The Charming and Energetic Heart of West Africa !
Gabon straddles the Equator in West Central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, The Republic of the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean
Gabon is the wealthiest country in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a population of 1.5 million and it is the fifth least densely populated nation in the World. This small population density, together with abundant natural resources and private foreign investment, have helped make it wealthy. It is a multi party state with an acknowledged stable government. The previous president was in power for 42 years until his death in 2009!
It is a country of many contrasts. Libreville, its sophisticated capital, has high rise beach front hotels, a European café society, cosmopolitan restaurants and bars and smart cars cruising down Parisian-style boulevards. Outside of the capital it is a laid back country of small villages, steamy rainforests, roaring rivers, lagoons and imposing mountains.
The jungle is full of wildlife—gorillas, elephant, hippo, leopard, buffalo, python –and new national parks are opening the forests to eco tourists and closing them to loggers.
Gabon can be combined with the islands of Sao Tome and Principe also featured by dmAFRICA, thus providing the opportunity for a wildlife and beach holiday which is so popular in East and South Africa.
Gabon
What To See & Do
- Visit Albert Schweitzer’s jungle hospital in the town of Lamborene, situated in Gabon’s Lake District.
- Swim in the ocean and dine by the beach in the laid back resort of Mayumba in the south of the country near the border with Republic of the Congo.
- Camping at the Cirque de Laconi, a spectacular red-rock canyon on the Plateaux Bateke in the south east.
- Dine on paste manioc, a spicy rice dish and wash it down with an excellent Regab beer from the Sobraga brewery.
- See the film “The Great White Man of Lambarene” , a film about the life and work of Albert Schweitzer from an African perspective
When To Go
May to September is the dry season.
The best time to see game on the beach is from October to April when the animals leave the forests to escape the rains.
The best time to see game on the beach is from October to April when the animals leave the forests to escape the rains.