The most beautiful natural sites to discover Gabon

50 km from Léconi, on the road to the green canyon. We cross the village of Sayé, also to visit.

15 km from Léconi.

Possible activities: various walks on the island and meeting with the Gorilla Protection Program team, led by Michel the veterinarian.

Accessible from this same beach by shuttle boat from the hotel du Relais or by car (4 x 4 recommended because the track is often banged). By the track, turn right before the lighthouse. It is a white sand beach where the water is really clear and the bath pleasant. No matter what the tides, bathing is always possible!

At the entrance to the city, by taking on the right, we descend towards the bridge that crosses the Ogooué to enjoy the view on the river and the Fetish island. Once again, when the place was still called Mandji, "thieves and adulteresses from the State Duma and Wandji countries were enslaved and stored on the Fetish Island, before being sold to Okandé, which went to Lambaréné to sell them to Aloa." Even today, Fetish Island keeps the local population a part of the mystery that deters people from getting there.

The Moukalaba-Doudou Park belongs to the protected area of Gamba. As such, it has been the subject of several studies conducted by research groups at the Smithsonian Institute in partnership with WCS and WWF. It has a very diverse animal population, with a preponderance of the species of primates and an antelope, the Cob cob, listed only in this park. The park is accessible from the north through the village of Doussala.

Mayumba National Park comprises a protected area, mainly marine, where the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works. It protects a coastal area of nearly 960 km², as well as a strip of beach and vegetation 1 km wide and 60 km long. Sand beaches, mangroves, savannahs and forests bathed in freshwater lagoons are all habitats that are home to a wide variety of fauna and flora.

Mayumba Park owes its reputation to its leatherback turtle nesting site, ranked among the top sites in the world. You can also see the ballet of the humpback whales, a grandiose spectacle between July and October, the great period of reproduction which involves nuptial parades and love songs, as well as fights between males.

The best thing to do is to contact the park's very active curator, Winand Viljoen, at least a week in advance. In addition to providing you with an entry permit for the park, he can suggest various activities:

whale watching expeditions, from the coast or from a boat, are organized from Mayumba Park;forest walks, offered by Mayumba National Park guides in July and August. Contact the curator; visiting the villages of the Banio lagoon. In the company of Winand or one of his colleagues, walks are offered to Tchianzi, Kayes and Yoyo, among other fishing villages;Leatherback turtle nesting.To be seen on the beach between November and February. Authorization to be requested from the curator.