Into the Wild: Safari Adventures and Rainforest Expeditions from Port-Gentil

Preparation for Gabon begins months before departure, particularly for an expedition of this caliber. The country requires not just physical readiness but administrative diligence. My journey from Wellington to Port-Gentil involved securing a visa (which requires an invitation letter), yellow fever vaccination certification, and comprehensive travel insurance covering medical evacuation—non-negotiable for venturing into remote rainforest areas.

Port-Gentil itself offers limited luxury accommodation options, with the Mandji Hotel being the standout choice for those seeking Western amenities before heading into the wilderness. I spent two nights here acclimating to the equatorial climate and finalizing arrangements with our expedition outfitter, Gabon Untamed Expeditions.

Equipment considerations for Gabon are critical. The combination of intense humidity, daily rainfall, and challenging terrain demands specialized gear. My waterproof duffel proved invaluable, protecting camera equipment and electronics during boat transfers and unexpected downpours. Equally essential was my satellite communicator, which provided peace of mind when cell coverage disappeared hours into our journey upriver.

Gabon's strict conservation policies mean permits must be arranged well in advance, especially for the national parks. Our expedition package included all necessary permissions, but independent travelers should contact the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux at least three months before arrival.

After a four-hour journey combining boat and 4x4 travel from Port-Gentil, we arrived at the legendary Loango Lodge, positioned at the entrance to what primatologist Mike Fay called 'Africa's Last Eden.' Loango National Park represents the crown jewel of Gabon's conservation efforts—a place where forest elephants stroll along beaches, buffalo graze in coastal savannas, and hippos venture into ocean surf.

Our luxury tented camp, situated on a lagoon overlooking the park's diverse ecosystems, provided an unexpected level of comfort given the remote location. Solar-powered with en-suite facilities and gourmet meals prepared by a French-trained chef, it offered an ideal balance of immersion and comfort.

During our three-day safari here, we witnessed what makes Loango unique: the remarkable juxtaposition of ecosystems. On our first morning game drive, we traversed dense rainforest before emerging onto windswept beaches where the Atlantic pounds the shoreline. The transition happens so abruptly it feels almost staged—like driving through a portal between worlds.

The wildlife viewing exceeded even my experienced expectations. A herd of forest elephants, smaller and more elusive than their savanna cousins, emerged from the treeline at dusk, silhouetted against the setting sun. These moments reminded me of watching cricket in Sri Lanka years ago, where wild elephants would occasionally be visible beyond the stadium boundaries—nature and human activity in tenuous balance.

Loango's forests harbor incredible biodiversity, including western lowland gorillas. Tracking these magnificent primates requires expert guides, stringent protocols to prevent disease transmission, and considerable patience. Our six-hour trek through muddy terrain was rewarded with thirty minutes observing a silverback and his family group feeding on fruit just forty meters away—a profound encounter that words struggle to capture.

Our expedition's most challenging segment began with a chartered flight from Port-Gentil to Makokou, followed by a five-hour boat journey up the Ivindo River to reach the remote research station that would serve as our base for exploring Ivindo National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage site represents the archetypal Central African rainforest—dense, mysterious, and humbling in its scale and complexity.

Ivindo's claim to fame lies in its inselbergs (isolated rock hills) and spectacular waterfalls, particularly the Kongou Falls, often called 'Africa's most beautiful waterfall.' The three-hour hike to reach these falls traverses primary rainforest so dense that midday feels like twilight. The forest floor—a complex tapestry of buttress roots, fungi, and decomposing vegetation—required careful navigation even with our experienced guides from the Baka indigenous community.

Our accommodations here were basic but functional—elevated wooden platforms with mosquito-netted sleeping areas and communal dining. What Ivindo lacks in amenities, it compensates for with extraordinary biodiversity. Night walks revealed a different dimension of the forest, with galagos (bushbabies) leaping between branches and the haunting calls of tree hyrax echoing through the darkness.

The highlight came during our third day, when our guide spotted fresh gorilla nests. Following strict protocols, we donned our face masks to prevent potential disease transmission and tracked the group for nearly four hours before being rewarded with brief glimpses of these magnificent apes moving through the canopy.

Ivindo also offers exceptional birdwatching opportunities. My compact binoculars revealed African grey parrots gathering at mineral licks and the iridescent plumage of the rare African pitta—a bird I'd waited twenty years to see in the wild since first reading about it in a Wellington library.

The central portion of our expedition took us to Lopé National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage site that offers a unique landscape where rainforest meets savanna—creating a mosaic habitat that supports extraordinary biodiversity. Unlike the dense forests of Ivindo, Lopé's varied terrain provides exceptional wildlife viewing opportunities across open grasslands bordered by forest patches.

