Things to see and do Mayumba

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.

Under the aegis of Mayumba National Park, the ten women of this district have joined together in an association to have their crafts recognized. In the shade of the trees, they have meticulously woven beautiful mats since childhood into pandanus, a tropical plant thicker than raffia. The mats are then coloured with vegetable-based ink, manufactured on site. You can visit them and enjoy their work, accompanied by a park guide.