This small group trip has been specially designed to take us in search of the magnificent, curious and surprising wildlife that can be found in two of Gabon’s top national parks.
Gabon’s vast rainforests and savannahs cover almost 90% of its landmass, and are home to some of the largest populations of megafauna, gatherings of birdlife and fascinating smaller creatures in Central Africa. Exploring on safaris, boat trips and forest treks, and staying in simple but comfortable nature lodges in two national parks, we're perfectly positioned to experience a fantastic diversity of wildlife.
The adventure begins in the spectacular Lopé National Park, where sweeping savannahs meet with dense tropical rainforest offering an astonishing diversity of mammals and birds. Lopé is home to the highest density of mandrills in the country, and at this time of year several large troops come together to form mega clans numbering in the hundreds, at times representing one of the greatest gatherings of primates anywhere in the world. Here we have the opportunity to follow researchers as we track a habituated mandrill troop to enjoy close views of these remarkable animals, the world’s largest monkeys.
The pristine forests surrounding our lodge are home to family of chimpanzees, which we also search for with the help of local guides, along with beautiful moustached, putty-nosed and black colobus monkeys. While cruising through the golden savannahs, our safaris offer herds of magnificent forest elephants, forest buffalo, and hopefully the colourful red river hog. The birdlife here's equally exceptional, with raptors such as crowned and Ayre’s hawk eagles circling above, and vivid Reichenbach’s sunbird, blue-breasted bee-eater and Congo pied and red-billed dwarf hornbills foraging on the forest edge. Night walks may also reveal many exciting nocturnal species from galagos and genets to possibly even a giant pangolin.
Our second base takes us to the remote coastal wilderness of Loango National Park, where the rainforest meets the coast and wildlife flourishes in one of Africa’s most biodiverse landscapes. Here we track a habituated family of western lowland gorillas and search for the charismatic red capped and grey-cheeked mangabeys. Exploring the maze of rivers and mangroves by boat can also reveal a wealth of birdlife, from African finfoot and rosy bee-eater, to African river martin and African grey parrot, and both vermiculated and Pel’s fishing owls.
In addition to this departure, we also offer a dedicated photography tour, Gabon Photo Safari. For more information, contact our team.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Fly to Libreville
Depart the UK on a flight to Libreville, the capital city of Gabon, travelling via Paris. We are met by our guide at Libreville and driven to our nearby city hotel, where we can relax after our journey.
Accommodation: Park Inn by Raddison, 1-night
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Day 2:
Libreville to Lopé National Park
We begin our adventure through Gabon with a transfer to Lopé National Park, which will take all day. During the journey, we travel through beautiful countryside and hope to begin seeing the country’s vibrant birdlife. We should reach our accommodation within the national park before dark.
Accommodation: Lopé Research Lodge, 5-nights
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Days 3-6
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Lopé National Park
Over the next four days, we explore this biodiverse park through a variety of activities. Most mornings, the group divides into two smaller parties to track primates in the forest. Each party spends one morning with a researcher tracking mandrills, the world’s largest and most colourful monkey. As only four guests can join at a time, the groups alternate over two mornings.
This experience is part of an ongoing habituation and research project, giving us a rare and reliable opportunity to accompany a researcher and learn about the behaviour and social dynamics we observe. At this time of year, several mandrill social units often merge into impressive mega‑clans of more than 200 individuals.
On the mornings when we're not tracking mandrills, we search for the resident chimpanzee family that lives near our lodge, which once served as a chimp and gorilla research station. We also explore forest areas where up to five other primate species may be seen, particularly putty‑nosed, moustached and black colobus monkeys. In the late afternoons, we head into the grasslands by 4WD to look for forest elephants, forest buffalo and, with luck, the elusive red river hog.
After dark, we venture into the forest again to search for nocturnal wildlife. With the help of local guides, we look for species such as giant pangolin, blue duiker, Gabon galago (bushbaby), rusty‑spotted genet and African palm civet, along with a fascinating array of reptiles, amphibians and insects.
Birdlife is another major focus, with distinctive species found across the park’s varied habitats. African grey parrots, great blue, yellow‑billed and Guinea turacos, palm‑nut vultures, African green pigeons, crowned eagles and orange‑cheeked waxbills are all widespread. The grasslands hold specialities such as Senegal coucal, black bee‑eater and white‑crowned lapwing, while the forests support black‑casqued and Congo pied hornbills, rufous‑bellied helmetshrikes and many more.
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Day 7:
Transfer to Libreville
We trace our steps backwards today, returning to Libreville on a day-long transfer. We aim to reach our hotel in time for dinner.
Accommodation: Park Inn by Raddison, 1-night
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Day 8:
Fly to Port Gentil & Transfer to Loango National Park
We begin today by heading to Libreville Airport to catch a 35-minute domestic flight to Port Gentil.
After landing at Port Gentil, we hit the road and transfer to Loango National Park, a drive of around three hours. The last leg of this journey involves taking a boat that lands at our accommodation, and we hope to start seeing some of Loango National Park’s wildlife.
After arriving, we have some time to settle into our lodge and have lunch. In the afternoon, we begin to explore the region’s extraordinary wildlife with a wildlife excursion on the Iguela River. These tranquil waterways are known for a fantastic diversity of life, and during our boat trip, we hope to find forest elephants along the riverbanks.
We also hope to see African and Damara royal terns, African finfoot and white-crested tiger heron, along with plenty more of the park’s dazzling bird species. The Iguela River is also home to slender-snouted and African dwarf crocodiles, and we will keep an eye out for these reptiles as we go.
Accommodation: Loango Savannah Camp, 3-nights
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Days 9-10
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Gorilla Trekking & Exploring Loango National Park
Over the next two days, we have an exciting chance to observe a family of western lowland gorillas. Each morning, we split into smaller groups to track these gorillas on foot, and because they have become habituated to humans, we should be able to enjoy close views of these magnificent primates. These excursions are likely to take all morning and give us time to observe the behaviours and interactions of the gorillas, but the length of time we spend on each tracking session depends on the movement of the family.
We alternate between our smaller groups, and as one spends time with the gorillas, the other can enjoy safaris in the surrounding forest, where we hope to find forest elephants, red river hogs and perhaps even the rare sitatunga.
Each afternoon, after our gorilla trekking, we enjoy boat excursions to discover more of the Loango National Park’s unique ecosystems and rich wildlife. As we explore the waterways, we hope to find herds of hippo, groups of pink-backed pelican, delicate Loango weavers, and more forest elephant or elusive sitatunga along the forested banks of the river. Sandbar ecosystems are home to entertaining African river martin and stunning rosy bee-eater, and at nighttime, we hope to see the fantastic Vermiculated and Pel’s fishing owls searching for prey beside the river.
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Day 11:
Loango National Park & Return to Libreville
Today, we enjoy our last chance to explore the Loango National Park by heading into the forest surrounding our accommodation that is home to red-capped and grey-cheeked mangabeys, Reichenbach’s and Carmelite sunbirds. We may also find some rare and sought-after birds, including the black-headed bee-eater and Congo serpent eagle.
Afterwards, we head back to Port Gentil by road, arriving at the airport in time for our flight back to Libreville. After landing, we transfer to the international terminal to return to the UK via Paris.
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Day 12:
Arrive UK
Arrive in Paris and connect to your onward flight to London.
