Gabon | Doug Macdonald Safaris

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Experience the classic Gabon jungle safari

Gabon is one of Africa’s least populated countries which has allowed vast tracts of pristine tropical rain forest to remain intact and host to an extraordinary array of different creatures and plants. Not only has it got incredible forest reserves but the coastlines are also a haven and one of the largest nesting areas in the world for species of turtle like the massive Leatherback and many more. At this time the easiest areas to visit are the Loango and Pongara National Parks but there is work being done in getting Lope National Park the home of the incredible Mandrills added into the loop efficiently. Loango is where you can enjoy not only your big primates like Western Lowland Gorillas but also Forest Elephants, Forest Buffalo and Red River Hog

Get a taste of it all

A safari here would always start from the Capital Libreville, as African cities go it is not very big, tidy and seems quite orderly and well connected with various airlines. From here you can go by boat across the lagoon to Pongara National Park where you can at the right time of year enjoy either the turtle nesting period or when the little guys come scurrying out to reach the waves and the World beyond 3 months later. This park is then best combined with Loango National Park where you have 3 great camps offering different levels of experience in different localities in this incredible forest which is home to both Western Lowland Gorillas and Chimpanzees plus a host of other smaller primates and even Manatees in the lagoons. Apart from the long list of bird species here which will keep any birder well entertained you will find a wonderful menu of creatures both little and large to be enthralled by in these forests and coastal lagoons. A highlight of course is catching a herd of elephants wandering along the beach at sunset. If you would like to add in some of the inland parks like Lope and Ivindo National Parks let us know and we can work it all out for you.

What you need
to know

Things that are worth knowing about when traveling to Gabon

Gabon is a relatively small African country and a low population density with its principal income earned from its oil wealth both on and offshore. Fortunately, some of this oil wealth has been steered to protect these incredible National Parks which are all quite recently designated as such. And with this status the Gabonese Government is doing what it can to help support and develop tourism in the country to help support communities and diversify its economy away from oil.

Best time to go

May to September

Language

French

Currency

Central African CFA franc

Getting There

Libreville is the capital city and where all the International flights come and go from. The main airlines that connect well Internationally would be using Air France from Paris, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa or Turkish Airlines via Ankara.

Getting Around

There are local domestic schedule flights between Libreville and Port Gentil, Gabon’s second largest city along the coast which works daily and from my experience quite efficient. From there a combination of road and boat transfers are used to get in and out of the parks. There is current discussion to get a local charter company working for light aircraft transfers to the parks directly which will enhance the whole tourism product immensely. There is also a new fast ferry launch that links Port Gentil and Libreville as another transfer option to add into your safari plans.

Lope National Park

This park in central Gabon is one of the most important protected areas for primates in Central Africa. One of the key species here are the beautiful and rare Mandrills of which they believe there are about 1400 left in the wild here, best time to see them is between July and September when it is a bit drier and their incredible colours are enhanced over this breeding period. Added to this are Western Lowland Gorillas, Sun-Tailed Guenon, Black Colobus, Chimpanzees plus some meaningful numbers of Forest Elephants. This park has a mixed mosaic of tropical forest and more open savannah’s which helps to add to incredible diversity of this important park which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a result of the ancient human settlements that have been found here dating back thousands of years.

Ivindo National Park

Deep inside the central areas of Gabon sits this wonderful National Park which combines wonderful waterways and waterfalls with incredible and probably some of the most pristine forest that you can visit in Africa. It also has a huge Bai – a forest clearing that is rich in minerals making it a great place to sit and watch some of the forest residents come out to get these minerals. In Ivindo it is all wild game viewing either from the water or on foot but sitting at the platform on the edge of the Bai to see Forest Elephants and Buffalo, plus Western Lowland Gorillas, Chimpanzees and many more smaller primates birds and antelope species who are all in these areas is fantastic, this is real life theatre happening right in front of you. It is also possible to visit some of the old communities of people that still call this home with their traditional lifestyles and skills.

Libreville Museum Of Art and Traditions

If you are spending anytime of Libreville either between parks or at the start of your safari it is a great idea to get a taxi down to this great little museum in the city centre which showcases very well some of the ancient traditions and arts of Gabon, which includes an amazing collection of tribal masks. Well worth allocating a few hours to this great gem in Libreville

Weather

The drier months are between May and September so these are generally the best times, comfort wise plus the birding and visibility around the forests is better for Gorilla photography and also it is less ‘buggy”. But as this country and region has high rainfall no month has no rain, so don’t be put off visiting this country outside of these months as you will still have great experiences in the forests and rivers and is by many considered the better wildlife viewing months during the rains. To see the turtle’s coming ashore to hatch this is best between November and March and June to August is when the Humpback Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins can be seen along the coast when they arrive to breed in these warm waters. For the Mandrills July into August is considered best in Lope as this is when they tend to congregate together which is an impressive site.

January to March

These are the main summer rainy season months for this part of Africa, all of the parks are accessible at this time however the road network within certain parks might be quite limited. It is, however, an excellent time to see the parks when animals, birds and plants are at their best. The usually dry areas like the Central Kalahari come to life during this time of year so a good time to visit.

June to August

The dry winter season is well set in by this time of year, the vegetation is thinning out and wildlife becoming more focused on particular feeding and watering areas. This is the height of winter as well and the mornings and evenings can be surprisingly cold even dropping below freezing in the early morning, so you’ll make good use of the camp fire at night, but during the day the temperatures warm up to the mid twenties Celsius and the skies are generally always clear and blue. A really popular time to be on safari and the Okavango Delta is now starting to recede and expose the grasslands.

November to December

These months are really hot during the day and it’s when we expect to see our first rains and the incredible change that happens almost immediately. This transformation brings with it the drama of tropical rain and lightning storms, amazing cloudscapes, clear dustless skies and many of the animal species begin their birthing. This can be one of the most beautiful times to be in the bush and often you can get some good special accommodation rates.

April to May

You can still experience some rain at this time but usually quite limited, if at all. These months mark the start of the bush drying out and the beginning of the long dry spell that will go through to November. The bush is usually quite thick at this time so sightings can be difficult but the animals are still there and you can have huge wild areas all to yourself which is excellent in itself and you can get some great accommodation specials. The Okavango Delta - Chobe and Linyanti Rivers are at peak height during this time of year.

September to October

These months are when the temperatures start to climb and the wildlife concentrates at the last available feeding and watering sites. September is probably the best of these months from a temperature perspective as October can be really hot during the day going towards the 40 degrees Celsius mark but it does cool off at night time. At this time many species of tree start to flower and migratory birds start arriving. For some, these are the best months to be on safari in Botswana when looking for big predators and prey animal drama.

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Experience the classic Gabon jungle safari

Get a taste of it all

What you need to know

Things that are worth knowing about when traveling to Gabon

Lope National Park

Ivindo National Park

Libreville Museum Of Art and Traditions

Ready to come on Safari?

Ready to start planning your ultimate African safari with the help and experience of our team? Let’s get in touch to begin customising your perfect adventure.

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What you need
to know

Ready to start planning your ultimate African safari with the help and experience of our team?

Let’s get in touch to begin customising your perfect adventure.

Discover Gabon
on safari

Build your safari around
what you want to see