thit_cho

Thanks for sharing the link to the photos. As I said in the first response above, Gabon is on my shortlist.

gatoratlarge

Thnaks y'all. I arranged through IExplore which is Chicago based. They worked through Mistral Voyage a Gabonese agency. My contact was great but response from Gabon was tough. I thought i might explore other options (Discovery Initiatives) but they were working with the same Gabonese group and were having the same communication troubles. It is definitely not very developed in tourism yet and they eventually got to my trip and were able to arrange two of the three things I wanted to see in Gabon (Kongou Falls and Langouie Bai). If I had to do it over again, I might try to use Operation Loango for all my arrangements. An American group of three used them and so did the spanish couple I met. Both had great things to say and were quite pleased. I have no real complaints but I wanted to change things and as I said, there was no flexibility. The fact they are a major operator and have their own transportation fleet is key. I was pleased with IExplore and they were doing their best...some things were just out of their hands. Gabon is not cheap by the way...tourist standards are not the same as other parts of Africa but it is very unique (the country).

CarlaM

Enjoyed your photos Gator. Thank you for posting them and also your first hand experience. I see why they call it "the Last Eden".

maxwell

Gatoratlarge -
If you happen to check this post, have a few questions for you:

It doesn't sound like you went mandrill tracking at Lope - but I was curious as to whether you met anyone that did, and if so, what they said about it?

Also, did you meet anyone that went to Evengue, the gorilla sanctuary? Was wondering if it was worth a stop.

Finally, where did you stay in Libreville? (If you happened to stay in a budget place that was OK, I'd love to know the name...I have the Bradt guide but it's hard finding anything out firsthand about places.)

Thanks!

sniktawk

Just out of interest how far is the hide at Langoue Bai from the animals in your shots, what lens were you using?

gatoratlarge

I did not get to spend any time in Lope but there is mandrill research going on there. What I gathered is that it is harder to see them than I thought---the large troops that gather together "more than 1,000 strong" make it seem that you would almost be guaranteed a sighting. I don't think this is the case. Getting a good guide is essential and a bit of a problem in Lope too...apparently they've had trouble keeping good guides and you want to avoid getting a local "guide" that wants to get in, get out with a tip...I just heard mixed things about Lope is what I'm trying to say.

The Kongou Falls trip was probably my favorite part and we nearly caught sight of a mandrill troop----the Italian guy that set the camp up told me that they had habituated them to a certain degree there.

I stayed some at the Tropicana in Libreville which is a basic African Hotel but has a GREAT restaurant. The food is excellent there and quite the beach scene on Sundays from the locals. I also stayed at the Le Meridien in Libreville for that luxury feel. But I really did enjoy the Tropicana which was very near the airport but a bit far from downtown. Good for relaxing though.

I did not go to Loango either and want to go back to check it out, but a spanish couple I met spent quite a bit of time there. They LOVED the whale watching. They had great pictures from Evengue. They went when few others were present and (probably against the rules) got some pics with a baby gorilla sitting on their head. I think they really like it but there's no reason to spend too much time there. In and out at Evengue would be fine.

E-mail me if you want....be glad to talk more about it---might be easier than typing. i really enjoyed Gabon.

gatoratlarge

The hide is quite a distance and my camera is fairly old and basic...Olympus maybe 3 or 4 megapixel with a 6x zoom with an optical zoom to 10x I think---unfort I'm not a real camera person...there is another hide that gets a little closer to a favored elephant spot. The high powered lenses make the viewing pretty good from the hide----but photography is a challenge unless you have the professional stuff---I took a couple of the pics through the high powered telescope as you can see from my pics as an experiment.

maxwell

Gator –
Thanks so much for the info. I am at the very, very initial planning stages, but I can assure you I will have many more questions (I don’t know where to find your email address…but since you are the only one with recent first hand experience in Gabon posting here, I’d love to have it in case you don’t check the boards when I am further along in planning)

Good to hear re Tropicana in Libreville - it was one of the budget places I had marked in my book (Le Meridien sounds great, but since I’m already gagging at the single supplement, I’m looking to cut costs anywhere possible).

