ovenbird

We are going to try Gabon again Feb/Mar 2009 with the same birding tour company. But this time we'll start out in Morocco and then move on to Gabon. One of the tour company owners is going to do a side trip to DRC, but I'm not quite that adventurous!

Tomorrow we are off to Antarctica's Snow Hill Island to see our final penguin species, the Emperor. Africa is our favorite continent, but Antarctica is a close second!

madisonmichelle: What an adventure you must have had in Gabon with Mike Fay and Lee White! I agree with you about Uganda...I loved the country and its wonderfully warm people.

atravelynn: You will love Uganda too! Both Rwanda and Uganda...I'm so envious. Unfortunately, Rwanda won't be in the picture for us until at least 2010. But we will definitely make it there someday, as you will to Gabon!

madisonmichelle

Yes, Atravelynn, as in UW-Madison. Master's in geography, minor in African Studies. I was actually studying bushmeat, which is very popular in Gabon and throughout central and west Africa, so much of the wildlife I saw was dead. It was fascinating to talk to people about it though. I was in Libreville most of the time because we were looking at how much bushmeat is consumed in the city.

Unfortunately, I was stuck in the city while other WCS researchers passed through town to amazing destinations to study elephants, whales, primates, etc. I was so jealous! I was able to see humpbacks down the coast, which was one of the most amazing adventures I've ever had--minus the sea sickness!

I was also at Lope for a few days and saw elephants, mandrills, and can't remember what else. Both were just luck--and the elephants were kind of annoying (but amazing!) because they were blocking the road when we were trying to get out of the park to the train station!

Out past Franceville there is a beautiful canyon, can't remember the name.

By the way, porcupine is the preferred bushmeat species in Gabon!

atravelynn

Ovenbird, you may not see this as you are Antarctica bound. Hope the penguins are waddling about in abundance for you!

MadisonMichelle, F**k 'em Bucky! to another Badger. As a nature person I'm sure you enjoyed Picnic Point and the Arboretum. What a fascinating degree. Porcupine, eh? Probably tastes like chicken. On a less silly note, I'm sure your study of some of the endangered species of bushmeat was disturbing.

Thanks for the response.

beachmama7

Ovenbird--
I noticed that your two favorite continents are Africa and Antarctica. My husband and I are currently going back and forth about plans to one or the other in 2009. I've been to Zambia, Botswana, and Kenya, and I was entranced by the looks of Gabon. However, with all I'm reading, it is sounding more and more difficult, if not impossible.
What are your thoughts about the two continents? I know that's a loaded question, but I'm really serious! We were thinking of going in April, May or June. We gave up on Antarctica because it just looks so COLD! I'd be willing to do cold, but it looks way, way, way too cold!!!
OTOH, I don't want to go somewhere I've already gone, such as countries in Africa. I am longing to see the gorillas, but it looks more and more impossible to do so, not to mention horribly expensive, physically exhausting, and time consuming.
I want to take into consideration the fact that my husband has never been to Africa, but he is willing to follow my lead on all of these plans.
For those who've gone to Uganda, what is the wildlife situation like compared to other parts of Africa? I may have to defer my longing to see gorillas until the Congo gets better tourist infrastructure. Gabon looks like a nightmare comparitively..
Thanks for any suggestions!
Beachmama

atravelynn

"For those who've gone to Uganda, what is the wildlife situation like compared to other parts of Africa?"

The gorillas are great, but I found the climb in Rwanda to be less humid in July and the viewing to be less obstructed.

Visiting them was well worth the effort and expense and I'm going back to Rwanda in Aug. I'd visit the Uganda gorillas again too in a heartbeat.

Chimps in Kibale were fascinating. Chimps in Chambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth Nat Park were good. The chimp walk at Ngamba with rescued baby chimps was over the top wonderful. I have not been to Gombe or Mahale in TZ to compare.

In Queen Elizabeth National Park the birdlife and hippos along the Kazinga Channel were in huge abundance.

The savanna areas of QE Nat Park provided some of the best ele interactions I've seen. I did see hyenas and lions there, but nowhere near as many as other parks. In the Ishasha region of the park it is possible to see tree climbing lions and I saw one in 3 visits.

I've seen Giant Forest Hogs on all 3 trips and I've never seen this elusive species anywhere else.

Uganda or Rwanda combines well with Tanzania or Kenya.

