Principe and Gabon – Tropical Beach and Wildlife Escape

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.

Fly to Sao Tome.  Arrive and transfer to Omali Lodge (10 mins).  Tonight you’ll have a relaxing dinner at Omali’s restaurant.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Free day : Today you have a free day to relax, or join a whale watching trip (July to October).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fly from Libreville to Sao Tome (1 hour).  Arrive and transfer to your hotel.

Free day to explore Sao Tome city.  Depart Sao Tome on overnight flight to Lisbon.

Connect with your flight home in Lisbon.

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.

The Tryp Hotel is a comfortable and convenient 4-star hotel close to Lisbon airport.

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!