Travel Guide

Places To See

Cirque de Léconi

East of Franceville the savanna rises up into the Bateke Plateau, a dry, cool, flat stretch of land that extends south and east into the Congo. Léconi is a small, quiet place with a couple of bars, a hotel and a cheap case de passage. The spectacular Cirque de Léconi, a deep, circular red-rock canyon of loose sands, is only a few kilometres from town.

Infrequent bush taxis go to Léconi from Franceville, but a 4WD that's capable of handling the deep-sand road is necessary to get to the cirque. It is possible to camp overnight (if you can find equipment). Once there, you can enjoy the views right across the canyon.

Réserve de la Lopé

The Réserve de la Lopé is Gabon's most accessible and most popular wildlife reserve, where you're likely to see forest elephants, buffalo and a variety of primates. Recently the reserve initiated gorilla walks in an attempt to habituate the gorilla population to the presence of small groups of humans. Tours by pirogue, jeep and foot are available.

The reserve is a patchwork of rolling hills, savannah and dense rainforest, and if you're lucky you'll see some of the largest mandrill troupes in the world.

Mayumba

If you mention Mayumba to someone who has been there, you're likely to be met with a dreamy, faraway look. It's no wonder - with endless and uninhabited beaches, whales spouting in the distance, trees full of magical spirits, and nesting sea turtles on the beach, it's not too far from eco-traveller heaven.

Mayumba would be Gabon's premier beach resort if it weren't so hard to get to. Anyone who gets this far, though, will discover deserted beaches, fishing villages and friendly locals who will offer to take you on fishing trips or boat tours for a small price. It's a great place to spend a few lazy days enjoying the sun, the waves, fresh seafood, and peace and quiet.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

The best time to visit Gabon is during the dry season (May to September). The rest of the year is one muggy, scorching hot day after another, with heavy rain from evening till morning.

Travel Visa Overview

Visas are required by all and must be obtained prior to arrival. They are not available at the airport or at border crossings. Getting a visa to Gabon is notoriously difficult - from outside Africa it can cost more than 100.00, and requests can be rejected without explanation or delayed for weeks. It's better to apply for one at a Gabonese embassy in a neighbouring coutry, where it takes a couple of days and costs half as much. Proof of onward travel is also necessary.

Electricity

220V

50Hz

Electrical Plugs

South African/Indian-style plug with two circular metal pins above a large circular grounding pin

Health Information

Malaria

Malaria

If you are travelling in endemic areas it is extremely important to avoid mosquito bites and to take tablets to prevent this disease. Symptoms range from fever, chills and sweating, headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pains to a vague feeling of ill-health. Seek medical help immediately if malaria is suspected. Without treatment malaria can rapidly become more serious and can be fatal. If medical care is not available, malaria tablets can be used for treatment. You should seek medical advice, before you travel, on the right medication and dosage for you. If you do contract malaria, be sure to be re-tested for malaria once you return home as you can harbour malaria parasites in your body even if you are symptom free. Travellers are advised to prevent mosquito bites at all times. The main messages are: wear light-coloured clothing; wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts; use mosquito repellents containing the compound DEET on exposed areas (prolonged overuse of DEET may be harmful, especially to children, but its use is considered preferable to being bitten by disease-transmitting mosquitoes); avoid perfumes and aftershave; use a mosquito net impregnated with mosquito repellent (permethrin) - it may be worth taking your own, and impregnating clothes with permethrin effectively deters mosquitoes and other insects.

Weather Information

Gabon is an average Joe as far as equatorial climates go - hot, humid and cloudy. Throughout the year temperatures hover around the 30°C (86°F) mark and rarely drop below 20°C (68°F). June to August provides slighly cooler days and some respite from the rain.

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

There are only two things that appear certain about Gabon: the first is that its precolonial history is shrouded in uncertainty; and the second is that whatever its history, it has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Educated guesses put Pygmies as the original inhabitants but they were quickly displaced in the 16th and 18th centuries by the Fang, who migrated south from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Small family units of Pygmies now only survive in the more remote parts of the country.

Contact with Europeans, starting with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1472, set a train of events in motion that had a profound effect on tribal social structures. The Portuguese largely ignored the area, preferring to base their activities on the nearby islands of Bioko and São Tomé. However, British, Dutch and French ships called in along the coast regularly to trade for slaves, ivory and precious tropical woods. The capital, Libreville, was established as a settlement for freed slaves in 1849, and quickly became a mecca for every God-fearing missionary in the Western world. It represented an unlimited source of unshriven pagan souls and theological brownie points for the saving thereof. In 1904, the capital of the Congo was transferred from Libreville to Brazzaville in the Congo, and six years later Gabon became a French colony in French Equatorial Africa.

Modern History

In 1912, Albert Schweitzer, missionary-with-a-difference, ex-theologian, and physician, set off for Gabon, en famille, eventually setting up a hospital in Lambaréné. The original hospital operated out of a converted chicken coop, but over the years grew into a multicomplex health centre. Schweitzer was to maintain close ties with the hospital until his death at 90. Some of his more radical moves included the relaxing of hygiene standards so that families of patients could prepare food on site for their relatives. Schweitzer eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in Gabon.

During the early years of the 20th century, when colonization was still seen as an economic rather than a social or ethical issue, French private companies exploited Gabon by forcing Africans to work for them. Having only recently thrown off the shackles of slavery, the Gabonese were understandably bent out of shape by this new form of indentured slavery and, like other Africans in French Equatorial Africa, vented their anger in periodic revolts. Each successive revolt was quelled, and by the time a new broom swept these old regimes out of the country the companies had destroyed the forests, used up most of the other natural resources and sent the country into an economic slump that lasted until after WWI.

In 1960, Leo M'Ba was elected as the first president of the new republic of Gabon and survived a mid-60s coup to remain in office until his death from natural causes in 1967. This was no mean feat given that presidents of other African countries tend to be elected at the pull of a trigger and deposed in much the same way. His successor, the diminutive Albert-Bernard Bongo, made Gabon a one-party state and then converted to Islam, becoming El Hadj Omar Bongo. His appointment fortuitously coincided with the processing of manganese and uranium deposits and a bullish run on oil prices. This ushered in the 'Gabonese Miracle', a decade of untold wealth, champagne and caviar lifestyles, and a spendthrift's mentality. In the year that oil prices peaked, Gabon hosted a summit for the Organisation of African Unity to the staggering tune of 1000000000.00.

When oil prices plummeted in the early 80s, so did Gabon's financial standing. Notwithstanding the drastic change in Gabon's fortune, Bongo retained presidential office through a strategy of tough social measures, defensive boundaries, national insularity, tough-mindedness, lucrative ministerial posts for the politically faithful, and a phalanx of Moroccan bodyguards, European mercenaries and French political and military advisors. It's a strategy that worked. Despite civil unrest in 1990 that led to the legalisation of political parties for the purpose of free elections, Bongo continued to defeat other candidates, most recently in 1998 for another 7-year term. He has been in office for over thirty years, a minor miracle in the turbulent atmosphere of African politics.

Recent History

While Gabon continues to grapple with such issues as substandard health care and schools, Bongo has allegedly used his country's oil riches to purchase large amounts of real estate in Paris. The citizens of Gabon, however, continue to show strong support for their leader, at least in theory. In practice, the elections of December 2001 were boycotted by the opposition on account of alleged irregularities by the National Election Commission.

In July 2003, President Bongo - in power since 1967 - had parliament alter the constitution to allow him to run for president as many times as he wishes.