In Gabon, you might just find yourself landing on an airstrip full of goats, dodging forest elephants on the stroll home from the bar, or wandering into a celebration of starkly painted dancers that harkens back hundreds of years. Outside Westernised Libreville, just about everything in Gabon is so newly accessible that just by being there you’re already off the beaten path and in the middle of a whole new world. And if you happen to be travelling with a 4WD, mechanic, cash to burn and a French dictionary, you’re bound to have the adventure of a lifetime. Exploring this land ain’t no walk in a national park. Lack of infrastructure and transportation will lead you on long, bumpy journeys, and it practically costs 20 bucks just to breathe the air in the glitzy capital city, Libreville.
But you’ll be stunned by what is shaping up to be Africa’s next best ecotourism destination. Thanks to President El Hadj Omar Bongo’s designation of a whopping 10% of the country’s land as national parks – closing it down to loggers and miners and opening it up to travellers, conservationists and ecotourists – it’s now possible to explore endless white-sand beaches, primate-filled tropical rainforests, rolling savannahs and estuaries. Probably the most beautiful of the country’s parks, Loango National Park is located on the Southern Gabon coast, and is renown for – wait for it – surfing hippos. The wilds of Eastern Gabon are where you’ll find the Ivindo National Park, with its own eco-camp and resident elephants and gorillas.
Time GMT/UTC +1
Population 1.42 million
Borders Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Congo
Seasons Wet (September to November and February to May), dry (May to September and December to January)
Telephone Country code 241; international access code 00
ATMs Only in Libreville; Visa-card linked only
Budget US$100 per day in Libreville; US$60 per day in the interior
Visas Required by all; must be acquired before arrival
Capital Libreville
Languages French, Fang
Area 257, 670 sq km
Money Central African CFA; US$1 = CFA498
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