Chalo – Let’s Go to Gabon in 2021: A Safari Tour
A Scheduled Trip to Gabon

Highlights
Gabon is still an enigma. A wild place of pristine old-growth rainforests where there are almost no human settlements, and where wild animals live protected within the thick foliage nestled between the many rivers that traverse this west African country. This is a trip for adventurers, who don’t expect smooth sailing every day. This is a trip for those who want to see something new, something different. It is a place for the intrepid Africa enthusiast who will be thrilled by the sight of a red river hog in a wallow, or a wary lowland gorilla in a forest clearing. On this trip, timed to coincide with the gathering of humpback whales off the shores of Gabon, and the troops of the fabulously colorful Gabon mandrill, we will enjoy a truly epic African adventure, moving by train, boat, and plane through the heart of Africa.
Scheduled group tour from
July 12, 2021 - July 28, 2021
Starting from
US$ 9,500
per person sharing
Duration
14 days / 13 nights
Transport
Escorted Safari
Accommodation
Hotels, Lodges & Tented Camps
Exploring
Ivindo National Park, Libreville, Loango National Park, Lopé National Park
About this Safari
Rescheduled to 2021 and 2022 due to Covid. Please contact us for the exact dates.
6 to 8 Person Small Group Departure
If you were transported in a time capsule and hurtled back into the past to a primeval place – you would land in Gabon. Seemingly frozen in Time and Space, nowhere else on earth can you spot the world’s two largest mammals with just a shift of your gaze – the pounding surf where the whales frolic and the sandy beaches where the forest elephants amble. This is an enigmatic land – a magical mix of a rich bio-diverse range of intact eco-systems – pristine old-growth rainforests, mangroves and savannas, lagoons, rivers, salt-marshes and beaches. A mosaic of meandering rivers languorously crisscrosses this West African country protecting the abundance of wildlife living in the thick foliage. This is a trip for those who feel the call of the wild, the animal enthusiast with the zeal of a pioneer – thrilled to explore the many untrodden paths with sparse human settlements and stumble upon the new and the different – be it the sight of a wallowing red river hog, a wary lowland gorilla in a forest clearing or the fabulously colorful Gabon mandrill. Timed to coincide with the gathering of humpback whales off the shores of Gabon, this is an epic adventure where we will be moving by train, boat and plane through the heart of Africa.
And if there are at least 6 people that are culturally curious, we have the potential to experience an authentic 2-day Bwiti (rite of passage) ceremony in the forests outside the capital city, Libreville.
Trip Highlights
- Wending down the Ogooue, and Akaka rivers in a boat;
- Visiting Lope National Park, Langoué Baï in Ivindo National Park, and Akaka and Iguela Lagoons in Loango National Park;
- Walking, quad-biking, game driving and boating in rainforests, savannas and mangroves;
- In search of forest elephants, mandrills, red river hogs, chimps, African grey parrots, African finfoots, slender snouted and dwarf crocodiles and more;
- Habituated gorilla tracking at Akaka in Loango National Park;
- Venturing out to sea for a gathering of humpback whales;
- Experiencing an authentic Bwiti ceremony in the company of an expert.
Dates:
- ARRIVAL IN GABON ON JULY 12, 2020
- DEPARTURE FROM GABON ON JULY 25, 2020
- OPTIONAL BWITI CEREMONY: JULY 26-28, 2020 (MINIMUM OF 6 REQUIRED)
Price:
- The cost of the core 14-day Gabon trip is EUR 8500 per person
- Single supplement of EUR 500 per person (where possible. At Ivindo, you will share the platform, but sleep on single dome tents; in Akaka, it will be twin-sharing, unless they complete construction on additional tents at time of travel)
- Optional gorilla permit for Akaka habituated gorilla tracking is EUR 500
- Optional 2-night/3-day Bwiti extension is EUR 650 per person (this needs a minimum of 6 people, and can be arranged after the core trip)
Seats Available for 2020: 8 seats available at the moment.
2019 Groups
Our 2019 Gabon safaristas had some mind-blowing experiences. Read there Trip Reports below:
- GROUP 1: Into the Heart of Madness – This is Gabon! (SafariTalk)
- GROUP 2: My Ass is on Fire – This is Gabon! (SafariTalk)
or call our African safari specialists at
+1 703 220 6393 or +91 9717 275237
Day By Day Itinerary
DAY 1, SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020: ARRIVING IN LIBREVILLE, GABON
Today we will assemble in Libreville, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. We have no specific plans for this first day as people will be arriving at different times from all parts of the world……….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 2, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020: LIBREVILLE, NIGHT TRAIN TO IVINDO NP
After breakfast we will head out for a Libreville city tour. The city was established as a holding station for slaves waiting to be shipped out……..
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 3, TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020: IVINDO NATIONAL PARK
Early breakfast and then you will depart by car for Ivindo NP. If we stop at Booué station, we will have a ferry crossing across the Ivindo river, and if we stop at Dilo Camp (which is inside the park), then the vehicle will take us directly to………..
