Gabon, a country along the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, has significant areas of protected parkland. The forested coastal terrain of its famed Loango National Park shelters a diversity of wildlife, from gorillas and hippos to whales. Lopé National Park consists of mostly rainforest. Akanda National Park is known for its mangroves and tidal beaches.
Libreville, the modern capital, features cultural attractions such as the National Museum of Arts and Traditions, housing masks and other wood-carved artifacts, and the Mont-Bouët open-air market. The relaxed beach resort town of Point Denis, a habitat for leatherback turtles, lies across an estuary from Libreville. The quaint riverfront town of Lambaréné is home to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital and a museum dedicated to the famous doctor. To its east are the foaming Kongou Falls of Ivindo National Park, and to the west is the surf spot Cape Lopez.
Top Spots for Adventure:
- Loango National Park – Iguela Lagoon, forest elephants & whales. Loango National Park is on the Atlantic coast of Gabon, in Central Africa. It protects wilderness areas of beach, forest, savanna, and wetlands around the Iguela Lagoon. Mammals in the park include forest elephants, lowland gorillas, buffalo, leopards and hippos. Large pods of humpback whales, orcas and dolphins swim offshore. Rare bird species include the Loango weaver and African river martin.
- Lopé National Park – Park, gorilla, and chimpanzee. Lopé National Park is a national park in central Gabon. Although the terrain is mostly rain forest, in the north the park contains the last remnants of grass savannas created in Central Africa during the last Ice Age, 15,000 years ago.
- Akanda National Park – Park and nature. Akanda National Park is one of 13 National Parks in Gabon set up in 2002 by President Omar Bongo after a two-year study by the DFC, WCS and WWF. The 13 national parks are designed to represent the biodiversity of the country and encourage tourism.
- Batéké Plateau National Park – Batéké Plateau National Park is a national park in the Bateke Plateau, southeastern Gabon covering 2,034 km².
- Ivindo National Park – Park, gorilla, waterfall, and nature. Ivindo National Park is a national park in east-central Gabon in Central Africa, straddling the border of the Ogooué-Ivindo and Ogooué-Lolo provences.
