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Gabon Discovery Our 18 day Discovery tour can be described as a best of Gabon tour. It combines Loango National Park, the Jewel of Africa’s western coast, with Ivindo National Park (Langoué Bai), famous for its gorillas. The camp at Langoué Bai is the first official eco-camp in Gabon. Gabon Discovery New version as of 17 April 2007 Tour Rating: Traveller Day 1 (Sunday) London Heathrow to Libreville After your daytime flight and evening arrival, you will be met and transfered to the Meridien Hotel, Libreville. Day 2 (Monday) Libreville to Evengue Island This morning we take a connecting flight down the tropical coastline to Omboue and transfer to Evengue, a small island which has a gorilla sanctuary. Four gorillas that lived in captivity for a long time are being cared for by a renowned conservation organisation. The gorillas are part of a breeding programme enabling offspring to be returned to the wild in Gabon. Eco-guides will explain the programme and its long term objectives. Afterwards one of the guides will accompany you on a short bush walk that leads to the gorilla family that currently consists of eight gorillas. As their living area is enclosed, you are assured of the privilege of seeing these impressive primates from close by. The rest of the day is up to you. You can discover the island on foot or by kayak, or simply enjoy the tranquillity and fantastic views from the terrace. Accommodation: Evengue has two bungalows with en-suite bathroom, a fan and a private terrace with views over the lagoon. There are two tents on sundecks with private bathroom with bucket shower and toilet. Each tent has comfortable beds, chairs and private terrace. The tents are placed more towards the jungle. The wooden restaurant is cosy and friendly. You can eat inside or on the large terrace outside, and if you like, start off the evening with an aperitif by the campfire. Overnight Evengue Island tented camp. Day 3 (Tuesday) Mpivie River – St Anne - Loango After breakfast you will board a Gabonese ‘pirogue’ for a 2.5 hour boat tour on the beautiful Mpivie River, en-route to Loango. This ‘black water’ river runs through some very dense rainforest. Sit back and enjoy the breathtaking views. You will see monkeys, crocodiles and all kinds of birds, hartlaubs duck, finfoots and fishing owls in particular. Before reaching Loango you will visit the small town of St. Anne, where Gustav Eiffel built an iron church in the late 1800s. The story goes that it was a gift from the first priest’s mother. Designed and built in Paris, it was shipped in sections to Gabon. Transported over the water, elephants were eventually used to pull it out of the water. The church is still intact and if you are lucky you can even attend mass. Other features of interest are the missionary post, the boarding school and the ‘bamboo cathedral’, where, on rare occasions, ceremonies are held. A short jeep drive takes us to Iguela, and our destination for this evening, Loango Lodge, in Loango National Park. There will be time for an afternoon Safari. Loango Lodge has seven bungalows with en-suite bathroom with hot and cold shower and three suites with en-suite bathroom with bath. All bungalows and suites have a fan, safe, mini-bar, air conditioning and screen windows. The restaurant, with French/Gabonese cuisine, has a large sun terrace and a library with an extensive collection of books on Gabon birds and other wildlife. The paillotte in the lagoon provides the option of dining privately. Overnight Loango Lodge Day 4 (Wednesday) Loango Lodge - Akaka/Tassi Bush Camp* *Dependent on season Akaka Bush Camp – (during the dry season from May to September) Tassi Bush Camp – (during the wet season from October to April) Akaka After an early breakfast the boat departs for a four hour journey in a southerly direction to Akaka. After the boat trip across large lagoons, you will arrive at the Rembo Ngove River, where you spend time 1.5 hours. You might encounter birds, elephants, buffaloes and sitatungas, possibly evening bathing in the river. Akaka is in the heart of the tropical rainforest and the wetlands on the river bank. It is a good starting point for excursions by boat, by kayak or on foot. Accommodation: Akaka Camp is right on the riverside. From the comfort of the thatch-covered restaurant/lounge deck the view is one over the river, papyrus