20 January 2025

Anyone interested to join a short trip to Loango NP, Gabon?

 

Most people visited Gabon in the dry season, June-September, mainly for Mandrill trekking.

Of course, in most destinations, dry seasons produce better mammal sights than the wet season. However, it is different for Loango National Park, Gabon. The coast savanna get too dry in the dry season, as the sand cannot store water, plants dry up and most wildlife migrates away. Besides, there is no fruit in dry season, so lowland gorillas move a lot searching for food, makes them difficult to be found.

In the wet season, the coast savanna absorbs sufficient water, and the new plants attract rainforest species, such as chimpanzee and yellow-backed duiker, out to open areas. Forest elephant, forest buffalo, red river hog, sitatunga, etc. will also come to the coast savanna in more numbers in the wet season, so much better chances for photography. Meanwhile, the rain will not affect the availability of 4×4 safari, as all water absorbed by the sand, so no flood on the savanna.

So, after read many reports and check with several tour agencies, I decided to take a short trip to Loango, Gabon in this March for 5 days 4 nights, maybe 25th to 29th (needs to arrive at Libreville on 24th). I want to arrange to trip through See Wild Travels https://www.seewildtravels.com/loango-packages

Travel in central Africa is always expensive, Gabon is relatively the most budget I think. Though there are also African forest elephant, red river hog and western lowland gorilla in Lopé National Park, the chances in Loango National Park is higher and better for photography.

You can watch the documentary of Loango National Park. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwgiFK9KzE&t=223s&ab_channel=BestDocumentary

If you are interested in this trip, please feel free to contact me zhoufangyi@mail.bnu.edu.cn

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Zhou Fangyi
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2 Comments

  • 25 February 2025
    AlexS

    Personally, I think 3000 USD for 2 nights is not an acceptable price. I wonder if it is possible to pay a ‘normal’ price in Gabon….

    • 25 February 2025
      Zhou Fangyi

      Hello Alex,

      Not only travels, but also the daily food, the traffic, everything in Gabon seems to be expensive. The per capita GDP of Gabon is the third highest in Africa. However, their infrastructure is very simple. Maybe most Gabonese spends a lot of money on daily expenses, that is their economic structure.

      Anyway, I tried to find a cheaper way of mammalwatching in central African (ont only Gabon), but this is already the most cost-effective option. So, if anyone knows a better way, please share and I will be grateful.

      1

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