IT03 - GABON – 8 DAYS – BIRDS & WILDLIFE

Visiting the Langoue Bai in the Ivindo National Park. Walking strenuous at times, otherwise relatively even. Accommodation with shared bathroom 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)
with local guides

Briefly - 8 Days - Langoue Bai

Friday: Arrive Libreville and transfer to train for overnight journey.
Saturday: Arrive Ivindo. Road transfer to trailhead. Walk to Langoue Bai Camp.
Sunday-Wednesday: Days Langoue Bai.
Thursday: Return to Ivindo Station for train to Libreville. Overnight Tropicana Hotel.
Friday: Day Libreville. Transfer to airport for outbound flight.

PRICING (2008)
2 persons travelling together: EURO2890 per person sharing ex Libreville.
4 persons travelling together: EURO2270 per person sharing ex Libreville.
6 persons travelling together: EURO2070 per person sharing ex Libreville.
Single Supplement :EUR0240 per person single room.

Includes
Accommodation; meals (except in Libreville and on train); transport; local 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; any porterage fees; travel insurance; any tips to hotel staff, local guides, etc.

Accommodation
Comfortable accommodation in twin/double and single igloo tents on raised wooden platforms. Shower and toilet facilities separate.

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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 (8 DAYS)(subject to alteration & availability)

Friday: After arrival at Libreville airport we will transfer to Owendo station for the Trans-Gabonese train from Libreville bound for Ivindo station. [Time permitting you will have the opportunity to take dinner (own cost) before boarding the train.]

Saturday : After arrival here we will have breakfast - before our two-hour journey by road along forest tracks to the trailhead. From here we walk to the Langoue Bai Camp deep in the Ivindo National Park. The first part of this trail is steep uphill - about 30 minutes - before it levels off and follows a gently sloping contour elephant path toward the camp - about 2 to 3 hours. You may see Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Bates's Paradise-flycatcher, Gabon Forest Robin, African Pygmy and Green squirrels and Putty-nosed Monkeys along the way. The camp is sited on a flattish piece of granite that creates a clearing in the forest. You'll be here in time for lunch and a siesta, if required. Some birds of the clearing include Black-capped Apalis, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher and Blue-throated Brown Sunbird. Overnight Langoue Bai Camp.

Sunday to Wednesday : Our time here can be spent visiting the bai platform (about an hour’s walk). There are two platforms at the bai, the most used being that which looks toward a muddy waterhole frequented by elephant and buffalo. Dja River Warbler lives below the platform -  there are probably 30-40 pairs in the bai. To put some perspective to this, this species was described in 1917, not seen again until 1956, then rediscovered again in 1994 and found at the bai in 2005. It is common here and easy to see. From the platform we could see Hartlaub's Duck, Black Crake, Great Snipe, Chattering Cisticola and Banded Prinia. Often Pied, Black-casqued Wattled and Piping Hornbills and Great Blue Turacos may drift across the clearing in front. Palm-nut Vultures are common and Sabine's Spinetails, Square-tailed Saw-wings and Barn Swallows feed before one. Also on our walks in the area we should come across Rufous-sided Broadbill, Bare-cheeked Trogon, Green-backed Woodpecker, Little and Slender-billed Greenbuls, Blue Cuckoo-shrike, Gabon Helmet-shrike, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Afep Pigeon and Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch. Overnights Langoue Bai camp.

Thursday : You have the morning here before boarding the Trans-Gabonese express in the early afternoon for Libreville. Arrive Libreville and transfer to the Tropicana Hotel (B&B).

Friday : Day in Libreville before late evening transfer to airport for 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. The Kingdon field guide to African Mammals - Jonathon Kingdom. Academic Press, first published 1997 with subsequent revisions.
5. Birds of Western Africa. Nik Borrow and Ron Demey, 2001.
6. The edge of Africa. Carlton Ward jr et al - Hylas Publishing, 2003.
7. Lope - un almanach equatorial - Patrice Christy et Lucienne Wilme, 2003.
8. Guide des Oiseaux de la Reserve de la Lope - Patrice Christy & William Clarke, 1994.

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 Photos - 20-07-06 19:51