two young chimpanzees in Nouabalé-Ndoki national park, Republic of the Congo. Photograph: Ian Nichols/Corbis

Republic of Congo surprise choice on Lonely Planet's 2015 wishlist

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The publisher’s annual Best in Travel collection puts the Republic of Congo in sixth spot on list of top 10 countries in the world to visit

Lonely Planet select the top 10 cities to visit in 2015

The Republic of Congo (also known as Congo-Brazzaville) has been ranked among the best countries to travel to in 2015 by travel guides publisher Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015 yearbook – which features 16 themed lists, among them the best cities in the world, best value destinations and best family experiences – judges destinations on a number of criteria, including whether there is something special going on next year, whether there have been recent developments or a buzz about the place, and whether it is deemed to be up-and-coming.

Better roads, new safari attractions and improved tourism infrastructure, as well as the chance to see elephants and gorillas in the wild, are among the reasons the Republic of the Congo (not to be confused with Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire) made the list, ranked sixth place, ahead of St Lucia and Morocco.

Writing in the book, Lonely Planet admit that “right now, foreign tourism is as rare as an albino gorilla, but the Congolese government … is keen to change that.”

They add: “The Congo, with its stash of national parks and other protected areas covering enormous swathes of barely touched rainforest … [Republic of Congo] has the potential to become one of Africa’s finest ecotourism destinations.”

Singapre Skyline — Singapore tops the list of countries to visit in 2015. Photograph: Eric Au

Topping the list of countries to visit in 2015 is Singapore, which Lonely Planet praises for its heritage, green spaces and glitzy shopping centres. The country also celebrates its 50^th anniversary of independence next year, meaning there will be a host of new attractions – such as the National Art Gallery and the Singapore Sports Hub – as well as plenty of festivals and celebrations.

Singapore is closely tailed by Namibia and Lithuania, which come in second and third place respectively.

Ireland has also made the list, sitting in fifth place. As Lonely Planet puts it: “Ireland is stunningly scenic, its traditions – music, dance, whiskey, and beer – firmly intact and the cosmopolitan, contemporary Irish are just as friendly and welcoming as their forebears were known to be.”

Top 10 Countries in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2015