Wild Gabon Adventure

Upon arrival at the Leon MBA International Airport in Libreville, you will take a taxi (about 6 Euro per person) to Hotel Le Méridien for your overnight stay. (Specific information for taxis will be provided.)

Take a taxi back to the airport for your 9:00 am flight to Omboué via Port Gentil. On arrival in Omboué, you will take a 20-minute Gabonese pirogue boat tour down the beautiful Mpivié River to Evengué Island. Arrive at Evengué Island in time for a late lunch. Evengué Island is the base for a gorilla rehabilitation project managed by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society). The staff will explain the gorilla program and accompany you on a short bush walk that will take you to the gorilla family. The family group is largely made up of orphaned gorillas, and are currently housed in an enclosure on the island. The resident staff of researchers are highly knowledgeable on gorilla behavior and will share their knowledge and experience with you. You are guaranteed to see the gorillas, but you will not see them “in the wild” on this island. Spend the rest of the day exploring the island on foot or by kayak, or simply enjoy the tranquillity and superb views from the terrace of the lodge. Dinner and overnight at the Evengué Lodge. All rooms have private bathroom facilities, a fan and a private terrace which overlook the lagoon or the jungle.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Loango Lodge down the dark waters of the Mpivié River. En route, visit St. Anne, the missionary post and the immense bamboo forest. The old Church Eiffel was a gift from the first priest mother and designed and built in Paris in the late 1800’s. It was then shipped, in pieces, to Gabon where it transferred over water and pulled out by elephants. You may also visit the boarding school, missionary post, and after a short walk through the forest, the incredible bamboo cathedral where in rare occasions ceremonies are still being held. After your visit around St. Anne, continue your trip down the Mpivié River through the dense rain-forest. Search for Hartlaub duck, African Finfoots, Fishing owls, and many other types of birds, as well as monkeys and crocodiles. After approximately 2 hours, you will exchange the boat for a 4x4 jeep that will drive another 45 minutes to the lodge. Upon arrival at Loango Lodge, you will be welcomed with refreshments and shown to your room. Depending on time of arrival, it might still be possible to make a first visit to Loango National Park by boat or 4x4 vehicle. Return to the lodge for your dinner and overnight. All bungalows have a fan, safe, air conditioning, and screen windows. The restaurant, offering French/Gabonese cuisine, has a large sun terrace and a library with an extensive collection of books about Gabon, birds, and wildlife.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast, the boat will depart for a 4 hour journeys south to Akaka. After crossing some large lagoons, you will arrive at the Rembo Ngove River, where you will spend the last 1.5 hours. During the trip you might encounter birds, elephants, buffaloes, and sitatungas (swamp-dwelling antelopes), possibly even bathing in the river. Akaka is one of the most remote parts of Loango National Park. The Akaka forest thrives with butterflies and is home to a number of rare bird species. The bush camp is situated on the riverbank in the heart of the tropical rainforest and the wetlands. At times, the wildlife, especially elephants, will pass right through camp. Akaka is a good starting point for excursions like forest walks, or trips by kayak or motorboat along the Rembo Ngowe and Rembo Echira rivers. In the dry season, the concentrations of particularly forest buffalo and forest elephant that migrate into the area are easily seen. Smaller mammals like sitatunga, red river hogs, forest duikers, five species of monkey and great apes inhabit the area all year round. The camp has 5 dome tents on sundecks, each with a private bathroom with bucket shower and chemical toilet. Each tent has 2 comfortable single beds with air mattresses, chairs, and a private terrace overlooking the jungle. During the night the sounds of the elephants and the other animals make sure you get the authentic African experience. Meals and overnights at the Akaka Forest Camp.