swamps and distant, high forest. At times, the wildlife, and especially elephants pass right through the camp. Five dome dents are placed along a narrow forest clearing leading uphill from the river. Each tent is mounted on a platform under a palm thatch roof, faces the forest, sleeps two, and is comfortably outfitted with its own private bathroom, toilet and bucket shower. Bamboo torches light the way to each tent at night. Tassi After breakfast one of our 4x4 jeeps will take you southwest to the Tassi / Louri area, which will take approximately 1.5 hours. During this drive you may see animals such as elephants, red river hogs, buffaloes, birds and sitatunga. Tassi bush camp is situated on the savannah, surrounded by primary and secondary forest. Here you may be lucky enough to spot gorillas and chimpanzees. In Tassi Sud, 30 minutes from Tassi Bush Camp, is the Max Planck Institute which carries out an important habituation programme with these primates. From Tassi you can easily go on excursions to Louri. Here you will have a good chance of seeing buffalo and elephants on the beach: a truly remarkable sight and characteristic for Loango National Park! Accommodation: Tassi has 5 tents on sundecks with private bathrooms with bucket showers and toilet. Each tent has comfortable beds, chairs and a private terrace. The tents are placed far enough away from each other to ensure your privacy. The restaurant is built on a platform, which gives you fantastic views of your surroundings while having breakfast, lunch or dinner. Day 5 (Thursday) Akaka/Tassi Bush Camp The options today are as previous day. Excursions throughout the Tassi and Louri area to see the wildlife native to this area. Overnight Akaka/Tassi Bush Camp Day 6 (Friday) Akaka/Tassi – Loango Lodge - St Catherine Beach camp Today we head back to Loango Lodge and a short boat trip over Loango Lagoon will take visitors to the Point St. Catherine beach camp. There are miles and miles of empty beach perfect for just relaxing or taking extended walks, shell collecting, as well as some sheltered bays for swimming. In the turtle season (October - February), marine turtles nest on the beach at night. For fisherman, from September to March, there is often world-class fishing a minute's walk from one's tent. Late in the humpback whale season (June - September), female humpbacks pass close inshore with their newly born calves. The surrounding coastal forest, fringing lagoon, and mangroves shelter abundant bird life and smaller mammals. During the rainy season, St. Catherine sunsets are something special. Accommodation: The camp's five dome tents, mounted on wooden platforms and shaded with palm thatch are nestled into the coastal forest right on the beach's edge. Each tent is comfortably outfitted, has its own private bathroom with toilet and bucket shower, and sleeps two. At night bamboo torches provide gentle lighting and although there is a restaurant/lounge deck, most evenings will be a feet-in-the-sand beach barbeque affair. Overnight Point St. Catherines Beach Camp Day 7 (Saturday) Point St. Catherine Beach Camp - Loango Lodge After your return from Point St. Catherine Beach Camp , your guide will discuss with you how you would like to discover other parts of the park; on foot into the mangroves, by kayak over the lagoon or by ‘houseboat’ to Bat and Bird Island and its flocks of birds. We also offer you the unique experience of joining one of our research teams as they conduct their research into whales, leatherback turtles and crocodiles (depending on the time of year) Overnight at Loango Lodge Day 8 (Sunday) Loango Lodge to Ivindo National Park After breakfast you have a shuttle flight to Ivindo National Park. Here a member of the Ivindo National Park team will pick you up. A 4x4 jeep will drive you from Ivindo to the end of the road at Langoué (2/3 hours). First you will pass the logging activities near Ivindo. You will drive through lush green surroundings with an abundance of overhanging plants. When the car cannot take you any further, you will start the 3-hour hike to the WCS research camp, where you will spend the coming nights. There is a steep hill at the beginning of the path that takes about 30 minutes to climb. From there, the path is flat. The recently created and little visited Ivindo National Park is one of the most exciting regions in Gabon. Not only does Ivindo contain