Relax on some of the world's most pristine secret beaches before heading to Gabon for the wildlife adventure of a lifetime.
Experience total relaxation on the tiny tropical island of Principe.
Spend time on some of the world’s most pristine beaches and swim and snorkel in the warm tropical ocean.
If you’d like to explore Principe, add in optional guided walks, guided jeep tours, boat trips, bird watching trips and more.
Enjoy the assult on your senses as you fly from the remote islands of Sao Tome and Principe to the African mainland.
Explore the wilderness of Gabon’s most loved national park, Loango.
Spend time with Gabon’s only troop of habituated Western gorillas.
Explore Loango’s varied ecosystems from beach to savannah, forest, mangrove and lagoon. Search for forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hog, hippo, crocodile and more.
This trip is perfect if you crave the wildlife adventure of a lifetime but need to recharge your batteries first. You’ll first relax in one of the best-kept secret places in the world and spend 5 glorious days unwinding, snorkelling, swimming and enjoying a sundowner watching Principe’s splendid sunsets.
We can arrange a variety of excursions like guided walks, bird watching trips, jeep tours and boat trips.
From Principe, fully recuperated and still with sand between your toes, you’ll fly via Sao Tome to Gabon on the African mainland.
After a couple of days in Gabon’s vibrant capital, Libreville, you’ll make the journey south to Loango National Park for the next 4 days.
At Loango we’ve included wildlife watching trips and you’ll search for forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hogs, hippo, birds and monkeys in the park’s incredibly varied ecosystems. To top it all off, if the conditions are right, you’ll have the opportunity to spend an unforgettable hour with a group of habituated Western gorillas.
Due to the logistics of flights and transfers, this holiday departs on Fridays only.
Fly to Lisbon. Arrive and walk /take the shuttle of a taxi to the comfortable and convenient Tryp Hotel at Lisbon airport hotel where you’ll spend the night.
Accommodation on this day: Tryp Hotel
Fly to Sao Tome. Arrive and transfer to Omali Lodge (10 mins). Tonight you’ll have a relaxing dinner at Omali’s restaurant.
Accommodation on this day: Omali Lodge
Fly from Sao Tome to Principe (30 mins). When you arrive you’ll be transferred to Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge (10 mins). Settle into your room and relax on Bom Bom’s two private beaches.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. You might like to have a boat trip along the coast. You’ll discover the beaches to the northeast of Bom Bom on this 3 hour boat trip that is designed for beach and sea lovers.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. Or you might like to include an Explore the South jeep tour (3 hours). This excursion will take you around the south of Principe island, beginning with the traditional fishing village of Praia Abade before stopping at Nova Estrela view point where you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the Jockey Cap island. Then, at the Terreiro Velho view point, you’ll have a view to the national park to the east and Sao Joaquim to the west.
Turtles nest on the beaches between November and March so you might like to add a turtle watching experience.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. Or you might like to include a bird watching tour to see some of Principe’s endemic birds. Sao Tome and Principe have the highest density of endemic birds worldwide and of the 75 species that regularly occur on the islands, 8 are endemic to Principe.
Humpback whales pass the islands between July and October so you might like to add a whale watching trip.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. You might like to add a guided walk like the guided trek to Santa Joaquina. On this 4 hour guided trek you’ll visit the largest Roca on the island, Santa Joaquina, which has Cape Verdean history. The trail takes you to an old lookout point for ships, and you’ll enjoy a picnic with the best view over the town of Santo Antonio.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Today you’ll fly back to Sao Tome and then on to Libreville in Gabon (1 hour). When you arrive, you’ll be met at the airport and taken to the Hotel de la Sabliere (10-20 mins).
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day : Today you have a free day in Libreville, either to explore at your leisure, or have a guided tour. The National Museum houses a fascinating collection of Gabonese face masks, head masks and musical instruments and is well worth a visit. Gabon has around 50 ethnic groups and the museum’s guided tours give you a great insight into some of the traditions they follow, including the Bwiti ceremony. It’s fun to have lunch in one of Libreville’s cafes and restaurants, or explore the local food markets where fresh fish and meats are grilled on charcoal and accompanied by bowls of rice and plantain.
Hotel de la Sabliere is on the beach and has a restaurant where you can have lunch and dinner if you choose to relax here.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day : Today you have a free day to relax, or join a whale watching trip (July to October).
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
You’ll be taken to the airport for your 30 minute flight to Port Gentil. When you arrive at Port Gentil you’ll be met at the airport and driven to Loango Lodge. The drive takes 4-5 hours along a combination of the new Chinese tarmac road, and a mud road. The muddy sections are bumpy and can take some time to negotiate.
You’ll arrive in time for a delicious lunch served in the N’Dola Luxury Camp restaurant. The restaurant looks across the Iguela Lagoon to Loango National Park which lies on the other side of the river.
