Ivindo (Langoué Bai) and Lopé Rainforest And River Delta Tour in Gabon

This two week travel package from Libreville focuses on two of Gabon’s national parks: Ivindo national park and Lopé National Park. Ivindo is mostly known because of the Kongou Falls and the platform viewing at Langoué Bai.

Our tour starts at Libreville from where we’ll go to Obooué by train. The morning after we’ll enter Ivindo National Park and will arrive at the platform around noon. We’ll look for animals from the platform as well as the next morning. We’ll stay at mobile light tents. The next afternoon we’ll go back to Obooué, after which we’ll transfer to Lopé National Park where we’ll go mmediately into the rainforest to look for gorillas, chimpanzees, mandrills, elephants and more together with our local guide. After Lopé, we’ll go to the town of Lambaréné and go straight into the Ogooué River Delta looking for even more animals around Lake Ogooué, after which we’ll go on a beautiful boat tour all the way to Omboué near the Nkoni Lagoon, south of Port Gentil. After exploring the tour we’ll go back to Libreville. It’s possible to add a few days at Loango National Park including gorilla tracking if you want to extend your programme. 

Lopé National Park

Lopé National Park in central Gabon is famous for its thick rainforests with open savannas, offering views where misty graslands stretch out under a big sky, dotted with pockets of lush greenery. We can see forest elephants wandering in groups across the plains coming out of the forest,  along with buffaloes, bongos and more and. The forests are inhabited by western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, leopards, civets, bushbabies and more. The colorful mandrills are among Lopé’s most famous inhabitants and we can find the largest mandrill gatherings in the world here at the heart of Gabon. Besides big primates we also find several monkey species such as sun-tailed guenons and black colobus monkeys and over 400 bird species. 

Ogooué River Delta

The Ogooué River Delta in western Gabon spreads out into a mix of sandy dunes, coastal grasslands, forest and mangroves, creating serene scenes where the river meets the sea in a web of swamps and lakes which reflect the sky like a mirror. The place is a hotspot for wildlife with smaller animals like mongoose and big mammals such as hippos,  forest elephants and buffaloes. With its lush rainforests hugging the banks and large diversity of flora, the delta has a wild, enchanting vibe.

Ivindo National Park

Ivindo National Park in east-central Gabon is packed with dense rainforests cut by blackwater rivers and thundering waterfalls, with Kongou Falls being the most famous waterfalls of the park. Just like Lopé the forest is packed with animals such as the western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, African grey parrots, elephants, colobus monkeys, golden cats, pangolins and more. During your visit to Ivindo we will stay at Langoué Baï where we can observe and photograph from the comfort of a wooden platform. 

Itinerary 

Day 1: Libreville to Obooué by train 

Train from Libreville  to Obooué, on the edge of Ivindo National Park. Stay in a simple hotel (breakfast)

Day 2: Langoué Bai, Ivindo National Park 

Morning hike to Langoué Bai. Afternoon viewing at the platform. (tents, simple meals)

Day 3: Langoué Bai, Ivindo National Park 

Morning platform viewing at Langoué Bai. Back to Obooué after lunch. Local hotel. 

Day 4: Obooué - Lopé National Park 

Transfer from Obooué, Invindo to Lopé National Park by car. 

Day 5: Lopé Walking Safari 

Two days camping in Lopé National park in search of wild animals (camping) with a dedicated local guide.

Day 6: Mandrill tracking at Lopé National Park  

Mandrill tracking at Lopé National Park with specialised guides and trackers. 

Day 7: 4x4 safari and long day to Lambaréné by car.

Overland transfer by car from Lopé to Lambaréné. 

Days 8 and 9: Ogooué River Delta 

Our journey continues by boat on the Ogooué River towards a tent camp on wooden platforms with beautiful views over Lake Ogooué. Today and tomorrow, exploration of the forest in search of animals. (full-board).

