Ivindo National Park and Loango National Park - 14 days safari price starts from 5900 USD pp based on two persons sharing. Ex international flights (prices can fluctuate due to seasonality and availability)

 

Day 1 Libreville

Arrive in Libreville and have the day at your leisure. Our representatives will help you with customs and

take you by car to the nearby hotel. You have time to explore the local market, swim in the sea or just relax back at your hotel.

Accommodation: Tropicana - a popular local hotel located on the seafront with good local cuisine.This very basic hotel is a popular hotel in Libreville. Mind you though: the beds are small, rooms are a bit moist. There is airconditioning though as well as ensuite showers.

 

Day 2 Libreville and Trans Gabonais expresse

Explore Cap Esterias where you will discover fine sand beaches with coconut trees and one can

stroll for kilometres along the seashore. Alternatively visit the old town with the small stalls and get a taste of dark Africa. Also take some rest during the day because the train will not give you much sleep. In the evening catch the 5 hour ride of the Transgabonais Express southwards to Ivindo. (expect it to last a few hours longer though) The Transgabonais is an adventure in itself, rarely arriving at its destination on time it is an experience not to be missed!

Accommodation: Transgabonais expresse Do not expect to get much sleep tonight. Even though you will be travelling first class, luxury might not as you want or expect. The airconditioning normally is very cold in the train and frequent stops are usual.

 

Day 3 Langoue Baie

Upon arriving at Ivindo you have time to freshen up at the

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) office before setting off on your drive into the forest. A 3hr drive by 4x4 brings you to the end of the track and the start of your walk to Langoue Camp. With a slippery climb for the first half an hour once you reach the top it is a beautiful walk through this pristine forest. You are privileged to visit this area; only discovered a few years ago, many of the animals that you see in this area are completely naïve to mankind. If you still have energy left upon arrival, it is possible to visit Langoue Bai in the afternoon. Visiting Langoue Baie is a true jungle experience that cannot be compared with any other jungle experience. Only those who did a bit of research on the area and are ready to visit this place can do it.

Accommodation: Langoue Baie/ WCS research camp. A fairly rustic camp consisting of tents on

wooden platforms set amidst the second largest rainforest in the world. Facilities are basic with bucket showers (hot water can be prepared upon request). In the evenings sit around with the researchers and learn about the forest, the Bai and the surrounding area.

 

Days 4 and 5 Langoue Baie

You will spend the coming days at Langoue Baie. 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. Please note however that these are wild animals and sightings are not guaranteed. This is a true adventure.

 

Day 6 Transgabonais expresse

After breakfast start your trip back to the station of Ivindo. After the 3 hr walk back out of the forest you have a 2hr drive to the station where WCS staff will pick you up and take you to their office for a good meal, some rest and a shower. The train leaves Ivindo around 02h00 am.

 

Day 7 Libreville

Around 09h00 you arrive in Owendo, the train station of Libreville. From here you will be taken

to your hotel for the night: the hotel Intercontinental. You will have a good sleep, shower, some relaxation and a decent meal.

Accommodation: Intercontinental Hotel is perfectly placed base for the exploration of Libreville and the fascinating countryside of Gabon. The hotel has everything necessary in-house to ensure visitors are nice stay. . Informal and formal restaurants serve local and international cuisine. Swimming pool, basic gym, shop and tennis are all available.

 

Day 8. Sogarra beach Port Gentil

Early in the morning you fly to Port Gentil and will be brought to Sogarra for a day on Gabons most beautiful beach. At the end of the afternoon your flight to Loango Lodge is waiting for you where you will be welcomed with drinks and late dinner in Loango Lodge.

Accommodation: Loango Lodge is situated on the lagoon and offers uninterupted views over the national. The lodge has 10 bungalows and 3 suites with ensuite bathrooms, fan and airconditioning and is completed with a pool. The lodge has a large library on birds and mammal books of the Loango area.

 

Day 9 and 10 Tassi or Akaka

Tassi: A driver with a guide will take you south-west to the Tassi area. Preprare to see elephants, red river hogs, buffalos, birds and sitatunga under way. Tassi Camp is situated on the savannah, surrounded by primary and secondary forest. Tassi is a very basic camp nearby the research camp of the Max Planck Institute. The researchers carry out studies amongst the shy, elusive gorillas and chimpanzees in the area. From Tassi, Louri can easily be reached, where the rare phenomenon of buffalos and elephants on the beach can be seen. And if you are lucky surfing hippos.

Accommodation: Tassi savanna camp is a basic savanna camp with 5 meru tents under a palmleaf roof. Tents are placed widely from each other to ensure the maximum of privacy. The camp is situated in a gorilla and chimpanzee area with a view on the glittering ocean.

OR

Akaka: A 4-hour boat journey southwards will bring you to Akaka. This fabulous trip over

large lagoons encounters birds, elephants, buffalos and sitatunga (swamp-dwelling antelopes), possibly even bathing in the river. Akaka is one of the most remote parts of the Park. The camp is situated on the riverbank in the heart of the tropical rainforest and the wetlands. At times, the wildlife, especially elephants, passes right through the camp. At night you will hear apes high in the canopy. This camp is fabulous for forest walks or trips by kayak or motorboat along the Rembo Ngowe and Rembo Echira rivers.

Accommodation: Akaka bush camp is situated 3 hours by boat from Loango Lodge in a very remote area of the park. The camp is rustic, very basic and has five tents that are pitched on a covered platform along a narrow forest clearing leading uphill from the river.

 

Day 11 Loango Lodge

After returning from Tassi / Akaka around lunchtime, you can relax at Loango Lodge, dip into the refreshing pool or lounge in the library for some relaxing time. Or you can discover some other parts of the park by car into the savannah, on foot into the mangroves, or by ‘houseboat’ along the shore.

Accommodation: Loango Lodge

 

Day 12 Pt St Catherine Beachcamp

In the afternoon, a 20-minute boat tour over the lagoon takes you to the

Pointe Sainte Cathérine Beach Camp. This basic camp is situated at a beautiful spot on the beach in the north of Loango National Park. Beach walks, collecting shells and fishing are amongst the possibilities. You can also simply relax here, with one of the most beautiful beaches on earth all to yourself. As the sun sets, dine in the restaurant, on the lounge deck, or enjoy a feet-in-the-sand beach barbeque affair.

Accommodation: Pt. St. Caterine beach camp has five thatched tents with classic wooden flooring and ensuite bathrooms with bucket showers and flushing toilets. The camp is very basic but the area is fantastic and cannot be found anywhere else.

 

Day 13 Evengue gorilla island

Upon return from Pte. Ste. Cathérine, a 4x4 jeep will drive you within 45 minutes to the start of the Mpivié River. From here, you will start the boat trip on the dark waters of the Mpivié to Evengué Island, a small island just outside Loango National Park where the Gorilla Project is situated. This tour over Gabons famous blackwater river shows monkeys, crocodiles and all kinds of birds such asHartlaub’s ducks, finfoots and fishing owls. After approximately 2 hours, you will arrive at the small town of Ste. Anne, where Gustav Eiffel built an iron church in the late 1800s.

Accommodation: Evengué Lodge is a sattelite camp of Loango Lodge. The island is a gorilla sanctuary and houses a family of 5. The island has 2 wooden bandas and 3 tents under canvas, one of them floating on the water. The island is a miniature version of Loango National Park with forest, savanna and, nearby, a beach.

Day 14 Flight to Libreville and onwards

In theafternoon, the Africa’s Eden private charter plane will fly you to Port Gentil. From Port Gentil, your connecting flight to either Libreville or Douala is waiting for your connecting flights.