In Gabon, the wildlife experience is not the same as in Kenya or Tanzania and the thrill is in experiencing the environment. Not many tourists venture this far so when you do see wildlife, you will often have the experience to yourself.
On your excursions over the next few days, you’ll be looking out for forest buffalo, forest elephant, hippo, crocodile, sitatunga antelope and red river hog as well as the putty nosed and moustached monkey, and white-collared mangabey. The park has an incredible variety of bird species too, with some 342 recorded from rosy bee-eaters to storks, African skimmers and vultures.
The wildlife uses different habitats at different times of year, and is easier to see some months than others. Your local guides are in tune with the nature of the landscape and understand how wildlife behaves. Still, nothing in nature is predictable and each venture into the park will be different.
All wildlife watching activities at Loango are included (except the gorilla trekking…see day 12 and whale watching trips (only available 15 July – 5 September) and this afternoon you’ll head out on a river trip or vehicle tour. River trips explore the lagoon where you might see hippo poking their heads above the dark water, and elephant browsing along the quiet banks. At all times in Gabon, you’ll need to have your flash turned off when you photograph wildlife. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
N’Dola has a couple of satellite camps and, depending on your interests, you might like to spend a night or two at one of these. These stays can be added to your itinerary at the time of booking – we normally suggest adding extra days to your time in Gabon.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife watching activities. Each day, you’ll be taken into Loango National Park in the morning and afternoon, returning to the Lodge for lunch (apart from during visits to satellite camps). These excursions take you to explore different ecosystems and vary according to season, weather and your interests. Today you might do a 1-2 hour forest nature walk in the morning and a savannah wildlife drive in the afternoon. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
Gorilla trekking : During your stay at Loango you might like to trek to see Loango’s group of habituated gorillas…these are the only habituated gorillas in Gabon. Visiting the gorillas depends on several factors.
Gorilla trekking is only possible when the conditions are right, which means you have good weather and the gorilla are foraging in an accessible area. Treks are limited to 4 people and each person must be free of illness including common colds. To limit the impact on the gorillas, gorilla visits just occur a few days a week, not daily, and visits are limited to 1 hour. You may have to walk a few km through the rainforest before you see the gorilla and the experience is an adventure.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife trips. Today you might have a boat trip down the Iguela Lagoon towards the estuary. The river dissects mangrove swamp, dominated by red mangrove whose long aerial roots and spectacular stilt roots arch high into the water. The reflection in the dark water is often flawless.
If the conditions allow, your guide will anchor the boat on a sandy bank near the river mouth and you’ll explore the long sandy beach on foot. Look for flocks of African skimmers and Damara terns and watch the ghost crabs scuttle in the waves. You might see forest buffalo grazing where the vegetation meets the beach, and red river hogs nosing through the sand.
One evening during your stay, if the conditions are right, you will have the opportunity to spend an evening searching for crocodiles. There are three species of crocodile residing in the lagoon; Nile, slender snouted and dwarf, and you’ll head east, upstream from the lodge to find them.
The experience is fascinating and beautiful; on a clear night, travelling by boat through the dark under a sky full of stars is unforgettable.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife trips. This morning you might take kayaks out on Lourie Lagoon. Over 18km long, the thin finger of Lourie Lagoon runs parallel to the ocean, separated by a narrow strip of beach. You’ll explore on sit on top kayaks with your guide, keeping a keen eye out for hippos! Weaver birds nests adorn the trees along the banks, and you’ll spot inelegant hamerkop nests built high up in the canopy. The utter peace of the lagoon is to be savoured so take your time to enjoy the detail. Perhaps shore your kayaks and spend some time exploring the beach for a while too.
This afternoon you might explore a different area of the park on a drive through the wide patches of grassy savannah.
There are many different things you might see on these drives; you might discover a large forest crab, spot a small group of forest elephants grazing, catch a glimpse of a shy sitatunga, watch a herd of red river hog foraging or photograph a family of forest buffalo with their helpful oxpecker birds riding along on their backs. Sometimes, your guides will have a secret up their sleeve…like taking you to an area where you can see gorgeous crimson breasted rosy bee-eaters dart around their ground nest.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Today you will transfer by vehicle back to Port Gentil (4-5 hours), then fly to Libreville (30 mins). You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel dela Sabliere where you can unwind and relax after your journey.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day in Libreville. You might like to take a boat to Pongara National Park and have a tour of this beautiful area. Turtles nest on shore at night time and you might be lucky enough to spot their nest. The park is an excellent place to spot birdlife that lives in its varied ecosystems.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Fly from Libreville to Sao Tome (1 hour). Arrive and transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation on this day: Omali Lodge
Free day to explore Sao Tome city. Depart Sao Tome on overnight flight to Lisbon.
Connect with your flight home in Lisbon.
After dark, your guide will take you on a boat trip deep into the lagoon in search of Nile, slender-snouted and dwarf crocodiles. This exciting and interesting excursion is not to be missed.