Meals: 2Breakfast, 2Lunch, 2Dinner

Return to the Loango Lodge where you will have a number of different safari possibilities. Travel into the park either by car or on foot. If you decide to do the hike, you will have a full day walk with a picnic lunch. If you prefer to travel by car, you will return to the lodge for lunch. You can also take a tour around the lagoon. This boat trip is especially fantastic for the incredible sunset. Dinner and overnights at the lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Pointe Sainte Cathérine Beach Camp, about 30 minutes by boat from Loango Lodge. This basic camp is situated at a beautiful spot on the beach in the north of Loango National Park. Swimming, collecting shells and fishing are amongst the possibilities. You can also simply relax here, with one of the most beautiful beaches on earth all to yourself. But please note that swimming here can be dangerous due to strong currents and the possibility of sharks and/or crocodiles close to the shoreline. The surrounding coastal forest, fringing lagoon, and mangroves shelter abundant bird life and smaller mammals. Enjoy a barbecue dinner on the beach. Overnight at the Pt. St. Cathérine Tented Beach Camp. The camp has 5 Meru tents on sundecks, each with en suite bathrooms with shower and toilet. Each tent has 2 comfortable single beds, chairs, and a private terrace. In the morning you will wake up to a spectacular view of the sea.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for your charter flight to the Ivindo National Park. On arrival in Ivindo, you will be picked up by the park staff and taken to the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) Ivindo office where you will have time to rest, have a snack, and prepare for the rest of the journey. From Ivindo, you will be driven 75 km (about 2 hours) to the end of the road to Langoué. From there, it is an approximately three hour hike to camp. There is a steep hill at the beginning of the path that takes about 30 minutes to climb. From there the path is flat. The heat combined with the intense high humidity makes the climb at the beginning much more difficult than its equivalent in a cooler climate, so come prepared for a difficult walk. All visitors are expected to carry their own baggage. If you have more luggage than you need for visiting the bai, you are welcome to leave extra luggage locked up in Ivindo at the WCS office, so that you don’t have to carry the extra weight. Overnight at the Langoué Bai Research Camp, located in a large rocky clearing near a stream. While you are welcome to stay at the camp with the researches, please remember they are a conservation team and not a safari company. The camp is rustic but comfortable, with simple wooden buildings. You will be sleeping in a safari-style tent on a wooden platform, each with their own balcony. Meals are taken in the dining room with the Langoué team. There are bucket showers with hot water available upon request. Electricity is available and video/camera batteries can be charged on site. The Langoué camp and bai are only accessible on foot, so your stay here will involve a fair amount of walking.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The daily walk will take approximately one hour, each way from camp, with a steep hill at the end. It passes through spectacular tropical forest with impressively large trees and exceptionally high biodiversity, ending in a steep descent. Walking through the forest, guided by research assistants, you may see animals such as duikers, red river hogs, monkeys, rare butterfly species, and birds including the highly sought after red-headed rock fowl. There are two platforms in trees along the edge of the bai that facilitate wildlife viewing. Animal viewing can be at a distance of roughly 200 meters, so come prepared with appropriate photographic equipment (but remember you will be carrying your own luggage to and around the camp and bai). Tripods and spotting scopes are available for your use. Elephant and gorilla visitation at the bai is seasonal. The best time to see elephants is usually during the rainy season (April to June and November to January), whereas gorilla visits peak from April to July. There are currently over 1000 identified individual elephants who frequent the bai, as well as 48 known gorillas. Although there is a greater chance of observing gorillas at the bai during the peak period, gorilla viewing cannot be guaranteed. By staying a few days at the bai, you are more likely to see a greater variety of animals. From the more common visitors such as forest buffalo and sitatunga (marsh-dwelling antelope), to the unpredictable visits by red river hogs, crocodiles, otters, and monitor lizards. Many interesting birds are also observed at the bai such as the great blue turaco, the Dja River warbler, Hartlub ducks, and Bates’s swift. Please note that all the staff at the camp speak French, however, one does speak English. If you do not speak French, it is helpful to have a phrase book with you. Overnights at the Langoué Bai Research Camp.

Meals: 2Breakfast, 2Lunch, 2Dinner

After breakfast, hike and drive back from Langoué Bai to Ivindo. Pick up any luggage you left at the WCS office and board the day train to Lopé National Park. The train will depart around 2:15 pm and arrive in Lopé around 3:50 pm. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to the Lopé Hotel. Lopé National Park is a World Heritage Site, and one of the largest national parks in central Africa. Here you can marvel at another wonder of nature - the patchwork of rain forest and savannah. This phenomenon is the result of sharp climate changes that occurred during the last ice age, replacing the rain forest with savannah. Eventually, as the temperatures began rising again, the rain forest began taking more territory back from the savannah, resulting in the beautiful patchwork seen today. In the national park you can walk to the Marantaceae forest, take a savannah drive or climb Mount Brazza. Lopé National Park is also home to many animals including elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, mandrills, as well as various cats. Additionally there are many red buffalo, sitatunga, yellow-backed duiker, black colobus and sun-tailed monkeys, red river hogs, and approximately 400 species of birds. Dominated by Mount Brazza and bordered by the majestic Ogooué, the Lopé Hotel is a charming place. Each bungalow has a private bathroom and air-conditioning.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, enjoy a guided walk in search of mandrills. Groups of up to 600 mandrills have been recorded in the park. They are currently being studied, as little is known about these primates. During the mandrill tracking, you also have a chance of encountering gorillas, other small monkeys and elephants. The forest elephants can best be observed in the savannahs, in the swampy areas, or near fruit trees. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the Mikongo Camp, approximately 1.5 hours from the Lopé Hotel by 4x4 jeep. The camp was established by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) as its research camp and is a perfect location from which to search for primates. Six species of monkeys live in the forest (black colobus, mustached, putty-nosed, crowned, mangabey and mandrill), as well as the elusive western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees. Among other animals there are sitatunga, duikers, forest elephant, red river hogs and leopards. You will also have the chance to see some reptiles here, such as crocodiles and lizards. Overnight at the very basic Mikongo Camp, deep in the heart of the forest. There are 6 wooden chalets, each with its own en suite bathroom and veranda with a hammock. All rooms are equipped with a mosquito net and lighting is provided through the use of solar panels. The rooms were designed to optimize good air circulation and temperature without using air-conditioning.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you will have a number of safari activities to choose from. The best wildlife viewing is done on foot, so there will be quite a bit of walking in search of the many animals in the area. There is an extensive network of paths that allow you to tailor the walk based on length and difficulty. You could spend from 1 hour to all day in the forest, depending on your preferences. To maximize the chance of seeing wildlife, each group is kept small, with a maximum of 4 people. Accompanied by a guide and tracker, you will set out on an exciting search for mammals. Please note that viewing wildlife is not easy. Visibility in the forest is often less than 10 meters, so no guarantee can be given regarding wildlife observation. However, by walking quietly, taking heed of the guide and remaining patient, you will maximize your chances of having a truly unique rain forest experience. Return to Mikongo Camp for your overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Return to the Lopé Hotel. Transfer to the airstrip for your flight back to Libreville for your flight home or extend your stay with a visit to the beautiful São Tomé and Príncipe Islands.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch