Gabon: Wild Paradise

Naturalist and Explorer Michael Fay who conducted the famous mega-transect has dubbed Gabon as “Africa’s Last Eden”. Tourism to the national parks was initiated in 2002 and is still in its infancy, yet this country can deliver an unrivaled diversity of wildlife experiences. Dense jungle, savanna, wetlands, lagoons, and the ocean all come together in Loango National Park. Here unbelievable sightings occur, such as hippos surfing in the ocean, forest elephant and buffalo walking on the beach, remarkable clearings in deep forest known as a bai, where one may see lowland gorillas and elephants at the same time interacting in proximity to one another. Spectacular displays by humback whales may be viewed as well as nesting sea turtles, manatees, red river hogs, chimpanzees and a host of other primates, this deeply wild land has it all. Lopé National Park adds more opportunities to penetrate raw jungle with a bounty of primates, birds, and forest dwelling mammals. A highlight is the chance to trek for mandrills, one of the most colorful mammals on earth with their vibrant faces, and known to be the primate that congregates in the largest numbers (outside of humans) – in this area groups of 600 have been sighted together. At Evengué, a gorilla sanctuary can be visited where one can learn about the orphan training project aiming for future wild releases and see gorillas at close distance. Langoue Bai in Invindo National Park has a Wildlife Conservation Society Research station and offers one of the most spectacular places on earth to sit and watch animals come and go, unfortunately this site is closed to tourism until at least January 2009 as the government is evaluating the first 7 years of the project there. We will offer visits to this magical area as soon as it is reopened.

In addition to the tremendous biodiversity there is also a full diversity of activities and experiences as this glorious land can be explored on foot and by vehicle, boat, and kayak. This destination is recommended for veteran safari goers or experienced travelers of other wild regions. Accommodation is comfortable but simple without the typical thrills and luxury of more traditional safari locations. The equatorial jungle is dense and in many areas patience is needed to view species as they come into clearings or savanna areas. This is not a Big 5 type safari with thousands of habituated animals but it is a one of a kind place to witness an astounding array of rarely viewed sights, a hard-core nature lover’s paradise! Best of all, profits generated from tourism in the parks are directly reinvested in the area to ensure continued and economically sustainable protection of the national parks – a true model for other countries to follow.