Between 15 July and 5 September, whale watching trips take you to see the humpback whales that mate in the ocean just off Gabon. As whale watching trips are dependent on the weather and other factors, they can only be booked and paid for when you are at the lodge - please ask Emma and Susanne for details.
In December and January we quietly look for the leatherback and olive ridley turtles who nest on Loango's beach; this is a magical experience of a lifetime.
Loango is the only place in Gabon where it's possible to spend time with western gorilla. Join researchers from the Max Planck Institute (who also study gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda) to see these incredible apes close up. Find out more about our gorilla trekking experiences by clicking the 'Our Travel Stories' tab and reading 'Trekking with gorilla in Gabon'.
Explore Gabon's fascinating forest and search for putty-nosed, moustached and mangabey monkeys; listen for bird calls and forest elephants; wonder at the height of the incredible hard wood trees and look for insects as you follow your guides across the leaf litter.
You'll wind your way slowly through the mangrove, picking up speed to cross the vast lagoons and be overwhelmed by the enormity of this incredibly rich, wild landscape.
Loango offers the rare opportunity to be alone with wildlife on the savannah - you'll probably be the only ones driving in the park. Here the grasslands are not packed with animals but patient searching often rewards with forest elephant, forest buffalo, red river hogs, many bird species and sometimes, the sitatunga antelope. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
Walk along stretches of Loango's 175km of uninhabited beach and be surrounded by African skimmers and Damara Terns. If you're very lucky you could see forest buffalo, forest elephant, red river hogs or even lowland gorillas.
Elegant Loango Lodge is perched on the banks of a wide river that forms part of the extensive Iguela Lagoon. The lodge is made up of simply furnished, comfortable en-suite wooden bungalows, with air conditioning and hot water. Each bungalow has a private terrrace facing the river, perfect for spotting elephants on the banks opposite. The river is a boundary of the Loango National Park, safely keeping the wildlife in sight, but not too close!
The lodge’s spacious stilted riverside restaurant provides simple French inspired breakfasts and delicious three course cooked lunches and dinners. All guests stay on a full board basis and wildlife watching activities, except visiting the gorilla and whale watching, are included. Guests can enjoy relaxing on sofas in the communal areas and will have access to wifi here. There is an outdoor pool, bar serving a good range of drinks, and outdoor terrace where you can meals and down time admiring the river (perhaps seeing hippo!) and spotting wildlife in the national park beyond.
During their stay at Loango Lodge, guests may be invited to spend a night or two at one of Loango’s satellite camps inside Loango National Park. These camps are currently being developed and we’ll have more information about them soon…for now, please ask Emma or Susanne for more details.
The Hotel du Phare is a small, stylish and comfortable hotel set right on the beach in Libreville’s northern suburbs. It’s 15 fresh and charming rooms and 1 apartment are spacious and most have fantastic sea views. The rooms have en suite bathrooms with hot water showers, air conditioning, wifi, cable TV, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities.
Guests have direct access to the beach from the hotel and can enjoy the bar and French inspired restaurant. The airport is just 5 minutes’ drive away and we always include return airport transfers.
With 167 rooms ranging from singles and doubles/twins to family rooms, a restaurant, indoor and outdoor pool, gym and spa, the Tryp ticks all the boxes for a relaxing and stress-free break between flights.
It’s easy to get to being either a 5-10 minute walk from the airport, or a couple of minutes’ drive in the hotel’s shuttle bus or a private taxi. The rooms are modern with wifi, air conditioning, mini bar, digital tv, room service, safe and hairdryer. If you have time, it’s easy to nip into Lisbon on the Metro that departs from just outside the airport. Tickets into downtown Lisbon cost a couple of euros and the journey takes around 30 minutes.
Set in attractive gardens on the outskirts of Sao Tome city, boutique style hotel Omali Lodge has an outdoor pool, 30 rooms and English speaking staff. Recently refurbished, it is owned by the HBD (Here Be Dragons) company which also owns Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge on Príncipe.
All rooms are immaculate and have tea and coffee making facilities, A/C, Satellite TV, mini bar and en-suite bathrooms. It has the only tennis court on the island and is just over the road from the beach. Birdwatchers will tick off quite a few birds in the lush gardens of the lodge.
The beautiful Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge is owned by Mark Shuttleworth, the first South African to travel into space. Through his HBD foundation (Here Be Dragons) he helped turn part of this spectacular island into a Bioreserve and aims to promote sustainable and responsible travel to the islands through higher end tourism.
Bom Bom has 25 spacious, tastefully furnished chalets equipped with A/C, telephone, private bathroom, flat screen TV (satellite channels), fridge and free WIFI. Meals are taken on Bom Bom island, which is a short walk over the turquoise sea along a charming walkway. As well as eating in the restaurant, the friendly staff can also arrange a table on the marina pier or a romantic meal on your own private beach.
You’re free to use the snorkelling equipment, paddle boards and kayaks while you’re staying and a highlight is meeting Chaplin the African Grey parrot who patrols the hotel and loves to have his tummy tickled!
Where is Gabon?
Gabon is found on the west coast of central Africa, just one hour’s flight across the Gulf of Guinea from the tropical islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The equator dissects Gabon just to the south of the capital, Libreville, and the country is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, and the Republic of Congo to the south and east.
When is the best time to visit?
Gabon’s equatorial climate is hot (temperatures between 24 and 30 degrees C) and humid (around 85% humidity) all year. The months of May – September/early October and December – January tend to be the driest while you could experience downpours during other months; November being particularly wet.
Each month there is something to see so planning your holiday dates needs to be a careful balance between the weather and your wildlife interests. Your Gabon specialist will help you decide, but here’s a quick overview of the best times to see wildlife:
Mammals and primates: It’s possible to see forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hog, hippo, crocodile, mangabey monkey and Western gorilla throughout the year although sightings are not guaranteed and there are seasonal variations.
Forest elephant come to feed on the edge of the savannah between October and April. Then from June to the end of August, you’ll find them in the flooded forests at Akaka, still inside the park, to the south east of Loango Lodge.
Unlike the safari experiences of southern and eastern Africa, large herds are not found in Loango and you are more likely to see small families of two to five elephants, and three to fifteen buffalo.
Hippo have been hunted extensively so remain in the lagoons and rivers during the day, coming to graze on land at nightfall.
You’ll have most chance of the incredible site of these animals on the beach between December and April.
Gorilla trekking can be done at any time of year, but the conditions need to be right which means you have good weather, and the gorilla are foraging in an accessible area.
Gorilla trekking groups are limited to 4 people and each person must be free of illness including common colds. To limit the impact on the gorillas, gorilla visits just occur a few days a week, not daily, and visits are limited to 1 hour. You may have to walk several km through the rainforest before you see the gorilla. As visiting the gorillas depends on several factors, fees are paid directly to the lodge.
Birds: More than 340 species of bird have been recorded across Loango’s 1,550sqkm of beach, ocean, river, mangrove, savannah and rainforest habitat. Everyone will be rewarded with seeing a variety of bird species as soon as they arrive, and keen bird watchers can enjoy searching for rarer species such as the African river-martin.
Whales: Humpback whales use Gabon’s coast as a breeding ground between June and September and between 15 July and 5 September, if the conditions are right, it’s possible to whale watch from Loango Lodge.
Turtles: leatherback, olive ridley and to a lesser extent, green turtles, come to nest on Gabon’s beaches in December and January. Watching them with our guides during our night-time turtle watching excursions is a magical experience. Those very keen on seeing turtles should consider combining Gabon with the nearby tropical islands of Sao Tome and Principe…see our suggested holiday itineraries.
Crocodiles: Nile, slender-snouted and dwarf crocodile nest in November but you can see them all year round during our special crocodile finding boat trips.
How do I get to Gabon?
There are daily flights from the UK and Europe to Gabon and time in the air is around 9 hours (total time travelling will be longer as flights require a connection). Flights are included with your holiday and your Gabon specialist will find the best flight times and prices for you.
Do I need a visa for Gabon?
You will need a visa and we arrange this for you as part of your holiday. Visas can’t currently be paid for in advance so you will need to pay €85 per person in cash when you arrive at the airport in Libreville.
Is it safe to travel to Gabon?
Gabon is a safe and relatively wealthy country with a peaceful history. Like many places in the world though, it’s worth keeping your safety in mind in urban areas. For more information about what it’s like to travel in Gabon, give us a ring and chat to someone who’s been.
Do I need vaccinations for Gabon?
It’s best to check with your doctor to make sure you’re up to date with your vaccinations before you travel. You will need to have a Yellow Fever vaccination at least 10 days before travelling to Gabon and you will be asked to present your certificate when you arrive.
Are there any wildlife hazards in Gabon?
It’s advisable to avoid insect bites by wearing long sleeves and trousers and / or wearing insect repellant with DEET as malaria, dengue fever and sleeping sickness (carried by the tsete fly) are present. We recommend taking anti malarial tablets and your doctor will be able to advise you about this. Gabon has been categorised as having a moderate risk of Zika (ZIKV) virus transmission. For comprehensive health advise on visiting Gabon please visit www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk.
As you will be visiting places with mostly peaceful but potentially dangerous wildlife such as elephants, there are some risks with our Gabon Holidays. Make sure you listen closely to your guide at all times and follow their instructions; do not wander off alone unless you’ve checked this is ok first.
Experience total relaxation on the tiny tropical island of Principe.
Spend time on some of the world’s most pristine beaches and swim and snorkel in the warm tropical ocean.
If you’d like to explore Principe, add in optional guided walks, guided jeep tours, boat trips, bird watching trips and more.
Enjoy the assult on your senses as you fly from the remote islands of Sao Tome and Principe to the African mainland.
Explore the wilderness of Gabon’s most loved national park, Loango.
Spend time with Gabon’s only troop of habituated Western gorillas.
Explore Loango’s varied ecosystems from beach to savannah, forest, mangrove and lagoon. Search for forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hog, hippo, crocodile and more.
This trip is perfect if you crave the wildlife adventure of a lifetime but need to recharge your batteries first. You’ll first relax in one of the best-kept secret places in the world and spend 5 glorious days unwinding, snorkelling, swimming and enjoying a sundowner watching Principe’s splendid sunsets.
We can arrange a variety of excursions like guided walks, bird watching trips, jeep tours and boat trips.
From Principe, fully recuperated and still with sand between your toes, you’ll fly via Sao Tome to Gabon on the African mainland.
After a couple of days in Gabon’s vibrant capital, Libreville, you’ll make the journey south to Loango National Park for the next 4 days.
At Loango we’ve included wildlife watching trips and you’ll search for forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hogs, hippo, birds and monkeys in the park’s incredibly varied ecosystems. To top it all off, if the conditions are right, you’ll have the opportunity to spend an unforgettable hour with a group of habituated Western gorillas.
Due to the logistics of flights and transfers, this holiday departs on Fridays only.
Fly to Lisbon. Arrive and walk /take the shuttle of a taxi to the comfortable and convenient Tryp Hotel at Lisbon airport hotel where you’ll spend the night.
Accommodation on this day: Tryp Hotel
Fly to Sao Tome. Arrive and transfer to Omali Lodge (10 mins). Tonight you’ll have a relaxing dinner at Omali’s restaurant.
Accommodation on this day: Omali Lodge
Fly from Sao Tome to Principe (30 mins). When you arrive you’ll be transferred to Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge (10 mins). Settle into your room and relax on Bom Bom’s two private beaches.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. You might like to have a boat trip along the coast. You’ll discover the beaches to the northeast of Bom Bom on this 3 hour boat trip that is designed for beach and sea lovers.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. Or you might like to include an Explore the South jeep tour (3 hours). This excursion will take you around the south of Principe island, beginning with the traditional fishing village of Praia Abade before stopping at Nova Estrela view point where you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the Jockey Cap island. Then, at the Terreiro Velho view point, you’ll have a view to the national park to the east and Sao Joaquim to the west.
Turtles nest on the beaches between November and March so you might like to add a turtle watching experience.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. Or you might like to include a bird watching tour to see some of Principe’s endemic birds. Sao Tome and Principe have the highest density of endemic birds worldwide and of the 75 species that regularly occur on the islands, 8 are endemic to Principe.
Humpback whales pass the islands between July and October so you might like to add a whale watching trip.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Free day to relax. You might like to add a guided walk like the guided trek to Santa Joaquina. On this 4 hour guided trek you’ll visit the largest Roca on the island, Santa Joaquina, which has Cape Verdean history. The trail takes you to an old lookout point for ships, and you’ll enjoy a picnic with the best view over the town of Santo Antonio.
Accommodation on this day: Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge
Today you’ll fly back to Sao Tome and then on to Libreville in Gabon (1 hour). When you arrive, you’ll be met at the airport and taken to the Hotel de la Sabliere (10-20 mins).
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day : Today you have a free day in Libreville, either to explore at your leisure, or have a guided tour. The National Museum houses a fascinating collection of Gabonese face masks, head masks and musical instruments and is well worth a visit. Gabon has around 50 ethnic groups and the museum’s guided tours give you a great insight into some of the traditions they follow, including the Bwiti ceremony. It’s fun to have lunch in one of Libreville’s cafes and restaurants, or explore the local food markets where fresh fish and meats are grilled on charcoal and accompanied by bowls of rice and plantain.
Hotel de la Sabliere is on the beach and has a restaurant where you can have lunch and dinner if you choose to relax here.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day : Today you have a free day to relax, or join a whale watching trip (July to October).
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
You’ll be taken to the airport for your 30 minute flight to Port Gentil. When you arrive at Port Gentil you’ll be met at the airport and driven to Loango Lodge. The drive takes 4-5 hours along a combination of the new Chinese tarmac road, and a mud road. The muddy sections are bumpy and can take some time to negotiate.
You’ll arrive in time for a delicious lunch served in the N’Dola Luxury Camp restaurant. The restaurant looks across the Iguela Lagoon to Loango National Park which lies on the other side of the river.
In Gabon, the wildlife experience is not the same as in Kenya or Tanzania and the thrill is in experiencing the environment. Not many tourists venture this far so when you do see wildlife, you will often have the experience to yourself.
On your excursions over the next few days, you’ll be looking out for forest buffalo, forest elephant, hippo, crocodile, sitatunga antelope and red river hog as well as the putty nosed and moustached monkey, and white-collared mangabey. The park has an incredible variety of bird species too, with some 342 recorded from rosy bee-eaters to storks, African skimmers and vultures.
The wildlife uses different habitats at different times of year, and is easier to see some months than others. Your local guides are in tune with the nature of the landscape and understand how wildlife behaves. Still, nothing in nature is predictable and each venture into the park will be different.
All wildlife watching activities at Loango are included (except the gorilla trekking…see day 12 and whale watching trips (only available 15 July – 5 September) and this afternoon you’ll head out on a river trip or vehicle tour. River trips explore the lagoon where you might see hippo poking their heads above the dark water, and elephant browsing along the quiet banks. At all times in Gabon, you’ll need to have your flash turned off when you photograph wildlife. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
N’Dola has a couple of satellite camps and, depending on your interests, you might like to spend a night or two at one of these. These stays can be added to your itinerary at the time of booking – we normally suggest adding extra days to your time in Gabon.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife watching activities. Each day, you’ll be taken into Loango National Park in the morning and afternoon, returning to the Lodge for lunch (apart from during visits to satellite camps). These excursions take you to explore different ecosystems and vary according to season, weather and your interests. Today you might do a 1-2 hour forest nature walk in the morning and a savannah wildlife drive in the afternoon. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
Gorilla trekking : During your stay at Loango you might like to trek to see Loango’s group of habituated gorillas…these are the only habituated gorillas in Gabon. Visiting the gorillas depends on several factors.
Gorilla trekking is only possible when the conditions are right, which means you have good weather and the gorilla are foraging in an accessible area. Treks are limited to 4 people and each person must be free of illness including common colds. To limit the impact on the gorillas, gorilla visits just occur a few days a week, not daily, and visits are limited to 1 hour. You may have to walk a few km through the rainforest before you see the gorilla and the experience is an adventure.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife trips. Today you might have a boat trip down the Iguela Lagoon towards the estuary. The river dissects mangrove swamp, dominated by red mangrove whose long aerial roots and spectacular stilt roots arch high into the water. The reflection in the dark water is often flawless.
If the conditions allow, your guide will anchor the boat on a sandy bank near the river mouth and you’ll explore the long sandy beach on foot. Look for flocks of African skimmers and Damara terns and watch the ghost crabs scuttle in the waves. You might see forest buffalo grazing where the vegetation meets the beach, and red river hogs nosing through the sand.
One evening during your stay, if the conditions are right, you will have the opportunity to spend an evening searching for crocodiles. There are three species of crocodile residing in the lagoon; Nile, slender snouted and dwarf, and you’ll head east, upstream from the lodge to find them.
The experience is fascinating and beautiful; on a clear night, travelling by boat through the dark under a sky full of stars is unforgettable.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Included : Morning and afternoon wildlife trips. This morning you might take kayaks out on Lourie Lagoon. Over 18km long, the thin finger of Lourie Lagoon runs parallel to the ocean, separated by a narrow strip of beach. You’ll explore on sit on top kayaks with your guide, keeping a keen eye out for hippos! Weaver birds nests adorn the trees along the banks, and you’ll spot inelegant hamerkop nests built high up in the canopy. The utter peace of the lagoon is to be savoured so take your time to enjoy the detail. Perhaps shore your kayaks and spend some time exploring the beach for a while too.
This afternoon you might explore a different area of the park on a drive through the wide patches of grassy savannah.
There are many different things you might see on these drives; you might discover a large forest crab, spot a small group of forest elephants grazing, catch a glimpse of a shy sitatunga, watch a herd of red river hog foraging or photograph a family of forest buffalo with their helpful oxpecker birds riding along on their backs. Sometimes, your guides will have a secret up their sleeve…like taking you to an area where you can see gorgeous crimson breasted rosy bee-eaters dart around their ground nest.
Accommodation on this day: Loango Lodge
Today you will transfer by vehicle back to Port Gentil (4-5 hours), then fly to Libreville (30 mins). You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel dela Sabliere where you can unwind and relax after your journey.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Free day in Libreville. You might like to take a boat to Pongara National Park and have a tour of this beautiful area. Turtles nest on shore at night time and you might be lucky enough to spot their nest. The park is an excellent place to spot birdlife that lives in its varied ecosystems.
Accommodation on this day: Hotel du Phare
Fly from Libreville to Sao Tome (1 hour). Arrive and transfer to your hotel.
Accommodation on this day: Omali Lodge
Free day to explore Sao Tome city. Depart Sao Tome on overnight flight to Lisbon.
Connect with your flight home in Lisbon.
After dark, your guide will take you on a boat trip deep into the lagoon in search of Nile, slender-snouted and dwarf crocodiles. This exciting and interesting excursion is not to be missed.
Between 15 July and 5 September, whale watching trips take you to see the humpback whales that mate in the ocean just off Gabon. As whale watching trips are dependent on the weather and other factors, they can only be booked and paid for when you are at the lodge - please ask Emma and Susanne for details.
In December and January we quietly look for the leatherback and olive ridley turtles who nest on Loango's beach; this is a magical experience of a lifetime.
Loango is the only place in Gabon where it's possible to spend time with western gorilla. Join researchers from the Max Planck Institute (who also study gorilla in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda) to see these incredible apes close up. Find out more about our gorilla trekking experiences by clicking the 'Our Travel Stories' tab and reading 'Trekking with gorilla in Gabon'.
Explore Gabon's fascinating forest and search for putty-nosed, moustached and mangabey monkeys; listen for bird calls and forest elephants; wonder at the height of the incredible hard wood trees and look for insects as you follow your guides across the leaf litter.
You'll wind your way slowly through the mangrove, picking up speed to cross the vast lagoons and be overwhelmed by the enormity of this incredibly rich, wild landscape.
Loango offers the rare opportunity to be alone with wildlife on the savannah - you'll probably be the only ones driving in the park. Here the grasslands are not packed with animals but patient searching often rewards with forest elephant, forest buffalo, red river hogs, many bird species and sometimes, the sitatunga antelope. Vehicle trips take place in open game drive vehicles and take you along sandy tracks across wide open areas of savannah inside the park. The roads are unmade and drives are always bumpy!
Walk along stretches of Loango's 175km of uninhabited beach and be surrounded by African skimmers and Damara Terns. If you're very lucky you could see forest buffalo, forest elephant, red river hogs or even lowland gorillas.
Elegant Loango Lodge is perched on the banks of a wide river that forms part of the extensive Iguela Lagoon. The lodge is made up of simply furnished, comfortable en-suite wooden bungalows, with air conditioning and hot water. Each bungalow has a private terrrace facing the river, perfect for spotting elephants on the banks opposite. The river is a boundary of the Loango National Park, safely keeping the wildlife in sight, but not too close!
The lodge’s spacious stilted riverside restaurant provides simple French inspired breakfasts and delicious three course cooked lunches and dinners. All guests stay on a full board basis and wildlife watching activities, except visiting the gorilla and whale watching, are included. Guests can enjoy relaxing on sofas in the communal areas and will have access to wifi here. There is an outdoor pool, bar serving a good range of drinks, and outdoor terrace where you can meals and down time admiring the river (perhaps seeing hippo!) and spotting wildlife in the national park beyond.
During their stay at Loango Lodge, guests may be invited to spend a night or two at one of Loango’s satellite camps inside Loango National Park. These camps are currently being developed and we’ll have more information about them soon…for now, please ask Emma or Susanne for more details.
The Hotel du Phare is a small, stylish and comfortable hotel set right on the beach in Libreville’s northern suburbs. It’s 15 fresh and charming rooms and 1 apartment are spacious and most have fantastic sea views. The rooms have en suite bathrooms with hot water showers, air conditioning, wifi, cable TV, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities.
Guests have direct access to the beach from the hotel and can enjoy the bar and French inspired restaurant. The airport is just 5 minutes’ drive away and we always include return airport transfers.
With 167 rooms ranging from singles and doubles/twins to family rooms, a restaurant, indoor and outdoor pool, gym and spa, the Tryp ticks all the boxes for a relaxing and stress-free break between flights.
It’s easy to get to being either a 5-10 minute walk from the airport, or a couple of minutes’ drive in the hotel’s shuttle bus or a private taxi. The rooms are modern with wifi, air conditioning, mini bar, digital tv, room service, safe and hairdryer. If you have time, it’s easy to nip into Lisbon on the Metro that departs from just outside the airport. Tickets into downtown Lisbon cost a couple of euros and the journey takes around 30 minutes.
Set in attractive gardens on the outskirts of Sao Tome city, boutique style hotel Omali Lodge has an outdoor pool, 30 rooms and English speaking staff. Recently refurbished, it is owned by the HBD (Here Be Dragons) company which also owns Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge on Príncipe.
All rooms are immaculate and have tea and coffee making facilities, A/C, Satellite TV, mini bar and en-suite bathrooms. It has the only tennis court on the island and is just over the road from the beach. Birdwatchers will tick off quite a few birds in the lush gardens of the lodge.
The beautiful Bom Bom Island Eco Lodge is owned by Mark Shuttleworth, the first South African to travel into space. Through his HBD foundation (Here Be Dragons) he helped turn part of this spectacular island into a Bioreserve and aims to promote sustainable and responsible travel to the islands through higher end tourism.
Bom Bom has 25 spacious, tastefully furnished chalets equipped with A/C, telephone, private bathroom, flat screen TV (satellite channels), fridge and free WIFI. Meals are taken on Bom Bom island, which is a short walk over the turquoise sea along a charming walkway. As well as eating in the restaurant, the friendly staff can also arrange a table on the marina pier or a romantic meal on your own private beach.
You’re free to use the snorkelling equipment, paddle boards and kayaks while you’re staying and a highlight is meeting Chaplin the African Grey parrot who patrols the hotel and loves to have his tummy tickled!
Where is Gabon?
Gabon is found on the west coast of central Africa, just one hour’s flight across the Gulf of Guinea from the tropical islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The equator dissects Gabon just to the south of the capital, Libreville, and the country is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, and the Republic of Congo to the south and east.
When is the best time to visit?
Gabon’s equatorial climate is hot (temperatures between 24 and 30 degrees C) and humid (around 85% humidity) all year. The months of May – September/early October and December – January tend to be the driest while you could experience downpours during other months; November being particularly wet.
Each month there is something to see so planning your holiday dates needs to be a careful balance between the weather and your wildlife interests. Your Gabon specialist will help you decide, but here’s a quick overview of the best times to see wildlife:
Mammals and primates: It’s possible to see forest elephants, forest buffalo, red river hog, hippo, crocodile, mangabey monkey and Western gorilla throughout the year although sightings are not guaranteed and there are seasonal variations.
Forest elephant come to feed on the edge of the savannah between October and April. Then from June to the end of August, you’ll find them in the flooded forests at Akaka, still inside the park, to the south east of Loango Lodge.
Unlike the safari experiences of southern and eastern Africa, large herds are not found in Loango and you are more likely to see small families of two to five elephants, and three to fifteen buffalo.
Hippo have been hunted extensively so remain in the lagoons and rivers during the day, coming to graze on land at nightfall.
You’ll have most chance of the incredible site of these animals on the beach between December and April.
Gorilla trekking can be done at any time of year, but the conditions need to be right which means you have good weather, and the gorilla are foraging in an accessible area.
Gorilla trekking groups are limited to 4 people and each person must be free of illness including common colds. To limit the impact on the gorillas, gorilla visits just occur a few days a week, not daily, and visits are limited to 1 hour. You may have to walk several km through the rainforest before you see the gorilla. As visiting the gorillas depends on several factors, fees are paid directly to the lodge.
Birds: More than 340 species of bird have been recorded across Loango’s 1,550sqkm of beach, ocean, river, mangrove, savannah and rainforest habitat. Everyone will be rewarded with seeing a variety of bird species as soon as they arrive, and keen bird watchers can enjoy searching for rarer species such as the African river-martin.
Whales: Humpback whales use Gabon’s coast as a breeding ground between June and September and between 15 July and 5 September, if the conditions are right, it’s possible to whale watch from Loango Lodge.
Turtles: leatherback, olive ridley and to a lesser extent, green turtles, come to nest on Gabon’s beaches in December and January. Watching them with our guides during our night-time turtle watching excursions is a magical experience. Those very keen on seeing turtles should consider combining Gabon with the nearby tropical islands of Sao Tome and Principe…see our suggested holiday itineraries.
Crocodiles: Nile, slender-snouted and dwarf crocodile nest in November but you can see them all year round during our special crocodile finding boat trips.
How do I get to Gabon?
There are daily flights from the UK and Europe to Gabon and time in the air is around 9 hours (total time travelling will be longer as flights require a connection). Flights are included with your holiday and your Gabon specialist will find the best flight times and prices for you.
Do I need a visa for Gabon?
You will need a visa and we arrange this for you as part of your holiday. Visas can’t currently be paid for in advance so you will need to pay €85 per person in cash when you arrive at the airport in Libreville.
Is it safe to travel to Gabon?
Gabon is a safe and relatively wealthy country with a peaceful history. Like many places in the world though, it’s worth keeping your safety in mind in urban areas. For more information about what it’s like to travel in Gabon, give us a ring and chat to someone who’s been.
Do I need vaccinations for Gabon?
It’s best to check with your doctor to make sure you’re up to date with your vaccinations before you travel. You will need to have a Yellow Fever vaccination at least 10 days before travelling to Gabon and you will be asked to present your certificate when you arrive.
Are there any wildlife hazards in Gabon?
It’s advisable to avoid insect bites by wearing long sleeves and trousers and / or wearing insect repellant with DEET as malaria, dengue fever and sleeping sickness (carried by the tsete fly) are present. We recommend taking anti malarial tablets and your doctor will be able to advise you about this. Gabon has been categorised as having a moderate risk of Zika (ZIKV) virus transmission. For comprehensive health advise on visiting Gabon please visit www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk.
As you will be visiting places with mostly peaceful but potentially dangerous wildlife such as elephants, there are some risks with our Gabon Holidays. Make sure you listen closely to your guide at all times and follow their instructions; do not wander off alone unless you’ve checked this is ok first.