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 4 & 5 - WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, JULY 15-16, 2020: IVINDO NATIONAL PARK
Baï means “a clearing with a river flowing through it” or “where the animals eat” depending on who you ask. But everyone agrees that the remarkable Langoué Baï offers an unique opportunity to observe forest elephants, buffaloes,………….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 6, FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2020: LOPE NATIONAL PARK, NIGHT TRAIN TO LOPE
Today, the group will gather in the morning at Rock Camp, and you will hike back to the
trailhead and make your way across the Ivindo river by ferry to get to Booué. The train ……….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 7, SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2020: LOPE NATIONAL PARK
The journey from Booué to Lopé is a short one, and provided the train itself is not running late, you’ll reach Lopé station in the wee hours of the………
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 8, SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020: LOPE NATIONAL PARK
Lope National Park is ground zero for our mandrill search, and our time here will be spent focused mainly on these…….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 9, MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020: NIGHT TRAIN TO NDJOLE, THEN TO LOANGO NP
You will reach Ndjolé very early in the morning (04:00 am), where cars will be waiting to transfer you to Lamberéne, in time for a nice breakfast by 06:30 am. After breakfast, you will hop onto……..
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 10-11 - TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY, JULY 21-22, 2020: LOANGO NATIONAL PARK (AKAKA RIVER)
From Loango Lodge, we will take 2 boats to head on to Akaka Camp. Our languid river cruise gives us ample opportunity to appreciate the…….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 12, THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020: LOANGO NATIONAL PARK (IGUELA LAGOON)
If there are still some who have chosen to visit the habituated gorilla project, they will do that today. Others will do a……….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 13, FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2019: LOANGO NATIONAL PARK (HUMPBACK WHALES)
We will have breakfast and then take a boat into the sea via the lagoon mouth to watch for
humpback whales, since July……….
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
DAY 14, SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2020: LOANGO NATIONAL PARK TO PORT GENTIL TO LIBREVILLE
Departure after breakfast to Port Gentil (4 hour trip), Gabon’s economic capital……
Please contact us for the full itinerary.
Tour Accommodation
Akaka Camp, Loango National Park, Gabon
- Type: Tented Camp
- Location: Loango National Park
Loango Lodge, Loango National Park, Gabon
- Type: Lodge or Hotel
- Location: Loango National Park
Lope Hotel, Lope National Park, Gabon
- Type: Lodge or Hotel
- Location: Lopé National Park
- Type: Lodge or Hotel
- Location: Libreville
More
BWITI CEREMONY EXTENSION
Bwiti is a spiritual discipline of the forest-dwelling Babongo and Mitsogo peoples of
Gabon, and the Fang people of Gabon and Cameroon. Modern Bwiti incorporates animism, ancestor worship, and Christianity into a syncretistic belief system.
Bwiti practitioners use the psychedelic, dissociative root of the tabermanthe iboga plant to promote spiritual growth and resolve pathological problems. The root has been consumed for hundreds of years in a Bwiti rite of passage ceremony, as well as initiation rites and acts of healing. The experience is said to yield complex visions and insights.
On this trip with Chalo Africa, you will be accompanied by an expert who will explain the significance of the ceremony to you. This is one of the many fascinating faces of Africa that few people ever see…
Contact us for more details.
Details of Rates
The cost includes:
- Transport within Gabon – car, train, boat and flights as indicated
- Fuel, drivers, and local guides
- English-speaking guide
- Accommodation and meals as indicated
- Daily activities as indicated
The cost does not include:
- International flights to and from Libreville
- Meals not specified in the itinerary (esp in Libreville)
- Any applicable visas
- Travel insurance
- Drinks
- Habituated gorilla tracking permit
- Any other wildlife tracking that requires a permit
Note from Chalo Africa
- The itinerary and activities are subject to change in accordance with local conditions
- Please travel with a single ‘soft’ suitcase/duffle bag (not a ‘hard’ suitcase) and one backpack
- We recommend that you bring a hiking pole, torch, sunscreen, and dark clothes for the forest
- Travelers should bring along an extra EUR 300 to cover non-included food and to cover drinks, and EUR 200 to 250 for tips.
- Compulsory vaccinations: yellow fever vaccination is needed; please ensure you carry your yellow book with you for random inspections.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Wear your adventure hat – trains run habitually late, you may have to wait hours to cross a river and your road travel will give you an accurate idea of what your clothes go through in a dryer spin cycle. Expect the unexpected and brace yourself for the unforeseen twist or turn that will instantly transform the carefully crafted itinerary into a moving target where change will be the only constant. Arm yourself with a sense of humor that will become your strongest ally.
If you remain undaunted by what you have just read, you are the truly intrepid explorer who will never be felled by boredom and are guaranteed a repertoire of fantastical tales to tell the grandchildren long after the trip has become a distant memory.
Gallery
Gabon Tour 2020 Map
Libreville, Estuaire, Gabon
Lopé National Park, Lope, Ogooue-Ivindo, Gabon
Ivindo National Park, Gabon
Booue, Ogooue-Ivindo, Gabon
Loango National Park, Ogooue-Maritime, Gabon
Iguela Lagoon, Etimboue, Ogooue-Maritime, Gabon
Best Time to Visit
January
Closed
February
Closed
March
Closed
April
Closed
May
Closed
June
Closed
July
Best
August
Closed
September
Closed
October
Closed
November
Closed
December
Closed
The safari begins and ends in Libreville, Gabon.
Enquire Now
View all safari tours in Gabon »