Ultimate Gabon Safari Guide: Loango National Park & Libreville Tour
- Ankitha
- Oct 30, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Gabon Safari Tour: A Complete Gabon Travel Guide
Dubbed as “Africa’s last Eden”, Gabon stands as one of the few remaining untouched wilderness regions on the continent. We hopped on multiple planes and boats to reach our incredible lodge in the middle of Loango National Park.
Set on the African equator, this country has been on my list for years. This stunningly beautiful destination has enormous potential for ecotourism. With astonishing wildlife like lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, endangered turtles, and whales, Gabon is endowed with nature’s bounty – which also means it comes at an exceptionally high cost for tourism.
Whether you’re exploring the dense forests, embarking on boat safaris across lagoons, or hiking to enjoy up-close wildlife experiences, this untamed nation has something for everyone. Forest elephants, dwarf crocodiles, mustache monkeys, hornbills, and hippos—prehistoric in sight and in sound—buzzed past us as we wandered into the forest floor.
It takes an extraordinary amount of pre-planning to ensure a Gabon safari is seamless, and a healthy bit of homework to ensure reward. The effort it takes to design a Gabon expedition reassures you that this is far from the crowded safari in the Masai Mara. In theory, the harder it is to plan a safari and the longer it takes to formulate, the more remote you’re going. That is where this Gabon travel guide comes in handy
Gabon Travel Guide & Safari Itinerary
Arrival in Libreville
Loango National Park
Libreville City Tour
Departure
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Flights + Visa
We flew from Cameroon to Gabon via Afrijet. You can also use Afrijet to travel between Libreville and Port Gentil (the base for Loango National Park). If you hold an Indian passport, you'll need an entry permit. While there’s an online portal, it’s often unreliable. I recommend having your travel agent handle the visa—ours took about 3 weeks.
Language
French is the official language, though some people speak English. Keep Google Translate handy.
Currency
I used Euros but exchanged some for local currency for food and tips.
Best Time to Visit
May to September is the dry season, ideal for outdoor exploration with less rainfall and cooler temperatures.
Guide
As with most safaris in Africa, having a reliable local guide is essential. Contact me if you’d like a recommendation.
Costs
A Gabon safari tour isn’t cheap. Expect around EUR 2500 per person for 4–5 days. But trust me—it’s worth every penny.
WHERE WE STAYED
Getting to Loango is an adventure in itself—plane from Libreville to Port Gentil, a 4-hour drive through jungle roads, then a boat ride through mangroves.
If you plan to visit Loango National Park, you’ll choose between three seasonal lodges. These camps are intimate, low-impact stays set deep in the forest or along the Louri Lagoon. You can take a boat into the lagoon or a jungle safari deep into the park.
These lodges perfectly reflect the essence of an eco safari in Africa—immersive, sustainable, and deeply connected to the untouched environment of Gabon.
At night, the lull of nocturnal wildlife and waves on the shore tell stories under the stars. The food was exquisite, even with dietary restrictions catered to in advance.
Just 40 minutes by boat from the lodge is the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you can walk on soft-sand beaches, surf, or gather around a log fire at sunset.
Vegan + Vegetarian Food
Being vegetarian in Africa isn’t always easy. The best way to manage this is by choosing full-board safari packages and informing the camp ahead of time about dietary needs.
Highlights
Libreville
A small yet elegant capital city, Libreville has urban charm with a hint of wild adventure. It’s quieter and cleaner than most capitals, perfect for relaxing after your flight.
Places to see in Libreville:
Sainte Marie Cathedral – One of the oldest churches with striking stained glass windows.
National Museum of Arts and Traditions – Offers insight into Gabonese tribal culture through masks, carvings, and history.
Point Denis Beach – Unwind here before your safari with golden sands and ocean dips.
Marché du Mont-Bouet – Libreville’s largest market, full of local color, fresh produce, and handmade crafts
Loango National Park - 4 days
In the untouched wilderness of Loango there is something for everything. In the first part of the year, December to February, turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Later in the year from July to September humpbacks are to be found just off the coast and the dry season from June to August is the best time to see wildlife such as elephants, buffalo, and hippos along the flood plains of the Ngové River.
The lagoon is vast, and the horizon merely a faint blur between water and sky. Thick walls of entangled green crowded down upon the water’s edge, where the dark waters of the river provided a brilliant reflection of the canopy. The swampy vegetation hides a multitude of animals. From baby crocodiles, mighty pythons, herds of buffalo, hippo, elephant and monkeys, which stared back at us before rushing back into the security of the forest. Egrets fluttered by us we puttered past. Ibises patrolled the river margins, and a fish eagle zoomed past.
Nearly three-quarters of the country is covered in tropical rainforests, which are among the richest and most diverse on Earth. The least densely populated country in Central Africa, Gabon has only one minuscule percent of its land falling under the agricultural axe. Although Gabon is principally known for its tropical rainforests it also has coastal woodland areas and open savannah grasslands where the coastal plains meet the forests. This is why I had come to Gabon & it didn’t disappoint. An AUTHENTIC wildlife experience in every sense of the word.
We have been lucky enough to see elephants in a variety of places and environments across Africa and yet this was as special as those other occasions. The ombre sky, the sound of the Atlantic crashing on the beach, the feel of the sea breeze on our faces and the sight of this lone elephant or even the small herd of elephants, adults and calves walking on the beach was incredible.
The remoteness and inaccessibility the swamps provide have inadvertently been a savior: protected by nature, elephant here have not to the same degree as elsewhere experienced poaching, know the area is safe, and consequently show their trust when you approach within a few feet by boat. Very few places in Africa offer forest elephant experiences of this kind.
For me, this makes Loango one of the most exciting safari destinations in Central Africa. The habituation process will be a long, slow process but then that is half the charm of Loango, it is raw and untouched. This is an area not for those with tick-lists but those with a thirst for adventure, those who wish to LIVE through an experience!
FINAL THOUGHTS
On paper, Gabon has it all. Which doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes an extraordinary amount of pre-planning to ensure a Gabon safari is seamless, and a healthy bit of homework to ensure reward. The effort, however, it takes to design a Gabon expedition reassures you that this is far from the noisy charter plane skies of the Masai Mara. In theory, the harder it is to plan a safari and the longer it takes to formulate, the deeper and more remote you’re going.
The geographical location and low human population are the key driving forces behind the biomass's pristine condition. The challenge for intrepid travelers like us is both debilitating and stimulating. The feel of the ‘frontier-ness’ is palpable.
Careful planning and patience are essential for a Gabonese adventure, which is as things should be. The unique wildlife and miles and miles of ‘broccoli’ are a testament to the country’s relative inaccessibility and to its enlightened forest conservation policies. Long may it all continue. For those in search of a true blue African experience where wildlife numbers outweigh that of humans, few places top Gabon. Hope I have convinced you to visit
Thanks for reading. Leave your questions and comments below.
Lots of love,
Anki
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