Birding Tour Gabon: Complete Gabon — Rare Birds and Apes

Complete Gabon: Rare Birds and Apes
August 2026/2027

Gabon is a relatively undiscovered gem and hosts a great many difficult African bird species. This French-speaking country is located in Equatorial West Africa and complements our “bulge of Africa” tours much further to the north-west (Ghana being the usual destination we run in that part of the world, along with Senegal). While Gabon has no endemic birds, there are several tantalizing species such as African River Martin, Grey-necked Rockfowl, Black-headed Bee-eater, Vermiculated Fishing Owl, and various other Congo-basin species that are arguably more easily found here than anywhere else.

Gabon is home to many rather rare and poorly-known birds – one of the most wanted of them is Black-headed Bee-eater.

Almost 70 percent of Gabon is still covered by pristine, primeval lowland rainforest, which is part of the appeal, and, with a country population of under 2 million people, these forests remain relatively untouched. The country also has a wide range of other habitats, not only tropical rainforest but also coastal lagoons, pristine beaches, large rivers and associated riverine vegetation, montane-type grasslands, and broken miombo woodland, all of which are home to a wide variety of fabulous birds. Gabon also boasts spectacular animals, and these still relatively untouched wildernesses (such as within the amazing Loango National Park, and the vast Lopé National Park) are home to the likes of African Forest Elephant, the striking Red River Hog, three species of crocodile, Western Gorilla and the iconic Mandrill, amongst others.

We include two specific ape-trekking permits in the tour cost, for Mandrill and Western Gorilla (pictured) – which add an exciting dimension to the tour (photo © Sue Bryan, past tour participant).

Our comprehensive Gabon tour visits all of the key birding sites and targets a great deal of the country’s many specials. Beginning in the coastal capital city of Libreville, our first “leg” travels around the interior of the country, beginning with a flight to Franceville. From here, we explore the wild open expanses of the Lekoni region and the Bateke Plateau for scarce species like Congo Moor Chat, Black-chinned Weaver, Black-collared Bulbul and the mega Black-headed Bee-eater. We then transfer to the extremely wild and largely untouched forests of the greater Makokou area, where we have four nights to give us a shot at the many scarce equatorial African forest species, including the highly-desired Grey-necked Rockfowl – which we have a special day set aside to search for them. We then move onto Lopé National Park, where we finish our inland leg of the tour hoping for birds like Congo Serpent Eagle and the localized Dja River Scrub Warbler. Whilst at Lopé, we will also have a dedicated Mandrill trekking activity, where we should see these rare animals.

We then transit back to Libreville, and take a short domestic flight to the coastal wetlands, rivers, and surrounding forests of the greater Loango National Park. This vast wilderness is truly incredible and is sure to be a major highlight. Here, multiple boat trips and exquisite wilderness lodges, will be enjoyed alongside herds of animals and vast numbers of birds. This is a superb way to end our tour, as we seek out the country’s more well-known specials, such as African River Martin and Rosy Bee-eater, along with others such as the rare Vermiculated Fishing Owl, closely related Pel’s Fishing Owl and White-crested Tiger Heron. It is in Loango, where we will have our dedicated Western Gorilla trekking activity.

Black-collared Bulbul is a range restricted species that favors mesic grassy savannas on the edges of forests – and is one of our primary targets in the early days of the tour in the Lekoni region.

Itinerary (19 days/18 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Libreville

Today is your arrival day, and you are welcome to arrive at your leisure (there are no formal plans for birding today). Following your arrival into the Gabonese capital of Libreville you will be transferred to your hotel, where the tour will begin with a group dinner.

Overnight: Libreville hotel

Day 2. Flight to Franceville, and transfer to Bongoville

We will take a morning flight to Franceville (depending on flight schedules), from where we will have a short drive to Bongoville. We will be based here for three nights, using this as a base for our explorations of the Lekoni area. We will likely have the afternoon available to us to begin our birding and can get a head-start on some of the species listed under Days 3 – 4 below.

Overnight: Bongoville hotel

The splendid Black Bee-eater occurs throughout the country.