the Kongou and Mingouli falls, the biggest and most spectacular waterfalls of forested Africa but bais (salines or clearings in the forest) such as Langoué Bai with the largest concentration of easily observable elephants and gorillas in Gabon. Many of the primates in this region are said to be naïve, namely that they do not fear humans due to their lack of contact with them! Accommodation: The camp is the first official eco-camp in Gabon. It is rather rustic but well appointed and consists of four tents on platforms and an outdoor eating area. Baths are taken under bucket showers with hot water on request. Electricity, computers with e-mail and satellite phones are available. A porter service is not offered. It is advisable for clients to take a good backpack with only necessities to Langoue. The rest of your luggage will be securely stored in the WCS office. Overnight at the WCS Camp Day 9 (Monday) Langoué Bai You will spend the coming days at Langoué Bai. This is a one hour’s walk from the camp with a steep hill at the end. Three platforms in the trees along the edge of the Bai provide an ideal location for wildlife viewing. Guides are available to accompany you to the bai and on forest walks. The paths around Langoué pass through spectacular tropical forest with impressively large trees and high biodiversity. Animals such as red river hogs, monkeys, birds and occasionally gorillas and chimpanzees can sometimes be seen while walking through the forest. Elephants and gorillas are seasonal visitors to the bai. The best time to see elephants is usually during the rainy season (April-June and November-January), whereas gorilla visits peak in April, June and July. Undiscovered Destinations cannot, of course, control the movement of these animals! On an annual basis gorillas frequent the Bai 60% of the year and elephants frequent it 91% of the year. Overnight at the WCS Camp Day 10 (Tuesday) Langoué Bai Activities as for Day 9 Overnight at the WCS Camp Day 11 (Wednesday) Langoué Bai Activities as for Day 9 Overnight at the WCS Camp Day 12 (Thursday) Langoué Bai - Lopé National Park In the morning you start your hike back to the Ivindo station, where you travel by train to the Lopé National Park and a stay at the comfortable Lopé Hotel. A staff member of Lopé Hotel will pick you up at the station for the short transfer to the hotel. Accommodation: The Lopé Hotel is a welcome luxury for the traveller. Wooden bungalows with en-suite facilities and air conditioning provide a perfect place to explore the surrounding savannah and forests. The swimming pool located on the banks of the dramatic Offoue River offers the opportunity to cool off at the end of the day. Overnight at the Lopé Hotel Day 13 (Friday) Mikongo Camp The Mikongo Camp, approximately 1.5 hours from the Lopé Hotel by 4x4 jeep, was established as an ECOFAC (Ecosystemes Forestiers en Afrique Centrale) research camp and is a perfect location to search for primates. Before venturing into the forest, ECOFAC researchers will instruct visitors on the behaviour to adopt during gorilla tracking. Accompanied by a guide and tracker, you will set out on an exciting two-day search for mammals, especially the larger primates: gorillas, chimpanzees and mandrills. Accommodation: Mikongo Camp is basic with wooden bungalows and rudimentary facilities. The camp is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society and ECOFAC and is the home base for the researchers. The small chalets (huts) are elevated on platforms and have adjacent toilet and shower facilities. Overnight at Mikongo Camp Day 14 (Saturday) Mikongo Camp Today the activities are the same as for Day 13 Overnight at Mikongo Camp Day 15 (Sunday) Mikongo Camp – Lopé Hotel – Libreville A 4w4 jeep will take you back to Lopé hotel where you will return to Libreville on the overnight train. Overnight on the train. Day 16 (Monday) Libreville You arrive into Libreville this morning. You will be transfered to the Meridien Hotel, and the rest of the day is at leisure to explore the city. Overnight at the Meridien Hotel Day 17 (Tuesday) Libreville to London Heathrow via Paris You have the use of the hotel room today before you overnight flight back to London Heathrow. Day 18 (Wednesday) Arrive in the UK Your tour finishes today with your morning arrival into London Heathrow. Top of page>> |
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