Day 10: Ogooué River descend to Omboué 

Beautiful boat trip on the Ogooué River to Omboué, overnight in a local hotel (breakfast, lunch).

Day 11: Exploration of the Nkoni lagoon

Exploration of the lagoon looking for crocodiles, hippos, birds, monkeys and more. 

Day 12: Afternoon transfer to Port Gentil

Transfer to Port Gentil and overnight at a local hotel. 

Day 13: Ferry from Port Gentil to Libreville 

We’ll take the ferry from Port Gentil to Libreville at 7am and transfer to your hotel. (can be upgraded to flight)

Day 14: Departure

Transfer to Libreville International Airport and departure. End of tour.
 

Important! Gabon's infrastructure is not as developed as in other countries and we still suffer from blackouts and sometimes water can get cut. Please, have realistic experiences, especially when going into the wild. Please, bring the necessary means to bring camping and traveling as comfortable as possible (torches, power banks, DEET, an extra towel and sheet, baby wipes, water, snacks, etc) 

• - Camping in Lopé NP is in mobile tent camps with no ground facilities. Your stay is full-board. 

• - Camping at Lake Ogooué is in tents on wooden platforms with basic, correct facilities and limited solar power. Your stay is full-board. 

• - The bungalows in Wonga Wongue are basic, but correct, there is electricity and water. Your stay is full-board. 
  

• - Ivindo NP accommodation is in basic mobile tents. 

• - The hotel in Omboué is beautifully located, has good, correct clean rooms and electricity and water, same for the hotel in Lopé,  and Lambaréné

• - The budget and midrange hotels in Libreville and Port Gentil are ok and correct, but do not offer the same comfort as western hotels. The Radisson is the only hotel with good infrastructure if you want an upgrade. 

• - Always be aware that trains and flights can get cancelled and delayed, it's good to have buffer days. 

• - Specialised mandrill tracking can be added to the programme. The best season for big groups is July to September. During the rest of the year, groups are smaller. 

• - Leatherback turtles can be seen during a nocturnal visit from November until late February at the Nyanga Camp in Moukalaba-Doudou and can also be seen at Pongara National Park if you would like to add this to your booking.

• - Humpback whale watching is possible from June until September. 

• - Consult your doctor for malaria meds and other diseases. Make sure to protect yourself against mosquitoes (long pants, closed shoes with socks, DEET, etc). 

• - Make sure to have your yellow fever vaccination card on you on arrival, as well as your visa, invitation letter, hotel bookings and flight tickets.

• - The Gabon e-visa system has not been working. We offer assistance for this at 120 euro per person to get the e-visa for longer tours. For tours of only two nights or shorter, we charge 230 euro per person.

•  - Credit card: it is possible to use your credit card in Libreville, but at the parks, everything is handled by cash.

• - Tips: tips are not expected but always welcome. We recommend 15 euro per person per day and 15 euro for all general staff per person per day.

• - Reservation: your booking is confirmed with a 30 percent deposit. For bookings at Loango National Park and Moukalaba-Doudou Nyanga Lodge we require a 50 percent non-refundable deposit and signed waiver and booking terms.  In some cases, third party supplier terms and conditions may require a higher deposit, particularly during peak periods; in this case, we will inform you accordingly.

• - The outstanding balance must be paid 60 days before the trip for general tours and for tours to Loango National Park and Nyanga Lodge at Moukalaba-Doudou 90 days before the trip commences. All payments are to be done by bank transfer to our US Bank Account. We do not accept credit cards or WUM. 

• - Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory and must be taken out at the time of booking confirmation. Coverage should include trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical and related expenses, lost baggage, liability and travel delays. If you plan to participate in a dangerous or high-risk activity, please inform your insurer as additional coverage may be required. Our company cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred due to cancellation, regardless of the circumstance.

• - Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the return date of your trip and contain at least three blank pages for visas, excluding validation pages.

• - Children under the age of 12 years are, regretfully, not allowed.

• - Rates shown are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances such as increased government taxes and levies.