Days 3 – 4. Birding Lekoni and surroundings

The area around Lekoni is rather unique in equatorial Africa – comprising of, most notably, the higher-lying grasslands of the Batéké Plateau, a habitat zone that seems very much out of place here. Naturally, this somewhat isolated habitat hosts many unique bird species, not found elsewhere in Gabon and more characteristic of further south in Africa – such as parts of Angola and Zambia. In addition to these montane-type grasslands there are also small tracts of somewhat-stunted miombo woodland along with patches of montane forest, creating a fantastic birding environment! Arguably the most prized bird of the grassland zone is the sought-after Congo Moor Chat, which is relatively common and normally fairly conspicuous. However, not to be outdone are other sought-after species such as Finsch’s Francolin, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Plains Lark, the ever-prized Black-collared Bulbul, scarce Black-chinned Weaver, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, and Short-tailed Pipit.

Congo Moor Chat is one of our main targets in the grasslands around Lekoni.

Where the grasslands give way to often-stunted miombo-type woodlands we will focus on other species more characteristic of this unique woodland belt running through south-central Africa, such as Black-backed Barbet, Black Scimitarbill, Red-capped Crombec, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Tinkling Cisticola, Green-capped and Salvadori’s Eremomelas, White-winged Black Tit, Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Wood Pipit and Cabanis’s Bunting, amongst others. Small patches of thickets can be found in the woodland areas and host a surprisingly different suite of species – no matter how small they are. We will try for the likes of Bocage’s and Lühder’s Bushshrikes, Angolan Batis, Sharpe’s Drongo and even African Broadbill.

Much closer to our home base, the Bongoville forest is excellent, and gives us our first opportunity at accessing some lowland forest, with a host of representative birds possible. The birding in these lowland forests is notoriously difficult, with the birds often shy and requiring lots of work and effort to be seen – something that we will have to get used to during our forest birding in Gabon. Easily the main target of this forest is the highly sought-after Black-headed Bee-eater (see cover image), which usually occurs around the forest edges. We should also be able to find our first Black Bee-eater here as well (another stunning member of this family), along with other forest specials like Yellow-throated Cuckoo, the notoriously difficult-to-see Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike, Spotted Greenbul, Purple-headed Starling, Cassin’s Malimbe and Tiny Sunbird, amongst many others. Barbets and tinkerbirds abound, and we should be able to find the likes of Yellow-spotted and Hairy-breasted Barbets and Red-rumped Tinkerbird, and the calls of Yellow-billed Turacos are usually not far away.

Overnight: Bongoville hotel

The diminutive Yellow-throated Cuckoo is a sought-after lowland forest bird.

Day 5. Transfer to Makokou

Following the Lekoni area, our next major birding destination is the impressive forests of the greater Makokou area (which includes the vast Ipassa Strict Nature Reserve/Ivindo National Park, and surrounds). This is a very long drive, on a bad road for the most part, and will likely take us the bulk of the day. Although we will spend virtually the whole drive passing through excellent forested areas, which is sure to whet our appetite, we will not have much time available for birding. Importantly, we do have backup sites for the mega Black-headed Bee-eater along the way and can also have our first attempt at other scarce species like Gosling’s Apalis. We anticipate rolling into Makokou in the late afternoon.

Overnight: Makokou hotel (basic)

Days 6 – 8. The Ipassa forests and Grey-necked Rockfowl

We have three full days of birding, in which to explore and try to find many of the exciting species that exist here. Most of our time will be spent in and around the Ipassa-Makokou Strict Nature Reserve, where we will explore the forest edges around the old research station and undertake hikes into the heart of the forest. Although we will be virtually entirely on foot, forest birding can be difficult, and this area is certainly no exception, however, with patience, and a bit of luck, we should enjoy a number of the area’s many specials.

An abundance of hornbills frequents the mature and relatively undisturbed forests of the greater Makokou region – here two giant Black-casqued Hornbills fly over the canopy.

The canopy and upper levels of the forest play host to some of the larger and arguably more vocal species, and we will search for the massive Great Blue Turaco along with its more ‘normal-sized’ cousins, Yellow-billed and Guinea Turacos. A plethora of hornbills occurs here, including sought-after White-thighed, Black-casqued, Red-billed Dwarf, Black Dwarf and Eastern Long-tailed Hornbills, while Piping and Congo Pied Hornbills are usually more common. Chocolate-backed Kingfishers call from the upper reaches of the massive trees, yet remain as difficult to see as ever. Barbets are also well represented, and the area should produce Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet on top of the others mentioned already. The deep calls of Afep and Western Bronze-naped Pigeons ring out throughout the forest, though it normally takes some effort to track these birds down. A number of cuckoos are also present, and our main targets will feature the sought-after Yellow-throated Cuckoo, along with Dusky Long-tailed and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos, while more widespread species include African Emerald, Black and Red-chested Cuckoos. Not to be forgotten, a number of woodpecker species also occur here, and species such as Yellow-crested, Brown-eared, Buff-spotted, Gabon and Green-backed Woodpeckers all feature. Many passerines also frequent the higher reaches, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for Red-eyed Puffback, Western Oriole, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Green Hylia, tiny Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Fraser’s Rufous Thrush, Dusky Tit, Fraser’s and Little Green Sunbirds, and all of the world’s nigritas- Grey-headed, Pale-fronted, Chestnut-breasted and White-breasted Nigritas.

