Travel Guide Parc National De Loango

Located on the Gabonese coast 300 km south of the capital, the Loango National Park is the jewel of Gabon. Its 155,000 hectares of forest, savannah, beaches and lagoons are populated by an abundant and exceptional fauna. It is necessary to devote time to this visit: the park is not easy to access. From Libreville, you must first arrive in Port-Gentil (by plane or by boat). Then, you have to take a boat (3 hours 30 of navigation) and then a 4x4 (1 hour 30 of chaotic track). The other solution is to take the road from Libreville via Lambaréné, Fougamou, Mandji, Rabi and Loango. When all goes well, it takes about 11 hours to get there. Finally, a more recent and quicker solution is to benefit from a transfer by car from Port-Gentil, along the new road (93 km) that links the latter to Omboué. In this case, a half-day's journey may suffice. Generally speaking, you should therefore allow for a significant amount of time for transport and, in order to make the most of the park and not be too tired by this long distance, stay at least 2 nights on site.Those who visit the park may have the chance to witness extraordinary and unique scenes in the world, hippos taking a bath in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean or buffalos and elephants basking in the sun on the beaches. Among the countless fauna that inhabit the park, one can meet, in addition to the three species already mentioned, bushpigs, several species of monkeys, duikers, several species of reptiles, and with luck gorillas. The park is also inhabited by the leopard, but its observation remains rare. From the beach, humpback whales and dolphins can be seen in season (July to September). The park is also a nesting site for leatherback turtles. The lagoons are also populated by an abundance of wildlife, including many species of fish such as tarpon, captain, barracuda or red carp and, during your journey, you may see a crocodile or even a manatee. The mangroves, which border them, are the place of reproduction of many aquatic species and are inhabited by a rich avifauna.