Where in the world can you be relatively sure of seeing African forest elephants, Western lowland gorillas, mandrills, red river hogs, humpback whale congregations, slender-snouted crocodiles, grey-cheeked and red-capped mangabeys, and grand murmurations of African river martins and rosy bee-eaters — all on one trip? Nowhere, except perhaps in Gabon.

Gabon is a wild place of pristine old-growth rainforest, almost untouched by human settlement, where wildlife lives protected within thick Congolese forest, nestled between the many rivers that cross this West African country. It’s a destination for travelers who want to see something genuinely different — the kind of place where a red river hog wallowing in mud, or a wary lowland gorilla stepping into a forest clearing, feels like a discovery rather than a checklist item.

This isn’t a typical glamping safari. It asks for a certain level of physical fitness and mental readiness — but for those willing to meet it, the rewards are extraordinary.

Tracking wild mandrills with the researchers who study them

In Lopé National Park, Dr. David Lehmann has radio-collared individual mandrills as part of his ongoing scientific research into the species. Guests join his research team directly, using his telemetry equipment to track troops as they forage through the forest — possibly the best place anywhere in the world to see wild mandrills. Permit fees support Dr. Lehmann’s conservation work directly: the kind of collaboration with scientists on the ground that sits at the heart of conservation travel.

The Bwiti ceremony

One of the most intriguing and authentic cultural experiences on the continent. Originating with the forest peoples of Gabon, the Bwiti ceremony is a dazzling blend of color, song, and fire, in which initiates enter a deep trance after ingesting the iboga root bark. What guests witness is the real, orthodox ceremony — not a performance staged for visitors. Because Bwiti rites are costly to hold, the group’s attendance helps the participants gather the funds needed for their own ceremony.

Sleeping at Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s hospital

In Lambaréné, on the banks of the Ogooué River, Dr. Albert Schweitzer founded a hospital in 1913 that would go on to earn him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Guests spend an evening exploring the hospital grounds and museum, and overnight in simple, comfortable rooms evocative of the original hospital — a direct link to one of the twentieth century’s most storied medical missions.

Loango & Akaka — a biodiversity hotspot like no other

Perched in the backwaters of Loango National Park, Akaka Camp becomes a magnet for forest elephants during the dry season, alongside chimpanzees, gorillas, mangabeys, and large numbers of migratory and resident birds. It’s the kind of place where you can watch elephants snorkeling past camp, drink in hand. Over a three-night stay, guests do a habituated gorilla trek and explore the camp’s streams and inlets in search of five species of kingfishers, African finfoots, dwarf and slender-snouted crocodiles, and the elusive anomalure.

Humpback whales off Port-Gentil

Starting in late June and early July, humpback whales begin gathering off Gabon’s Atlantic coast (mirrored by a similar gathering off Madagascar on the continent’s other side). Timed right, a whale-watching excursion out of Port-Gentil rounds out the trip with sightings in the harbor area.