Species that prefer the mid-strata and vine tangles hanging the canopy include the sought-after Bare-cheeked Trogon and secretive Rufous-sided Broadbill, alongside African Dwarf and Blue-breasted Kingfishers, Blue Malkoha, Fraser’s Forest, Yellow-footed and Chestnut-capped Flycatchers, Bates’s Paradise Flycatcher, Gabon Batis, Yellow-bellied and White-spotted Wattle-eyes, Western and Yellow-throated Nicators, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Grey Longbill, the sought-after Gosling’s Apalis, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, and Crested, Blue-billed, Red-bellied and Cassin’s Malimbes.

 Rufous-sided Broadbill is a shy denizen of the forests that we’ll hope to find displaying.

Tangles, thickets, and bushy growth in the lower strata play host to many shy species, and we’ll have our work cut-out for ourselves as we try to find the likes of Blue-headed Wood Dove and the beautiful Yellow-breasted Forest Robin, as well as Brown-chested and Fire-crested Alethes, Brown and Pale-breasted Illadopsis, Olive-green Camaroptera, Banded Prinia and White-tailed Ant Thrush.

We will also be able to hone our bulbul skills immensely here, with a vast number of different species occurring within the forest, including sought species such as Sjöstedt’s, Golden and both Eastern Bearded and White-bearded Greenbuls. While an array of other species including Ansorge’s, Yellow-whiskered, Falkenstein’s, Honeyguide, Spotted, Little Grey, Icterine, Xavier’s and Red-tailed Greenbuls, along with the noisy Swamp Palm Bulbul and shy Yellow-lored and Red-tailed Bristlebills possible as well.

Keeping an eye out for raptors flying overhead can produce species such as Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk and Red-chested Goshawk. Where such openings in the canopy are present, we will also scan the skies for aerial feeders, and hope to find Mottled, Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spinetails and the scarce Forest Swallow, along with Square-tailed Saw-wing. Flowering trees in these zones, as well as in the forest proper, play host to large numbers of sunbirds, featuring Tiny, Carmelite, Grey-chinned, Collared, Blue-throated Brown, Olive-bellied and Superb Sunbirds.

The grassy verges to the roads and tracks in the area may host a variety of colorful seedeaters, amongst them is the possibility of Black-bellied Seedcracker and Western Bluebill, while the likes of Black-headed and Orange-cheeked Waxbills and Black-and-white Mannikin are usually more commonly seen. While here, we can also try our luck for some of the prized (though decidedly uncommon) nocturnal birds, which might include the localized Sjöstedt’s Barred Owlet, Fraser’s Eagle-Owl, as well as both Bates’s and Brown Nightjars.

We will need to be very fortunate, however, to come across the poorly known Spot-breasted Ibis, both Black and Plumed Guineafowls, rare Black-collared Lovebird, sought-after African Piculet, along with the likes of scarce Fernando Po Batis, Black-necked Wattle-eye, Yellow-capped Weaver, and both Rachel’s and Red-crowned Malimbes – but all are possible.

*Importantly, on one of our days, we will undertake a day-long trip (with a difficult hike) to try and find one of the Africa’s most sought-after birds – Grey-necked Rockfowl. This localized species has become almost impossible to find in recent years, due to turmoil in Cameroon (its only other accessible locality), and is thus an opening on many a world-birders list.

Overnight: Makokou hotel (basic)

Gosling’s Apalis is a scarce Central African species that is not easily seen anywhere.

Day 9. Transfer to Lopé

After our three full days birding in the lowland forests of Ipassa (and surrounds), we will journey to the vast Lopé National Park, (ultimately en-route back to Libreville). This will again be a full travel day, with a long road to negotiate, and portions of the road again being extremely bad and slow-going. We anticipate arriving at our lodge on the outskirts of the park in the late afternoon and can take a walk around the lodge surrounds, should time be available.

