Wonga-Wongue & Pongara National Parks

Wonga-Wongue was created as a faunal reserve, then given the status of National Park, and became a Presidential Reserve in 1972. Wonga-Wongue could either preserve its present status or become, wholly or in part, a National Park. Tourism in the past at Wonga-Wongue led to the creation of sophisticated tourist facilities but at present these are partly abandoned. The Wonga-Wongue Presidential Reservecovering an area of 5000 squares kilometres supports a diversity of wildlife includingelephants, chimpanzees, buffalos, lowland gorillas andantelopes. Along the Pongara National Park's 35-kilometer Atlantic shoreline, 3,500 leatherback turtle nests are laid every year during the October to March breeding season. Nyonie Camp is situated south of Pointe Denis, between the Pongara National Park and Wonga-Wongue Presidential Reserve. Nyonie Campfaces the Atlantic Ocean and the beaches stretch for miles and miles. To access this area one takes a boatacross the estuaire du Gabon, through the extensive mangroves of Pongarato a point from where one travels by truck to Nyonie Camp.Onecrosses the Equator at some point alongthe way.This area comprises forest and open savannah zones with some spectacular scenery. Despite its proximity to Libreville,the region is still rich in larger mammals and the scenery, especially thenatural amphitheatres - or cirques - rare in Central Africa is some of the best in this part of Africa. Here some of the birds we should find include Woolly-necked Stork, Red-necked Buzzard, Grey Pratincole, Guinea Turaco, Blue-headed Coucal, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Black Bee-eater, Black-headed Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Rosy Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, African Pied, Black-casqued and Piping Hornbills, Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds, Swamp Palm Bulbul,Chattering Cisticola, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Superb and Copper Sunbirds, Orange-cheeked Waxbills, and Vieillot's Black Weavers.