Another of Africa's newcomers to the tourist's map, Gabon has plenty to offer the adventurous traveller. True the infrastructure is very much ‘work in progress', and it can be very expensive, but the reward for perseverance is one of the most exhilarating, unspoilt landscapes on the continent.
The white sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast are replaced with tropical rainforest as you head inland. Continue along the raging river valleys of the Ogooue and it's tributaries, and you will be aghast at the deep canyons, mountains, and more varieties of plant and wildlife than you ever thought possible.
The capital, Libreville , is a fairly typical West African city, with little of particular note. The real beauty of this country is in its coastline, and the impressive areas of protected land.
The Loango National Park , on the coast, has the somewhat surreal sight of elephants and hippos wandering the beach amid turtle breeding grounds, whales and dolphins in the ocean, and baboons in the bush. At the Reserve De La Lope, the scenery is one of rolling hills, bush, and thick rain forest, where elephants, primates, and herds of buffalo are common. Further inland the Ivindo National Park is an even more dense, and far less disturbed rainforest, which is home to large numbers of animals and birds in the most natural of habitats.