Overnight: La Lopé Lodge

Days 10 – 11. Birding and Mandrills in Lopé National Park

This is one of the biggest national parks in Gabon, offering a mix of rivers, bush savanna, open plains, and forest. Given the size of the reserve, we will only be able to cover a fraction of it, however, we will access some of the most exciting areas in the reserve.

We will have two full days to explore, though this translates into one full day of birding (due to one day being taken up with Mandrill trekking). In the open areas we will try for species such as Senegal Lapwing, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Compact Weaver, and Red-headed Quelea, while a distant swamp is home to arguably our biggest target – the localized Dja River Scrub Warbler. In the various small forest patches (and along their edges) we will seek out Long-tailed Hawk, Red-chested Owlet, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, Fiery-breasted Bushshrike and the superb Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill, along with a great many others. We will also be sure to keep an eye to the sky for the sought-after Bates’s Swift flying overhead. The massive river flowing past our lodge usually has a few waterbirds such as White-crowned Lapwing, African Skimmer, and Rock Pratincole. After dark, we can try for both Bates’s and Swamp Nightjars in the surrounds.

Eastern Long-tailed Hornbills, with their amazingly long tails, are a shy forest denizen.

Lopé is sure to be a good change of birding, with its mix of habitats, and we will likely have seen the bulk of the more common and widely spread species – but this is a good backup chance for us to look for any species we may yet have missed up until this point. Not only is Lopé home to many bird species but also to populations of African Forest Elephant and Cape (Forest) Buffalo, along with a wide variety of primates, including Putty-nosed, Crowned, and Moustached Monkeys, Grey-cheeked Mangabey, Black Colobus – and most importantly, the rare and stunning Mandrill.

*We have a special activity set aside, where we undertake to track and see Mandrill within the area. This activity is included in the tour cost and will take up one of the days (but please see more information on this under the “General Tour Information”).

Overnight: La Lopé Lodge

A fine male Mandrill watches over the enormous troop of mostly females wandering about. This photo was taken on our 2024 tour and gives an exciting in-situ image of the experience.

Day 12. Transfer to Libreville

After what is sure to be an exciting and adventurous first leg of the trip, traversing the interior of Gabon, we make the long trip back to the capital, Libreville, so we can prepare for the exciting conclusion of this trip in the spectacular Loango National Park. This is another very long journey (with bad roads for part of the way) that will take the whole day, and see us getting into Libreville in the early evening. Our lunch-stop at Ndjole usually presents us with a good chance of finding the scarce Grey Pratincole on the distant sandbars that are visible from the town.

Overnight: Libreville hotel

Day 13. Flight to Port-Gentil, and transfer to Omboue

Saving the best for last, we transfer south (via a flight to Port-Gentil) to the magical Loango National Park – though today, we will not get into the park itself, and will stay in the quaint village of Omboue. Located a few hours drive south of Port-Gentil, it is necessary to spend a night here, as it gives us access to the important Mpivié River, which is the best site in the country to find the highly prized White-crested Tiger Heron and the sought-after Pel’s Fishing Owl. We will have a late afternoon/evening boat cruise along the river (which is reached via boat crossing a vast lagoon), which gives us our best chance at the owl, especially. We are also likely to see several other great birds, including the local African Finfoots (which are usually dark in coloration, compared to elsewhere), Shining-blue Kingfisher and Hartlaub’s Duck.

Overnight: Omboue hotel

Pel’s Fishing Owl is one of two fishing owls we’ll be trying very hard for in Gabon.

Days 14 – 17. Rare birds and wildlife of the Loango National Park

After a final morning boat cruise on the Mpivié River on Day 14, we will transfer the short distance to Loango National Park itself, where we will have four nights in this incredible wilderness area.

