IT02 - 13 DAYS - LOANGO & LOPE NATIONAL PARKS

Visiting the coastal National Park of Loango and the inland Lope National Park. Walking for the most part is relatively easy. Accommodation with private bathrooms facilities.

---

Please note that any times given are scheduled times - these are here as a guide only. Please be prepared for delays and changes. The tourism structure is in its infancy.

---

Dates : Fridays 2008 (subject to availability)

Briefly - 13 days – Loango & Lope National Parks
with local tour escort

Friday: Arrive Libreville and transfer to train station for journey to Lope. Overnight Lope Hotel. 
Saturday: Day in Lope National Park. Overnight Lope Hotel.
Sunday: Morning transfer to Mikongo Research Camp in Lope National Park. Overnight Mikongo Research Camp.
Monday: Full day Mikongo in primary forest. Overnights Mikongo Research Camp.
Tuesday: Day at Mikongo.
Wednesday: Return to Lope. Overnight Lope Hotel.
Thursday: Afternoon train to Libreville. Overnight Tropicana Hotel.
Friday: Flight to Gamba. Transfer to Sette Cama Lodge. Overnight Sette Cama.
Saturday - Tuesday: Day Sette Cama area.
Wednesday: Return to Gamba for flight to Libreville for outbound flight.

PRICING (2008)
2 persons travelling together : EURO5080 per person sharing ex Libreville.
4 persons travelling together : EURO4150 per person sharing ex Libreville.
6 persons travelling together : EURO3840 per person sharing ex Libreville.
Single Room Supplement: EURO540 per person.

Includes
All accommodation; meals (except in Libreville and on train); transport; guides and trackers; park entry fees.

Excludes
International air tickets; visas; meals in Libreville and on train; any airport departure taxes; any drinks; bottled mineral water; teas & coffees; travel insurance; any tips to hotel staff, local guides, etc.

---

GABON - Central African Forest Birds & Primates

Lying on the west coast of Africa and straddling the equator, Gabon is about half the size of France with a small population of only 1.3 million. It has substantial oil and mineral reserves. These circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity. Astoundingly almost 75% of the country is cloaked in tropical rainforest and as the area is so sparsely populated, and the road infrastructure so limited because of difficult climatic conditions, there has been minimal pressure on the environment. Gabon's coastal strip rises to a series of plateaux until it reaches the interior where the mountains peak at over 1,500m. The major artery of Gabon, the Ogoouè River, almost cuts the country in half as it passes through Franceville and Lambarènè and languidly moves toward the Atlantic Ocean. At the mouth of the river is Port-Gentil, the heartbeat of Gabon's lucrative oil industry. Here it pans out into the finger-like coastline with its miles of breathtaking but almost inaccessible estuaries. The total area of Gabon protected by National Park legislation is almost 11%. Estimates suggest that Gabon's Lowland Gorilla population is about 20,000 and that it has around 35,000 Chimpanzees. Other animals like Mandrill, Forest Elephant and Buffalo are more often encountered. Lush rivers and lagoons bordered by papyrus or mangroves are characteristic of the country. Gabon has around 680 bird species with many of the central African forest species being more readily seen here.

FULL ITINERARY (10 DAYS)(subject to alteration & availability)

Friday: Arrive Libreville and transfer to Owendo train station for journey to Lope. Early AM arrival and rest of night at Lope Hotel.

Saturday: Lope National Park, lies in the centre of Gabon, and is composed of savannahs and primary forest. It is a reminder of what Central Africa was like during the Glacier Age. In this extremely rich habitat there are estimated populations of 4500 forest elephants, 2500 gorillas, 2000 chimpanzees, 50000 mandrills, 1000 leopard and large numbers of Red Forest Buffalo, Sitatunga, Yellow-backed Duiker, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Moustached Monkey, Red-river Hog and there are over 400 species of birds. With time and patience we will see some of these. From the camp we will enter the forest using elephant trails and any old logging tracks. We spend time in two different parts of Lope National Park, two in the savannah edges in the area of the Lope Hotel from where we'll bird along the Ogooue River and inland looking for Yellow-throated Leaflove, Scarlet-spectacled Wattle-eye, Splendid Glossy Starling, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Compact Weaver and Long-legged Pipit, Yellow-mantled Whydah, Blue-throated Bee-eater, and various species of swallow including Square-tailed Saw-wing and Red-breasted Swallow. In the scrub and forest edge we should find Black Bee-eater, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Black-headed Batis, Naked-faced Barbet, Fiery-breasted Bush Shrike, Whistling Cisticola, Orange Weaver, Black-capped Illadopsis, Red-bellied Malimbe, Black-chinned Quail-finch, Forbes's Plovers and Green-headed, Tiny, Reichenbach's and Violet-tailed Sunbirds and in the evening perhaps Bates's and Swamp Nightjars. Overnight Lope Hotel.

Sunday/Monday: We have two nights deep in the forest at Mikongo Camp, an hour and a half drive from the Lope Hotel. It is from the conservation centre at Mikongo where we will access this central African tropical forest and it is from here that we'll look for primates and for the enigmatic Grey-necked Rock-fowl. Black Colobus, Crowned and Putty-nosed Monkeys, Western Lowland Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Mandrills, forest Elephant, various species of forest duiker and Red River Hog are most likely. Also in the forest we should encounter various species of hornbill including White-crested, African Pied, Piping, Red-billed Dwarf, the striking White-crested and the huge Black-casqued Wattled; also's to be seen include Snowy-headed Robin-chat, Great Blue Turaco, Guinea Turaco, Gabon Coucal, African Grey Parrot, various Gr eenbuls including Honeyguide, Golden, Red-tailed and if we are very lucky Lyre-tailed Honeyguide. Dja River Scrub-Warbler would be a very good find and Latham's Francolin, Black-bellied Seed-cracker, Vermiculated Fishing Owl and Red-chested Owlet could be encountered almost anywhere. Overnights Mikongo Research Camp.

Tuesday: Today we return to Lope by late afternoon.

Wednesday: Day Lope and overnight Lope Hotel.

Thursday: Afternoon transfer to train station for train to Libreville. Overnight Tropicana Hotel (B&B).

Friday: Flight to Gamba. Transfer by boat to Sette Cama Lodge.

Saturday/Sunday/Monday/Tuesday: Days and overnights at Sette Cama. Excursions here include travel by boat and on foot.  Flocks of African Grey Parrot are a sight to behold. Sabine’s and Cassin’s Spinetails flit overhead, and we may also see Chocolate–backed and Blue-breasted Kingfisher. The prize here is Black-headed Bee-eater and this would be a good find indeed. The lodge itself is great for the endemic Loango Weaver and Red-tailed Palm-thrush. Mammals in this area include Forest Buffalo and Elephant, Hippopotamus and a good sighting would be Manatee.

Wednesday : Morning excursion before our boat transfer to Omboue for our flight to Libreville and outbound flight.

Reading Material
1. Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe. The Bradt Travel Guide by Sophie Warne, 2003.
2. Under the Canopy - advancing conservation in Gabon - Robert J Ross. Africa Geographic magazine, August 2004: 34-49
3. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, a comprehensive field guide. Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan, 2003.
4. Birds of western Africa. Nic Borrow & Ron Demey. Helm, 2001.
5. The Kingdon field guide to African Mammals - Jonathon Kingdom. Academic Press, first published 1997 with subsequent revisions.

Related News:

 Tropicana Hotel - 11-05-07 11:35

 Lope and Mikongo - 11-05-07 11:31