Good luck with Africa or Antarctica.

beachmama7

Atravelynn--
Thank you so much for your quick reply. Based on what I've already read regarding this region, my husband and I have finally decided to rule out Gabon. That leaves us with Uganda, which is beginning to look pretty spectacular.
I know you can't predict these things, but what are the "odds" of seeing a gorilla in Uganda vs Rwanda? As it stands right now, we are probably going to go in mid-June. Rwanda's treks seem much more difficult, or is that only my perception?
Should we be unlucky enough not to see gorillas in Uganda, I'm hoping we will definitely see chimps. I've just run a potential itinerary past my usual safari agent. It doesn't appear that we'll be seeing too many other animals in Uganda other than the primates, is that correct?
Still, with only approximately 7 days on safari, I think we may be making a good decision to stay only in Uganda.
And to Ovenbird (who is still in Antarctica?), we will be adding a leg by flying RT from Madrid to Morocco before flying to Entebbe.
More thoughts?
Thanks, Beachmama

madisonmichelle

Beachmama,

Don't know if you are still checking this board...but I definitely think Uganda is a better option than Gabon. It's just so much easier at this time.

Uganda is amazing. I've only been to Uganda and Gabon (of African countries), but I can't imagine a better experience than Uganda and every traveler I met told me Uganda was the best country they had visited.

I didn't see the gorillas while in Uganda because I was volunteering in Kibale for six months and spent all of my time with the chimps, but from what I heard, you were guaranteed to see the mountain gorillas and if you didn't see them on your particular day you could come back another day for free. I'm not sure if that's still the policy, but I'm sure you could find out.

In Kibale, the chances of seeing chimps is pretty good, but not guaranteed. When I was there ten years ago the chimps were still being habituated (that's why I was there). If you stay a few days in Kibale then you should be able to see them. The guides are fantastic!

You will be able to see many other animals in Uganda is you visit parks other than Bwindi and Kibale (which are pretty much just primates--lots of primates!). I visited Queen Elizabeth NP and it was wonderful. We saw hundreds, if not thousands of hippos on the boat tour down the channel. Lots and lots of elephants, antelopes, vultures, etc.. I also visited Murchison NP up North and saw giraffes and crocs in addition to elephants and antelopes.

If you only have seven days for the entire trip, I would do a tour of western Uganda. Hit Bwindi, then Queen Elizabeth and finally Kibale National Parks. Or go the opposite direction. Also spend a day in Kampala, it's a lovely city. Plus check out Ngamba Island in Entebbe on your way in or out of the country.

Good luck!

atravelynn

<i>As it stands right now, we are probably going to go in mid-June. Rwanda's treks seem much more difficult, or is that only my perception?</i>

Rwanda was actually easier, mainly because of the cooler temps. This was the first days of July.

Kibale will very, very likely produce chimps and Bwindi will very, very likely produce gorillas. If you can arrange 2 trips with the gorillas, the odds go way up.

MadisonMichelle would know, having spent a long time in Kibale. When I went in 2002, I saw the chimps but they were not as habituated as they are now. Your odds are better now.

In QE you'll see a variety of animals, as MadisonMichelle states. Elephants are a specialty. QE is the only place I've seen the Giant Forest Hog, and I've seen it each visit. The Kazinga Channel has great birdlife and hippos.

ovenbird

beachmama, I agree with what both madisonmichelle and atravelynn said. We loved Uganda and would love to go back. We saw many of the same mammals you can see in East Africa but not nearly in the same numbers nor as close.

But you can't see gorillas in East Africa and they were wonderful. We did only one gorilla trek at Bwindi and would do at least 2 if we went again. I don't know which trekking is easier, Uganda or Rwanda. I think it's just the luck of the draw. We had the &quot;easy&quot; family and ended up having a somewhat tough trek. Our friends had the &quot;hard&quot; family and they drove one hour, got out of the vehicle, and the gorillas were 30' from them! Truely a carp shoot!

And it's my understanding most if not all gorilla viewing is done from quite a distance in Gabon. So the up close experience would likely be lacking unless you went to the Evengue rehab center. Plus I believe Ivindo and Langoue Bai are still closed.

With only 7 days, I think you would be unhappy trying to do more than one country. I know I would.

Now, if you want to see Antarctica sometime, you won't be disappointed!

Marsha

napamatt_2

Marsha

Do you have a trip report for PNG somewhere, and was birding the reason for that trip?

