Gorilla trekking in Gabon

Gorilla trekking in Gabon, one gorilla family lives in the Loango National Park, the other lives in the Moukalaba Doudou National Park 600 kilometers south of the capital, Libreville. It protects diverse coastal habitats, the only significant example of a typical western African lagoon system that is protected within a national park home to various mammals and lowland gorillas.

You need at least 7 Days for Gorilla trekking in Gabon, you will visit Loango National Park starting and ending your trip in Libreville with Eco Adventure Safaris.

Tour itinerary for Gorilla trekking in Gabon

Day 1 – Libreville Radisson Blue Okoume Palace Hotel

Upon arrival at the Leon Mba International airport in Libreville, you will be welcomed by our staff members after immigration formalities and immediately ushered to your private car for a 25-minute hotel transfer. Check-in, dinner and overnight at Radisson Okoume Blu Palace

Day 2 – Libreville – Port Gentil – Loango National Park Ndola Lodge

Early flight to Port Gentil from where we board a 4WD for a 4hrs drive to Loango via Liambisi. As we reach at mid-day, if we are left with enough energy, we will go for a forest walk in the Loango National Park for a game drive. Overnight at Ndola Lodge

Day 3 – Trekking Western Lowland Gorillas in Gabon in Loango NP: Ndola – Yatouga – Ndola Ndola Lodge

After breakfast, we leave Ndola and board a powered canoe for a 2h voyage to the Yatouga Research camp, the point of departure for a rewarding Gorilla safari. Yatouga Forest harbors a good number of Western Lowland Gorilla, of which there a sizeable group habituated Gorilla family that offers 95% chances of encounter. During the wet season, Gorilla tracking is somehow easier as the apes don’t have to roam too far to fetch for food and drinks, therefore, the Gorilla safari may take anyway from 45min – 1.5h before we meet the group. We will be allowed to spend an hour in their close vicinity, observing their way of life, social interaction, mating, feeding, and familial system. Later on, we trek back to the research camp for refreshment and immediately board our canoe and sail further south of the Loango National Park. This water navigation will take another hour or so and will lead us to Akaka Forest, a remote section of the park that hosts a pristine rainforest teeming with wildlife, especially during the dry season. It’s recommended to visit during the dry season. However, even during the wet season in Akaka when the water level is high, big mammals are rare but bugs/flies/midges fly everywhere, it is still rewarding to sail along this untouched forest as we have great chances to spot some small mammals including Red River Hogs, Water Antelopes like Bongo and Sitatunga, Blue Duiker and many bird species. In the afternoon, we sail back to Ndola lodge for a well-deserved dinner. Overnight in Ndola Lodge

Day 4 – Ndola – Louri  Louri Wilderness Camp

This morning we go for a game drive in Loango National Park. This drive within the park will enable us encounter a wide range of wildlife species foe which Loango National Park is famous for. This includes Dwarf Buffaloes, Red River Hog, Forest Elephants, Sitatunga, Western Lowland Gorilla, Chimpanzee, and a wide range of avian life. We may also drive across an incredibly rich plants species and gigantic trees where many monkey species skip from one tree to other in quest of fruits. We will spend the morning in this game drive after which we return to the Lodge for lunch. After lunch, we leave Ndola Lodge and drive for Louri, a section of the park where you have chances to spot a wide selection of wildlife as well. The drive to Louri is quite short and depends on the means of transportation to access this part of the park:

By boat, the first option is to sail the main Lagoon for about half an hour to get there.

By road, we may need a 4wd for a 1-hour drive across the forest, with renewed chances to encounter wildlife.

By boat and road, you will first sail the Louri Lagoon for about 30 minutes and then reach a small harbor where you disembark and board a 4WD that will bring you to Louri Wilderness Camp after approximately half an hour drive.

Regardless of the mode of transportation used to access Louri, we will be experiencing a rewarding safari trip rather than just a transfer. Around the period of March, the safari experience is impressive here, with wide chances to encounter animals surfing on the beach including Hippopotamus, Gorilla, Elephants, and others. Overnight at Louri Wilderness Camp

Day 5 – Louri – Ndola Ndola Lodge

We spend the day exploring Louri, the savannah part of the park. It harbors a large variety of wildlife and is the place where you have great chances to spot the “surfing hippos” for which Loango National Park is world renown for.

Louri Wilderness Camp is one of the still functioning satellite camps within Loango National Park. It is a small intimate tented camp with each tent built on a stilt platform overlooking the Louri Lagoon. Your stay here will give you the sensation of deep immersion into the secrets of a nature where tranquility is only disturbed by the churning of waters, the breeze of the forest, the trumpets of animals or the chirp of birds.

In the afternoon, we make our way back to Ndola that lays not from Louri. Overnight in Ndola Lodge

Day 6 – Ndola – Port Gentil – Libreville Radisson Blue Okoume Palace Hotel

In the morning we go for our last exploration of Loango National Park. We may go for a forest hike in the coastal forest with the hope to spot wildlife and then return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we board our car and drive for Port Gentil via Liambissi, expecting to reach Port Gentil in the evening. Once in Port Gentil, we drive to the airport in readiness for the domestic flight to Libreville which we attain after 30mn flight. From Libreville airport, you will be welcome and transferred to the hotel for the night. Overnight at Radisson Okoume Palace Hotel

Day 7: Libreville – Return flight

Day at leisure in the hotel with optional activities to fill up the day before our Air France flight tonight

INCLUDED:

• Meet & greet and hotel / airport transfers
• Overland transportation all-inclusive
• Accommodation in full board basis in Loango and half board in Libreville
• A professional English-speaking guide
• 1x Gorilla permit in Loango National Park
• All visits as per detailed program
• All water transfers included in this tour
• Domestic return flight to and from Port Gentil

NOT INCLUDED:

• Other meals and beverage
• Laundry
• Visa, international flight, travel insurance
• Paperwork for visa @ € 100 per person
• Flight delay/cancelation or other unforeseen circumstances
• Optional activity on the last day

Why book Gorilla trekking in Gabon with Eco Adventure Safaris

Eco Adventure Safaris offers unrivalled and professional tour and travel services in Gabon. Eco Adventure Safaris boosts of a professional office and field team that takes care of all your requests and inquiries. We are highly recommended on trip advisor as well as Trust pilot. Our website is one of the best and reliable point to help you start preparing for your Gabon safari as we have the best and update information that you can rely on. Please feel free to contact us here about safari in Loango National Park.