FOREST, OCEAN AND LAGOON ADVENTURE - A 15 DAY SAFARI - From £3,350pp

Day 1
Upon arrival at Douala airport (Cameroon), you will be welcomed by one of our members of staff. You will take a 1.5-hour flight to Port Gentil (Gabon) where you will clear customs immediately. After a short 30-minute stop you will fly southwards to Loango Lodge, where you will arrive at around 8.00 p.m. Our staff will welcome you with refreshments and take you to your room. French/Gabonese cuisine will be served in the restaurant. After dinner, if you can't wait until morning, you can already have your first look at the splendours of Loango National Park during a short lagoon tour with our crocodile experts.  

Accommodation: Loango Lodge has 7 bungalows with ensuite bathroom with shower and 3 suites with an ensuite bathroom with bath. There is also a 2-bedroom house with 2 bathrooms and a living area, ideal for families. All bungalows and suites have a fan, safe, mini-bar, air-conditioning and screen windows. The restaurant 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 gives the option of dining privately.   

Day 2
After breakfast in the lodge, you will visit Loango National Park by 4x4 jeep, kayak or on foot. You will discover the beauty of the reserve and its diversity of landscapes and wildlife. Other activities that we offer include sport fishing with our professional equipment and trained guides, or a village tour through the nearby Ntchongerove village and the Okoume Forest. Our eco-guides will explain how to survive in the forest and you will see how the local population manages to live alongside nature. Myths, the medical uses of plants and trees and other hidden treasures will all be revealed to you during this special experience.
We also offer you the unique experience of joining one of the WCS research teams while conducting their research into whales, leatherback turtles and crocodiles (August is a great time of year for whaling - watch them from the research boat as these magnificent creatures break the surface of the ocean and come crashing back down! ).  

Days 3 and 4 (in dry season the alternative is to visit Tassi)

Akaka

After an early breakfast, the boat will depart in southern direction to Akaka, where you will arrive approximately 4 hours later. During the boat drive you have a good chance to see a variety of wildlife including various species of birds, elephants, buffalo's and sitatunga, maybe even bathing in the rivers. Akaka is one of the most remote parts of Loango National Park. The bush camp is situated in the heart of the tropical rainforest and the wetlands. It is a good basis to undertake excursions by boat, by kayak or on foot. 

Accommodation: Akaka has 5 tents on sundecks with private bathrooms with bucket showers and toilet. Each tent has comfortable beds, chairs and private terrace overlooking the jungle. During the night time, the sounds of the elephants and the other animals will give you the real African experience. Akaka has a small restaurant with a terrace overlooking the river: a perfect spot to enjoy the beautiful sunrises.

Day 5
After your return from Tassi / Akaka around lunchtime, 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 the WCS research teams as they conduct their research into whales, leatherback turtles and crocodiles (depending on the time of year).

Day 6
After breakfast you can choose from our safari possibilities. Normally you will return to the lodge for lunch, but if you prefer to have a full day in the park, please let us know and we will do our utmost to arrange a picnic.
In the afternoon you will leave by boat to our attractive beach camp: Point St. Catherine (approximately 30 minutes). This camp is situated on a beautiful spot on the beach in the north of Loango National Park. Swimming, shell seeking and fishing are amongst the possibilities. You can also, of course, simply relax here and have this gorgeous beach all to yourself.

Accommodation: Point. St. Catherine has 5 tents on sundecks with private bathrooms with bucket showers and toilet. Each tent has comfortable beds, chairs and a private terrace. Every morning you have the luxury of waking up to a spectacular sea view. The restaurant is comfortable, but a barbeque can be arranged on the beach if you want to get even closer to nature.

Day 7 

After coming back from the beach you will have time to collect your belongings and head for Evengue Lodge. After a 45-minute drive by 4x4 jeep, you will arrive at a debarqadere. Here you will board a Gabonese 'peroque' for a 2.5-hour boat tour on the beautiful Mpivie River. 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.
En route to the island 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.  Around lunchtime you will arrive at Evengue Island, a small island where there is a gorilla sanctuary. Here our eco-guides and experts on the island will explain our gorilla programme. 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 2 bungalows with ensuite bathroom, a fan and a private terrace with views over the lagoon. There are 2 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.

Day 8
After breakfast you will go to the airstrip from where you will take a 1.5-hour flight to the airstrip near Ivindo. Here a member of the Ivindo National Park will pick you up.  A 4x4 jeep will drive you from Ivindo to the end of the road to Langoué (2/3 hours). First you will pass the logging activities near Ivindo. After 30 minutes the gravel road turns into a dirt road and you will cross three small bridges. 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. If you still have energy left upon arrival, it is possible to visit Langoué Bai in the afternoon.

Accommodation: the camp is still rather rustic (please see our website for details), but it is located in the second largest rainforest in the world, and this forest is bound to reward the traveller for the effort they have put in to get here!

Days 9 and 10
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. World Primate Safaris cannot, of course, control the movement of these animals. On an annual basis gorillas frequent the Bai 59.5% of the year and elephants frequent it 91% of the year.

Day 11
In the morning you start your trip back to Ivindo station, where your train will leave at 1.20 a.m. for Lopé Hotel and Lopé National Park. You can wait at the WCS office, where you will have dinner too. You will arrive at Lopé station at 2.50 a.m., where a staff member of Lopé Hotel will pick you up.

Accommodation:  Lopé Hotel, splendidly located at the foot of Mount Brazza, is a charming hotel with bungalows, swimming pool and restaurant. The rooms all have air conditioning and hot water in the mornings and evenings.

Days 12 and 13
This World Heritage site is one of the largest and most beautiful national parks in Central Africa. 4-wheel drive vehicles will take you on game drives to marvel at the wide variety of wildlife: red buffalo, elephant herds, antelopes, wild boars, varieties of birds and more. Footpaths are also available for hikers to take a closer and more intimate look at monkeys and the smaller mammals. It is also possible to organise madrill tracking here in the correct season...

 Day 14
A 4x4 jeep will bring you back to Lopé Hotel. Here you will be picked up for your flight to Port Gentil around noon. This approximately 2-hour flight will give you fantastic views of the vast forests below. In Port Gentil you will stay at a hotel of your choice.

Accommodation: Recommended hotels: Meridien Mandji (upper range), L'Hirondelle (moderate)

Day 15
After lunch and a relaxed morning your flight to Douala will leave around noon.