We based ourselves at the comfortable Lopé Hotel, a colonial-era building that once served as a forestry outpost. Its elevated position overlooking the Ogooué River valley provided spectacular sunrise views of mist rising from the forest canopy—a photographer's dream that had me reaching for my camera before dawn each morning.

Lopé's most spectacular wildlife experience comes in the form of mandrill encounters. These colorful primates—the world's largest monkeys—form massive hordes that can number over 800 individuals. Tracking these groups requires early starts and knowledgeable guides who monitor their movements. Our persistence was rewarded with an extraordinary encounter: hundreds of mandrills moving through a forest clearing, their brilliant blue and red facial markings visible as they foraged.

The park also holds significant archaeological importance, with rock engravings dating back 3,000 years. Our guide, Professor Oslisly, has spent decades documenting these sites and provided fascinating context about the ancient human presence in these forests. The juxtaposition of natural and cultural heritage reminded me of similar sites in Tasmania, where aboriginal engravings tell stories of ancient connections to land.

For wildlife photographers, Lopé offers exceptional opportunities. My telephoto zoom lens proved invaluable for capturing distant wildlife without disturbance. The park's network of observation platforms, strategically positioned near forest clearings (bais), allowed us to observe forest elephants, buffalo, and sitatunga antelope coming to mineral licks—a natural theater of animal behavior rarely witnessed elsewhere.

No expedition to Gabon's rainforests would be complete without acknowledging the indigenous communities who have lived in harmony with these ecosystems for millennia. Our journey included a two-day cultural immersion with a Baka community near the eastern boundaries of Ivindo National Park.

The Baka, often incorrectly labeled as 'Pygmies' (a term considered pejorative), possess extraordinary knowledge of forest ecosystems. Our time with them was carefully arranged through a community tourism initiative that ensures fair compensation and cultural respect.

We were welcomed with traditional songs before being invited to join a honey-gathering expedition. The Baka's tree-climbing techniques—using a simple belt made of liana vines—demonstrated a physical prowess that belied their small stature. Their ability to locate wild beehives through subtle forest signs revealed a depth of ecological knowledge that no scientific training could replicate.

Particularly fascinating was their use of medicinal plants. Our guide, Mobola, showed us over twenty species used to treat everything from malaria to snake bites. I was reminded of similar knowledge systems I'd encountered among indigenous communities in Costa Rica's rainforests—parallel evolution of botanical wisdom across continents.

The evening brought storytelling around a communal fire, with tales of forest spirits and ancestral heroes translated by our guide. These narratives revealed sophisticated conservation ethics embedded within cultural practices—sustainable harvesting techniques passed down through generations long before Western conservation concepts emerged.

This cultural exchange provided essential context for understanding Gabon's conservation challenges. The Baka's traditional territories now overlap with protected areas, creating complex questions about indigenous rights and conservation goals. Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund are working to develop co-management approaches that honor traditional knowledge while supporting conservation objectives.

Our expedition's final days included meetings with conservation researchers at the Gabon Biodiversity Program's field station near Port-Gentil. These conversations revealed the complex challenges facing Gabon's extraordinary ecosystems.

Gabon stands at a critical crossroads. Under President Ali Bongo Ondimba, the country has protected over 11% of its territory through a network of 13 national parks. This commitment is remarkable for a developing nation whose economy has historically depended on oil extraction. Yet as petroleum reserves decline, pressure to exploit other resources—timber, minerals, and agricultural land—continues to grow.

Dr. Etienne Massard, lead researcher at the station, explained how Gabon is pioneering innovative conservation financing mechanisms, including carbon credit programs that monetize forest preservation. "The challenge," he noted, "is making forests worth more standing than cut down."

The parallels to New Zealand's conservation journey struck me deeply. Both countries have embraced the concept of ecosystem services—the idea that intact natural systems provide quantifiable benefits worth protecting. Both also grapple with balancing indigenous rights, economic development, and environmental protection.

Our helicopter survey over the coastal areas revealed the stark contrast between protected mangrove systems and areas cleared for development—a visual reminder of conservation's fragility. Using a drone, we captured footage of these transition zones for the research team's documentation efforts.

What makes Gabon's conservation story remarkable is its proactive nature. Rather than trying to restore degraded ecosystems (as in much of the world), Gabon has the opportunity to preserve intact systems before they're lost. This forward-thinking approach places the country at the vanguard of tropical conservation efforts globally.