This is one of Africa’s greatest remaining Eden’s (as quoted by Time Magazine), oozing raw Mother Nature. We will spend our time likely between two lodges located within the park, giving us the best opportunities to access the excellent coastal savannas, thick riparian swamp forests and vibrant lagoons that make up this wilderness. The very remote (and more rustic) Akaka Camp (reached by a long, several-hour-long boat ride, deep into the park) is idyllically situated on the Akaka River, where it overlooks a floodplain and is otherwise surrounded by prime lowland forest. We have several key birding targets here, with arguably the most important going to the highly localized African River Martin. These rare birds should have begun arriving during our time here, and while they will not be at their colonies breeding yet, are usually present in groups on the river, often associating with the vast flocks of Rosy Bee-eaters which are around. The rarely seen Vermiculated Fishing Owl is another of our major targets here, and some time in the evenings will be dedicated to seeing this incredible bird. We will undertake day boat cruises whilst here, and will be on the lookout for other targets like Violet-tailed, Reichenbach’s and Mangrove Sunbirds, White-backed Night Heron, several kingfishers and a range of other waterbirds.

The other fishing owl is the decidedly rarer Vermiculated Fishing Owl.

The lowland forests in this part of the park are also home to some exciting birds and give us a chance at seeing rare birds like Black and Plumed Guineafowls, Bare-cheeked Trogon, Eastern Long-tailed Hornbill and even Sjöstedt’s Barred Owlet, if we are lucky (though we’ll need to be wary of elephants while walking). Spending some time sitting on the camp deck, overlooking the area, is a great way to see many birds with great species like the enormous Black-casqued Hornbills regularly flying by, along with several raptors and so many others – even African River Martins at times!

Aside from the many birds we’ll be seeing, the park is arguably more famous for its other wildlife and general wilderness. Herds of African Forest Elephant roam freely and widely, as do numbers of Cape (Forest) Buffalo. We will keep a special eye out for the spectacular Red River Hog, though these are perhaps better seen in the more open savanna regions of the park, and on the waterways, Central African Slender-snouted Crocodile is usually evident.

*One of the main attractions on the mammalian front for us is the opportunity to track Western Gorillas – and this special activity gives us deeper insight into their lives, as we venture after a habituated group studied by researchers. The group size limit to see the gorillas is small, and we will likely need to be split up over two days with the folks who are not doing the trekking that day, going out birding, and vice versa. (see more information under the “Gabon General Information”).

African River Martins perched with glorious Rosy Bee-eaters – these two species often mix together at this time of year, just prior to the river martins breeding.

We will then transit to the very comfortable Ndola Camp, closer to the savanna portions of the park and at the head of the Iguela Lagoon. Just as with Akaka, the birding from the lodge deck is superb, and the immediate surrounds often has a wide array of birds including several sought-after sunbirds and shy Leaf-loves, amongst others. Our time here will likely consist of a mix of boat rides and safari drives (on open-top safari style jeeps), taking us through the mosaic of beautiful coastal grasslands and small lowland forest patches.

The birdlife here is quite different, and we’ll be on the lookout for the likes of Forbes’s Plover, Senegal Lapwing, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, Quailfinch and Blue-breasted Bee-eater in the more open areas. Rosy Bee-eaters importantly nest in these areas, and there is usually an active colony present, which offers us excellent insight into these stunning birds. African River Martins also breed in these areas, but later in the season and it is not expected for us to find them at their breeding colonies (but they should be present elsewhere in the park, as mentioned above). The mega Black-headed Bee-eater can also be found in the area, should we still be missing this bird, as can the scarce Congo Serpent Eagle. A remote island in the rough vicinity holds a small number of breeding Loango Weavers, which we’ll be on the lookout for, while the coastline here will give us another new swathe of waterbirds – with the tern roost regularly containing African Skimmer and Damara Tern.

Overnight: Loango National Park (Loango Camps – Akaka & Ndola)

African Forest Elephant is one of several important mammal targets we’ll be searching for – fortunately they are common in Loango. We will also be looking for others including the stunning Red River Hog.

Day 18. Final birding in Loango National Park, and transfer back to Libreville

This is the penultimate day of the tour. We have a final morning to spend within the stunning Loango National Park, searching for any missing specie, or enjoying our final moments with some of the iconic park species, like Rosy Bee-eater. Around midday, we will likely need to bid farewell to the park, and start our journey back to Port-Gentil, from where we will take an evening flight back to the capital, Libreville. Upon arriving at our comfortable hotel, we will settle in for one final group dinner, reminiscing about all the excellent bird and wildlife encounters we have experienced over the course of what is sure to be an incredible tour.

Overnight: Libreville hotel

Day 19. Departure from Libreville

This is your departure day, and you are welcome to leave at your leisure. Please note that there are no formal birding plans for the day, and the tour will officially conclude after breakfast.

Loango National Park is an indescribable wilderness area, and we allocate four nights within the park to take it all in. 

