Escape To Lopé & Loango National Parks

You will be met at the LBV by our staff and transferred to the Tropicana Hotel that lies just a stone’s throw away from the airport. Check–in and briefing at the lobby before dinner and night.

The day consists of several hours’ drive across dense forest, savannah, mountain landscapes and a few picturesque villages. We may have short stops in some of the lively villages on the way including Bifoun (160km), Ndjole (75km later) where the paved road ends, before the last long leg of 130km on dusty road (full of timber trucks driving the opposite sense) for Lopé which you attain in the late afternoon. Lopé is located 360km from Libreville and may require 7 -8 hours’ drive.

Today we embark on a game drive to the Lopé NP in the company of our guide who knows best where to spot wildlife. Lopé NP is the preferred habitat for numerous animal species including Elephant, Monkey, Antelope, Bush Pig, Snakes and a great amount of birds. After having spent the day in quest of this wildlife, we get back to the hotel and in the afternoon, we go for a 40 min pirogue ride downstream the Ougoué River up to Otoumbi, one of the rock engraving sites that have heavily contributed to classify Lopé in the list of the Unesco World Heritage sites. Later in the evening we return to the hotel for the night.

We spend the entire day on intensive activities/exploration of what Lopé has best to offer: the Mikongo Forest.
Early In the morning by 7:30 A.M we leave the hotel and drive for Mikongo which we attain by 9:30 and start our forest trek for a couple of hours or so. The Mikongo Forest Reserve lies an hour and half away from the Lopé hotel and constitutes a genuine way to immerse yourself in forest flora and fauna. It is home to great apes and other big mammals, monkeys and birds, and a variety of plants. By 1500, we walk back and board the car back to Lopé Hotel which we attain by 1630 – 1700

We have an early departure today for Lambaréné that is located 350 km away. After breakfast, we board our 4WD and embark on an 8 hour’s drive for Lambaréné. The highlight of the day consists of several hours’ drive across dense forest, savannah, mountain landscape and numerous picturesque villages. We may have short stops in a few of the lively villages on the way including Bifoun (185 km), Ndjole (210km later) where the paved road starts, after the first long leg of 130km on dusty timber truck road for Lambaréné which we attain in the late afternoon. This ride gives you the opportunity to stand on 2 feet on the equator line that crosses the country.

Lambarene is quite wide-spread; the town consists of a fish market at the riverside, a number of old buildings which were mostly missionary posts, as well as a series of several nearby lakes including the island of Ngomo, where the ruins of a brick-built church from 1936 are still visible.
Above all, Lambaréné is best known for the hospital built in 1913 by Albert Schweitzer, the famous theologian and humanitarian mission doctor who dedicated a great part of his life fighting against tropical diseases in the region. The modern hospital is still named after Albert Schweitzer, although the old hospital he built in 1926 is now partly converted into guesthouses, a museum, and partly inhabited by local people. We will be visiting the museum in the morning and go for a sightseeing tour in the afternoon, including the Catholic Church, the fish market … and spend the night at the Albert Schweitzer Guest House.

We leave Lambarene this morning for Libreville which we attain in the late morning/early afternoon.
The highlight of the morning consists of a 4h drive over a tarred road fringed by verdant fields of tropical fruit trees, picturesque rainforest landscape, clusters of villages of Bantu people, as well as a series of bridges crossing the mighty Komo River and the Ogoué River. We expect to reach Libreville in the early afternoon and after we check-in at our hotel, we embark on a sightseeing tour of the Capital Libreville, meaning Freetown, as in Serra Leone.
Sightseeing in Libreville includes a drive to the Boulevard the l’Independence which runs along the water and is your primary point of orientation in town. The heart of the city is in between the presidential palace and the Novotel, the Presidential palace being one of the true heritage buildings of the country. It is a highly ornate and well-preserved site which draws a lot of crowds in Libreville.
The St Michel Cathedral has an amazing ambiance (mostly on Sunday mornings) and the sights of the interiors are truly very great. The columns inside attract lots of people because of their grandeur. The “Musée des Arts et Traditions” as well has a good collection of masks and musical instruments that are on display… Overall, Libreville is a town which is replete with monuments, and the overall colonial French architecture has a lot of offer. From the north to the south of the city of Libreville there are major districts of the city, namely: the Batterie IV Quarter Louis (known for its nightlife) – Mont Bouet and Nombakele (the busy commercial district) – The district of Glass (the first European settlement in the country) – The major industrial area of Oloumi – the residential area of Lalala and much more, all of which we will see during this day trip. After the excursion we return to the hotel for dinner and night.

