© Sarah Monaghan – all rights reserved

RAINFOREST AFRICA Gabon’s Atlantic beaches are the only place on Earth where you can find hippos swimming in the surf while offshore you can view turtles and whales. The coast is an important breeding ground for humpbacks migrating from the Antarctic. In 2002, the late President Bongo set aside 11 per cent of the country to create the national park network. Ecotourism is in its infancy but three parks are up and running and pulling in visitors keen to be the first to experience this virgin destination. The capital Libreville is the doorway to this colourful country. It sits on a palm-fringed ocean boulevard and thanks to its French colonial past offers excellent dining and the world's highest per capita consumption of champagne. Most visitors spend a day or two here before moving onto the parks. The most developed is Loango, operated by the company Africa’s Eden, which has its own inter-parks airline. Here is where the largest variety of whales and dolphins after South Africa can be found. visiting_gabon_files/GABON7.COVER2.jpg_1

EXUBERANT WILDLIFE

Loango has 100 kilometres of unspoiled coastline where elephants and buffalo roam. There is a main lodge with accommodation overlooking a lagoon and satellite camps on open savannah, deserted beach and river sites. Safari activities include game drives, kayaking, forest treks, gorilla and bird-watching. The park is renowned as a sport fishing site.

    Lopé and Ivindo National Parks are in the interior. Lopé is famous for elephants, gorillas, and mandrills (these can be viewed in troops of hundreds). Ivindo contains the Kongou and Mingouli waterfalls, the most spectacular of forested Africa, as well as bais (waterholes) such as Langoué Bai with the largest concentration of easily observable wildlife in Gabon.        

    Visitors may spend the night on a platform overlooking the bai for sunset and dawn animal sightings. Many of the primates in this region are said to be naïve due to their lack of human contact.


Specialist tour operators that travel to Gabon:


www.africas-eden.com

www.audleytravel.com

www.wildlifeworldwide.com

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Gabon is tipped to be...

the Costa Rica of Africa in recognition of the large

percentage of land designated to 13 new national parks

and the extraordinary variety of wildlife on offer

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In 2008, Sarah’s nomination won Loango National Park The British Guild of Travel Writers’ Best New Overseas Project Award 2008. Find out more >>


International magazine editor and travel writer


Samples of published work

(click on image to view)

Streetwise Libreville,

Msafiri Magazine

The rainforest with it all,

Gabon Magazine

Opening Rainforest Africa,

Selling Longhaul Magazine

Victory of the Apes,

Gabon Magazine

Viewing pleasures,

Gabon Magazine

The land that time forgot,

Gabon Magazine


Tracking mandrills, Lékédi Reserve,

Geographical Magazine


© John Van Helvert. All rights reserved

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