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides, and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling or other factors.

Gabon is notoriously expensive, and we realize our itinerary is more expensive than most. It is important to mention that our tour price includes all three domestic flights, both Mandrill and Western Gorilla trekking permits, and four nights within the pricey Loango National Park – all of which increase the cost, and differentiates our tour to most other birding tour offerings

Complete Gabon: Rare Birds and Apes Trip Report, August 2024

25 AUGUST – 10 SEPTEMBER 2024

By Dylan Vasapolli

The rare Vermiculated Fishing Owl is a highly sought-after bird that is seldom seen due to its range – occupying the swamp forests of central Africa.

Overview

Gabon is one of the final frontiers in sub-Saharan African birding – and is now virtually the only place within the continent to access central African lowland areas. Formerly, many birders accessed these habitats (and their birds) through Cameroon most notably – however, safety and security have become major issues in these countries. Gabon is indeed a safe, secure, and very pristine country, and with tourism slowly opening up in the country, is sure to grow in leaps and bounds. There are very few countries where you can drive for an entire day through mostly untouched primary forest!

Not all of Gabon is unknown to the outside world – as there is its most famous park, Loango National Park, located on the coast, which Time Magazine has called “Africa’s Last Eden”. This is surely Gabon’s pride, offering high-quality lodging, superb birds and mammals, and an incredible wildlife experience. The interior of Gabon is however, more remote, basic and challenging, with roads accessing the country few and far between, making getting around a challenge.

The mega Black-headed Bee-eater is one of the most sought-after bee-eaters in Africa – with its rarity and distribution often making it one of the final members of this family that birders see. We enjoyed several looks at this special and sought-after bird during this tour!

This was Birding Ecotours’ first full tour to Gabon, following a scouting tour in previous years. The tour as a whole ran very smoothly, with limited issues and troubles on the way (though in any rural African country, these can never be completely avoided). The most notable “issue” was the extreme length of all of the travel days – essentially all being 10+ hour journeys, on very rough roads, even by 4×4 standards. The birding was good generally, perhaps aided by the mostly overcast conditions, with most of the main target birds like Rosy Bee-eater, African River Martin, Vermiculated Fishing Owl, Black-headed Bee-eater and Congo Moor Chat, amongst so many others, being seen. Additionally, two important mammal targets, Mandrill and Western (Lowland) Gorilla were well seen on the tour as well – with our tour specially including activities focused on seeing and finding these rare animals.

Beginning in the capital city, Libreville, the tour headed inland to Lopé National Park, where our tour would begin with a mix of savanna and forest birding, and our wanted Mandrills – we had a dedicated Mandrill-trekking activity included in the tour. From here, we progressed farther inland to the Gabon highlands around Lekoni, where we spent a few days searching out its open-country specials. The last stop of the interior part of the tour saw us spend some time in the massive forests of the Ipassa-Makokou Strict Nature Reserve, before returning to the capital city once more. From here, we flew down to Port Gentil and concluded the tour with 5 days in and around the mega Loango National Park, capping off this tour with some excellent birds and mammals, as we explored the park’s swamp forests, forest-savanna mosaic areas and coastal wetlands. We could not have asked to end off the tour on a better note.

A detailed daily account can be read below, and the full bird and mammal lists are located at the end of the report.

Detailed Report

Day 1, 25^th August 2024. Arrival into Libreville

The first day of our tour, as it is on most of our tours, is set aside as a dedicated arrival day where participants can arrive at their leisure with no formal activities taking place. Some participants arrived the previous day, while others arrived during the course of the afternoon and evening. Although the immigration into Gabon was trying, everybody arrived in one piece, though John’s bag went missing along the way (and unfortunately, going into rural Gabon with no way of getting the bag caught up with us, meant he had no luggage for the first half of the tour). I snuck out with John to get him to some “makeshift” luggage to hold him over. With all participants having arrived by evening, we enjoyed our first group dinner together as we prepared for our first long travel day.

