Baja California
Cape Verde
Costa Rica
Cuba
Faroe Islands
Gabon
For those with a thirst for adventure, Gabon promises the trip of a lifetime
You are here: Home > Gabon
Gabon is alive with incredible wildlife from Western Gorilla to leatherback turtles, and brightly animated with colourful cultures; it offers the possibility of the kind of adventure we’ve almost forgotten, or lost sight of, how to have.
You’ll find Gabon straddling the equator on the west coast of Africa…just a hop across the Gulf of Guinea from São Tomé and Príncipe. It’s around half the size of France, with just 3% of the population (Gabon has around 2,000,000 people compared to 65,000,000 in France) and is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, and the Republic of Congo to the south and east.
To the west is 855km of spectacular Atlantic coastline winding itself around mangrove swamps in places, and meeting the second-largest fresh water delta in Africa at Ogooué towards the south.
Gabon, nostalgically considered a true ‘Eden of Africa’, enjoys vast tracts of untouched forest – in fact 80% is rainforest…rainforest that once inspired the Tarzan legend. It’s home to the western lowland gorilla and chimpanzee and, incredibly, these apes are found almost everywhere apart from close to urban areas. The largest remaining population of magnificent forest elephant are found here, and Gabon is home to the world’s largest nesting population of leatherback turtles. If this isn’t enough, between July and October, one of the world’s largest congregations of humpback whales can be found off Gabon’s coast after migrating from the Southern Ocean.
Far from Kruger or the Serengeti, Gabon’s wildlife is untamed, secretive and aloof and this is very much part of its charm. It is thrilling to tread lightly through the forest, trying not to crunch, heart pounding, barely daring to take breath as we search for search for glimpses of western lowland gorilla. And there’s a childlike sense of anticipation as we scour the river banks looking for forest elephants from our pirogue. It’s fascinating and bizarre to walk on the wild sandy beaches looking for surfing hippos, and to sit at night listening to the intense buzz, tick, croak and shriek as the musical creatures of the night take over the airways. Gabon offers a spine-tingling array of extraordinary and magical experiences you’ll never forget.
Crocodile Boat Trips
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.
Whale watching trips
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.
Turtle watching excursions
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.
Gorilla Trekking
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'.
Forest Nature Walks
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.
Mangrove and Lagoon Boat Trips
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.
Savannah Wildlife Drives
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!
Beach Wilderness Walks
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.
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.
In our experience these are the best times of the year to visit Gabon:
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Gabon’s equatorial climate is hot (temperatures between 24 and 30 degrees C) and humid (around 85% humidity) all year.
The best months to visit Gabon are between December and April. Between May and October there’s still plenty to see although it’s harder to spot wildlife including the gorilla.
The months of May – September/early October and December – January tend to be the driest while you could experience downpours during other months.
November is the wettest month which makes wildlife harder to spot and travelling around the country uncomfortable and problematic on the muddy roads.
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. See our FAQs for more information…
Gabon is alive with incredible wildlife from Western Gorilla to leatherback turtles, and brightly animated with colourful cultures; it offers the possibility of the kind of adventure we’ve almost forgotten, or lost sight of, how to have.
You’ll find Gabon straddling the equator on the west coast of Africa…just a hop across the Gulf of Guinea from São Tomé and Príncipe. It’s around half the size of France, with just 3% of the population (Gabon has around 2,000,000 people compared to 65,000,000 in France) and is bordered by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon to the north, and the Republic of Congo to the south and east.
To the west is 855km of spectacular Atlantic coastline winding itself around mangrove swamps in places, and meeting the second-largest fresh water delta in Africa at Ogooué towards the south.
Gabon, nostalgically considered a true ‘Eden of Africa’, enjoys vast tracts of untouched forest – in fact 80% is rainforest…rainforest that once inspired the Tarzan legend. It’s home to the western lowland gorilla and chimpanzee and, incredibly, these apes are found almost everywhere apart from close to urban areas. The largest remaining population of magnificent forest elephant are found here, and Gabon is home to the world’s largest nesting population of leatherback turtles. If this isn’t enough, between July and October, one of the world’s largest congregations of humpback whales can be found off Gabon’s coast after migrating from the Southern Ocean.
Far from Kruger or the Serengeti, Gabon’s wildlife is untamed, secretive and aloof and this is very much part of its charm. It is thrilling to tread lightly through the forest, trying not to crunch, heart pounding, barely daring to take breath as we search for search for glimpses of western lowland gorilla. And there’s a childlike sense of anticipation as we scour the river banks looking for forest elephants from our pirogue. It’s fascinating and bizarre to walk on the wild sandy beaches looking for surfing hippos, and to sit at night listening to the intense buzz, tick, croak and shriek as the musical creatures of the night take over the airways. Gabon offers a spine-tingling array of extraordinary and magical experiences you’ll never forget.
Crocodile Boat Trips
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.
Whale watching trips
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.
Turtle watching excursions
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.
Gorilla Trekking
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'.
Forest Nature Walks
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.
Mangrove and Lagoon Boat Trips
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.
Savannah Wildlife Drives
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!
Beach Wilderness Walks
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.
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.
In our experience these are the best times of the year to visit Gabon:
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Gabon’s equatorial climate is hot (temperatures between 24 and 30 degrees C) and humid (around 85% humidity) all year.
The best months to visit Gabon are between December and April. Between May and October there’s still plenty to see although it’s harder to spot wildlife including the gorilla.
The months of May – September/early October and December – January tend to be the driest while you could experience downpours during other months.
November is the wettest month which makes wildlife harder to spot and travelling around the country uncomfortable and problematic on the muddy roads.
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. See our FAQs for more information…
Where is Gabon?