Early in the morning, we leave the hotel and drive to the airport to catch the domestic flight to Port Gentil, from where we make our way to the Loango National Park.
Afrijet domestic flight for Port Gentil tends to take-off at 7:30 a.m with arrival after half an hour. Upon arrival in Port Gentil, you are transferred to your private 4WD all-inclusive that will drive you through to Loango via Liambissi. This transfer consists of an approximately five hours drive on a dirt road, that pierces the vast forest tapestry and the pristine beaches along the way. ETA in Loango in the mid-afternoon and if time permits, we may go for a boat ride to the Gorilla sanctuary of Evengue, including a stop at the St Anne Church.

The Loango National Park is an irresistible amalgamation of scenery and wildlife. It magnificently intermingles wetland, savannah, lagoon and pristine white sandy beaches, making the park one of the few places in the world where incredible wildlife roam along the beach including, hippos, African Forest Elephant, Buffalos, and a wide range of great apes. For bird-lovers, the park is a paradise where you’ll easily spot endemic species like the Loango weaver, Congo River Martins, the rosy bee-eaters and much more. Fish species here include the Barracuda and big shark among others. Here, the highlights depend on the season: the whale season lasting from mid-July – mid Sept, the Tarpon season between Oct-Nov, the Turtle around Sept-Jan.
Big mammals roam along the beach during the rainy season, which lasts from Oct-Apr. In any case/season, you will be able to spot at least one of the following species: Buffaloes, Hippos, Crocodile, Manatees, Elephants, Chimps and Gorillas.
The park boasts two major seasonal niches abundant with wildlife. During the dry season that lasts from May-Oct, the Akaka area is full of migrating Elephants and Buffaloes among others, and is open for visitors, while the Tassi Camp on the other hand welcomes visitors all through the rest of the year.
Depending on the season, we may visit Tassi (1hr 4WD drive to the Tassi Savannah Camp that lies 25km from Loango Lodge). This is advisable during the rainy season that lasts from Oct-Apr. During the drive, we have good chances to spot wildlife (buffaloes, elephants, gorillas, chimps and a whole wide range of birds. Tassi camp consists of 5 comfortably outfitted dome tents of double accommodation with private toilet and manual shower. Including a game drive, common highlights around the area includes a forest walk, excursion to the archeological sites, kayaking and other activities.
Or during the dry season (May – Oct), Akaka forest is suitable for a visit, as it is the migration period of big mammals like elephants, buffaloes, big moneys, surfing hippos as well as a busy traffic of birdlife in the forest.
We then leave Loango Lodge early and embark on a 3hr boat ride along the coastal marshy forest and reach the beautiful Akaka forest camp in time for lunch. We might stop on the way for a gorilla safari at the Yatouga Camp that lies mid-way to Akaka. The group of Western Lowland Gorilla consists of 18 members reachable at a close range of 15m. From the camp, we meet our Gorilla guides/experts and go for another fifteen minute boat ride to the drop off point, where we start our trekking until we reach the Gorillas. We will spend one hour in their close vicinity before continuing to Akaka where we spend the night. Depending on the arrival time here, we might follow our eco guide into the depth of the forest for a fair trek in quest of wildlife. Otherwise, you might simply want to relax in the bar of the camp. Night in the Akaka bush camp.

Akaka Camp is flanked on the banks of the River and is located 66km from Loango Lodge. During the dry season, wildlife, mostly Forest Elephants, make their way here in quest of more water. The camp is built up of double tents in dome shapes, stretched over a wooden outbuilding on a land surface of four hundred meters. Settled on a platform under a thatched roof, every unit is comfortable equipped with basic yet agreeable wc and camping shower. You will then spend the morning in the Akaka Forest and after an early lunch, leave the camp and sail upstream to Loango Lodge where you will arrive in the late afternoon.
Alternatively, you may prefer to stay in the luxury Loango Lodge rather than expanding your safari experience. In this camp, the choice is also up to you.

We leave Loango early this morning for Port Gentil then Libreville where we catch the connecting flight back home.