Matt

thit_cho

Matt, in addition, for PNG, it may be helpful, at least for planning purposes, to check out the Field Guides information

http://www.fieldguides.com/png.htm

There's a link on that site to request an itinerary, and these guys have done years of research to identify the very best birding spots. You can also see the lists fromt their recent trips, and the lists sometimes identify places where birds were spotted.

I have done some research into a trip to PNG (likely a few years away), mostly to see the Birds of Paradise, but also to get to some of the outer islands, and its not that easy to find detailed info on PNG.

ovenbird

Matt: Sorry, but we didn't do a trip report for PNG and yes, it was a birding trip. Almost all of the big US birding tour companies go to PNG, including Field Guides. But I would highly recommend Rockjumper Tours who has been going there longer. They essentially organized and guided our birding tour. We saw 23 species of Birds of Paradise and had one fantastic adventure after another. Unfortunately our extension to New Britain got cancelled due to civil unrest following national elections.

FYI - There are a number of birding trip reports at:

http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1172

http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/p...wguineahtm.htm
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/triprepor...ua-new-guinea/

http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=812

http://wingsbirds.com/tours/narrative/163


thit cho: PNG is not a DIY kinda place, so look for a good tour company with lots of experience and contacts there. Rockjumper could probably help you with the out islands.

Marsha

napamatt_2

Thanks Marsha and Michael.

ovenbird

Survival: Gabon ...that says it all.

Gabon is definitely not an easy place to visit, even with a guide who has had experience with the country. Our guide was constantly "talking" with the ground agent, who seemed to be changing plans on the fly or trying to charge more. It felt like we were interlopers at The Lope Hotel, which BTW is the only game in town...they were not very service oriented. We do not expect much, just a little civility which was sorely lacking. Happily, this was quite a contrast to the staff at Evengue (aka Gorilla Island) and at Loango Lodge (aka Iguela), who were very accommodating.

There is less and less to experience (Ivindo NP/Langoue Bai is closed, mandrill tracking at Lope NP is no longer possible, and gorilla viewing at Evengue is only through a chain link fence). It's not very tourist friendly...make sure you brush up on your French before you go and you bring plenty of Euros since several of the lodges did not accept credit cards. And the heat and humidity took its toll on our birding group (3 down for a day or two).

Not sure why the mammals were few and the bird species seen were also fewer than expected, but we did have some memorable experiences. We had a group of Forest Elephants walk to within 30 meters while we were busily looking in the opposite direction at a Shining Blue Kingfisher. We saw a group of 50 Red River Hogs gathering and scurrying around. We watched a cloud of 100 black and white African Skimmers flying in formation around our boat and flashing their large red bills, practicing for their upcoming migration.

It was a different type of African experience for us and not one we'd enjoy repeating especially at the prices they charge. Gabon does have beautiful pristine primary rain forests (sadly disappearing to logging) and some unique mammals, but it is one of the few countries on our "no return" list.

We wish you good luck if you decide to go to Africa's Last Eden!

Marsha

SophiaP

Hello everyone,

I went to Gabon many years ago (2004), and visited Loango, Langoue Bai and Lope at the time. It is definitely an adventure, and one I truly enjoyed.

Also at that time, the service was best in Loango Lodge, Evengue and their tented camps, though I feel you shouldn't be going to Gabon for their service-oriented approach (at least not yet - maybe in 5 years time when they start to catch up to other destinations in Africa that have a longer history of tourism).

The reasons for going to Gabon is as Marscha describes in her third paragraph, those memorable experiences. I remember vividly when we were on a boat trip in swamp-like waters in the jungle. Our guide took us for a short walk into the jungle, and all of a sudden, right in a sunny spot not far away from us, a sitatunga (antelope) crossed a swamp. He turned his head gracefully, looked at us for what seemed like minutes, and then continued his journey... It was so pure and untouched.

I am sad to hear that Langoue Bai is now closed, and that they are no longer doing mandrill tracking, although I have heard that Langoue is looking for a new operator to run their operations, and that the mandrills will be collared again in the near future (to be able to track the group). Any one else hear about this?

Unlike Marsha, I do see central Africa as a return destination, and I would like to go back this year even. Most likely on a trip to: Dzanga Sangha (in the Central African Republic), Loango and a small island close to Gabon called Principe. They are offering the trip in July, August and December this year.

Has anyone been to Dzanga Sangha before, and gone gorilla tracking there? Can you let me know your experiences?