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Gabon is not a country high on many people's radar. Most people visiting sub-Saharan Africa only visit East Africa and Southern Africa. Central Africa offers a highly different setting to East and Southern Africa, but also one that's much more challenging to visit. But still, Gabon is one of the safer countries in Africa (and especially Central Africa) to visit. If one would like to see the rainforests of Central Africa, then Gabon should be on one's radar.
Many of the countries in Central Africa suffer from a chronic lack of infrastructure and from political instability. Gabon is one of the better countries in the region to visit (although one should still visit with a guided tour - at least for first-timers). One of Gabon's most accessible and beautiful national parks is Lopé.
Lopé - A National Park Of Exceptional Biodiversity
Around 11% of Gabon is protected in national parks and the country is dominated by lush tropical rainforests. Of the 13 national parks, Lopé is considered the most accessible. Lopé offers a landscape of both rainforests and savannahs.
- Size: 4,970 km
- Landscape: Mostly Rainforest With Some Savannah In The North
The rainforest is mostly monsoon forest. The savannas are the last remnants of once-great savannas that covered much of Central Africa in the last age (the rainforests are relatively speaking new).
- Savannas: Covered The Region 15,000 Years Ago
- Designated: UNESCO World Heritage Since 2007
- Petroglyphs: Around 1,800 Petroglyphs
Since 2007, the area has been UNESCO World Heritage Listed for its rich biodiversity and unique savanna-forest transitional zone. Owing to a rain shadow effect from the Chaillu Massif, the park is a mosaic of dense tropical rainforests and savannas. Additionally, it is also home to some stunning petroglyphs.
Lopé - Full Of Rainforest-Dwelling African Animals
The complex environment of the park enables it to have unusually high biodiversity with many taxa. Lopé is a land teeming with apes, elephants, and many, many species of birds. Other animals that call it home include the leopard, African forest buffalo, sun-tailed guenon, black colobus, chimpanzee, tree pangolin, and the endangered giant pangolin.
Lopé is considered perhaps the most important region in Central Africa for primates. It is also the best place to see the mandrill monkeys - one of the most colorful of all primates.
- Animals: Apes, Elephants, 412 Species of Birds
- Plants: Over 1,550 Plant Species Recorded
- Mandrills: Over 1400 Mandrill Monkeys
In addition to its many mandrill monkeys, Lopé is also home to more elephants per square kilometer than anywhere else in Africa. With over 400 species of birds, Lopé has earned itself the epithet "the laboratory in the sky".
- Elephant Density: 3 Per Sq Kilometer
How To Visit Lopé National Park?
The park is located in the center of the country. It is possible to drive there from the main city of Libreville, but one can expect the roads to be rough - very rough. Gabon has only 629 km (391 miles) of sealed roads (of which 30 km or 18 miles are expressways), and over 7,000 km (4350 miles) of unsealed roads.
To visit Lopé, one can get a permit from the Conservation Officer Benoit at the ANPN office in Lopé (phone 07 37 05 35).
The lack of developed tourist infrastructure in Gabon is likely to make one's trip there fairly expensive. In general, it is difficult to travel around Africa on a tight backpacking budget, but it is still possible for those willing to try.
Accommodation In Lopé National Park
Accommodation in the Lopé national park is offered by Pares Gabon Wildlife Camp. Their glamping campground is set in the midst of rolling savannah at the northern end of the park, just 40-minutes from Lopé National Park Station.
The camp has six guest tents that have been kitted out with classic safari-style furnishings. Guests also dine under the stars with their grilled meals complete with meats, salads, and wine. Imagine dining in Africa where forest elephants, red river hogs, and buffalos cross one's path.
Guided Tours In Gabon
One of the companies offering specialized guided tours of Gabon is Africa's Eden. They offer a selection of tours in both the dry and wet seasons. Their tours are three, four, or six days in length and visit another Gabon national park called Loango.