I have been corresponding with Operation Loango (extremely responsive and have provided very detailed responses to my questions) and they’ve been very upfront about how “iffy” it is as to whether I’ll be successful w/the mandrills or gorillas, so your comments just confirm that. Hopefully I will be lucky though!

I cannot believe they let a baby gorilla sit on their head! Granted, I had chimps sitting on my shoulders at Ngamba in Uganda, but I had to get a bunch of shots and present medical records before they'd let me have any one on one contact.

maxwell

I just pulled up some info one agent sent me about Evengue, and it said that "you may have the opportunity to interact with the youngsters." I still can't believe this is safe for the gorillas health without requiring shots, etc like at Ngamba.....

gatoratlarge

I think you are in good hands with Operation Loango---they seem to be the main thing going in Gabon and as I said in previous posts, have their own transportation so they can make things happen. The tourist infrastructure is not very efficient and I had a good bit of downtime in Libreville because of it. As I've read though and its true, the lack of infrastructure is probably what has preserved the forest for as long as it has. I believe that Op Loango has recently gained the rights to build camps in Ivindo which will be an upgrade to what is there presently. That will add further to their portfolio sort of like Wilderness Safaris in Southern Africa they will be able to provide the full experience all within the same company. I hope to go back sometime soon and see what I missed on my first trip.

The beach scenes in my photos are mostly from in front of the Tropicana. I really liked it. Seems to be a hub for some of the foreign military as it is near the base (French?). I occasionally heard fighter jets scream overhead as their were elections going on in one of the "Congos" when I was there.

Port Gentil looked a bit more interesting than Libreville but I did not get a chance to stay there. Libreville was fine but not particularly interesting. My e-mail addy is [email protected]. I'd be glad to answer more questions but you seem to heading in the right direction. I'm just glad to see a trickle of Americans going because I think it will be good for the wildlife and country.

maxwell

Thanks very much for your email address - As I get further along in figuring out my trip, you'll be hearing from me!
Linda

Lynneb

Gator
thanks for all of this info. I've continued to research this trip and everything I've discovered seems to be backed up by your experience. I think some of the operators are holding off on Gabon as the infrastructure and reliability of guiding is causing difficulties.

thit_cho

I'm in. I contacted Operation Loango about a trip for next Summer, and have begun sketching something out that combines Gabon with Sao Tome & Principe. It will really depend on whether I can get free tix on Air France.

gatoratlarge

Awesome---that's how I got there by using a Delta Frequent Flier ticket on AirFrance...they did lose my luggage but hopefully that won't happen to you : ) I had to shop at some "mall" in Libreville to get some jungle clothes...it's surprising how expensive it is in Libreville although insurance gave me some of it back. I think everything is imported to Gabon and therefore its pricey...

maxwell

Gator - you haven't been to Nouabalé Ndoki Park in the Congo have you? Thought I'd ask.....

that is not encouraging about Air France - they have lost my luggage for 3 of the last 4 flights I've taken with them and I'm already worried about my backpack not showing up in Libreville.

gatoratlarge

No I havent been to Ndoki----looks like a great park. If I go back to Gabon I hope I can add that in...

missy10

We used operation Loango last yr when we went to Gabon... my trip review is post on Virtual Tourist http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/97866/e12/

The best part of our trip was the forest walk with the baby gorilla's

PredatorBiologist

Bumping for Michael. I believe this is the only thread with reports and photos.

Note for everyone that the research station at Ivindo, including visits to Langoue Bai is closed until at least January and I don't believe it can be booked at all until the government finishes a review of the multi-year research that has been taking place there.

Also, Operation Loango is now called Africa's Eden, and they do seem to be the premier operator with the ability to book all the parks as well as Sao Tome and Principe.

PredatorBiologist

Also, this activity calander is somewhat helpful to see the seasons and plan for certain wildlife but it only covers Loango N.P.

http://www.africas-eden.com/activiti..._calendar.html

pixelpower

By the way, there's an article on Gabon in the latest African Geographic as well.