Day 2, 26^th August 2024. Libreville to Lopé

Following breakfast, we met up with our trusty drivers and hit the road, ultimately bound for Lopé National Park. We made good progress along the way to our lunch stop in Ndjole, with some common and widespread species like Palm-nut Vulture and Woodland Kingfisher seen. Some birding around the town yielded further widespread species like African Harrier-Hawk, Lesser Striped Swallow, Vieillot’s Black Weaver and Pin-tailed Whydah, while some dedicated scanning from the river’s edge gave us some distant White-crowned Lapwings, African Skimmers and Grey Pratincoles. Unfortunately, the birds were some distance away and left us wanting more, though Giant Kingfisher and lovely Orange-cheeked Waxbills gave us great looks. The road from Ndjole onwards was much worse and extremely slow going – passing through some good patches of forest and grassland mosaic habitat. Opportunistic stops gave us our first Black-casqued Hornbills, along with the scarce Bates’s Swift and a small group of Forest Swallows for some. We rolled into the comfortable La Lopé Lodge shortly after dark and settled in for the evening.

A massive Black-casqued Hornbill flew overhead.

Day 3, 27^th August 2024. Birding Lopé National Park

The birding around the lodge was heaving during the early morning, and meant our breakfast was a bit truncated. Several Congo Pied Hornbills were in attendance, noisily calling from the treetops, while a flower tree was bursting with life and gave us seven sunbird species, from the tiny Grey-chinned to the more restricted Reichenbach’s and the beautiful Superb. We also did well to find our first Orange Weaver before a pair of Pale-throated Greenbuls popped out for a bit. Some commotion led us to finding a lovely Red-thighed Sparrowhawk perched up in one of the large Kapok trees. We had to tear ourselves away as we boarded our open vehicle and headed into the park for a morning birding safari drive. There was some minor frustration as our assigned guide was nowhere to be seen, but eventually we linked up, and were soon bumbling our way through the northern open grassland regions of the park. Much of the area had been recently burnt and White-throated Bee-eaters and Long-legged Pipits were plentiful. We also soon found our first herd of (Forest) Cape Buffalo – somehow these are still lumped as one species, but were numerous in the park, and we encountered many herds.

Small patches of forest break up the landscape, and we spent the bulk of our time birding within them. Lowland forests in Africa are always hard work, with these no exception. A vocal pair of Eastern Long-tailed Hornbills (formerly part of the White-crested complex) were heard early on, but were extremely shy and only some in the group were able to see them as they flitted in the dense canopies. An equally vocal Fiery-breasted Bushshrike refused to show, while Fraser’s Rufous Thrush showed exceptionally well. The forest seemed to come to life when we picked up on a Shining Drongo, as several Fraser’s Forest Flycatchers, Ansorge’s Greenbuls and Olive Sunbirds came out, before the scarce Blue-headed Bee-eater joined in on the fun. The bee-eater in particular is an incredibly difficult species in this part of its range and is infrequently seen in Gabon – making it an excellent surprise! After having gotten over the bee-eater, we veered off the pathway to try for a Blue-headed Wood Dove, which showed well, albeit briefly several times.

The very distinct “Forest Buffaloes” were common in the savanna parks – somehow this species is not recognized, and it is still seen as a race of Cape Buffalo.

Our final destination in the morning was a walk through to get to a small wetland where we would try for the highly localized Dja River Scrub Warbler. On cue, we heard the warbler, and it took a little while before we located the bird skulking about in some of the sedges. We also saw the bird give a few short display flights over the wetland. A fine White-bellied Kingfisher put in a surprise view here as well. With the sun shining down and the mercury high, we made our way back out the park with other species like Piping Hornbill, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Naked-faced Barbet and some Yellow-billed Oxpeckers on the buffalos. We also found our first monkeys, with several Putty-nosed Monkeys showing well, along with the scarce Black Colobus.

We took a midday break, before resuming in the late afternoon, with another drive into the park, where we would stay out until dark. We made our way to a lookout over the forests, where we scanned the surrounding trees. A few Piping Hornbills commuted up and down over the forest, as did several Grey Parrots. A Yellow-mantled Weaver came to forage in the treetops, before a flock of Chestnut-winged Starlings came through. With dusk settling, we headed over to try for the rare Bates’s Nightjar and were rewarded with some incredible views of this scarce and local species. We also found a lone Senegal Lapwing in the torch beam before exiting the park. A few cold beers capped off an exciting first full day of birding in Gabon.

Day 4, 28^th August 2024. Mandrill trekking

Uniquely amongst other birding tours to Gabon, we incorporate Mandrill trekking as a dedicated tour activity. We were assigned to the morning session, and the researchers who offer this activity met us at the lodge after breakfast to take us out. There are no dedicated trackers who stay with the Mandrills at all times, and as such, they have to make use of radio telemetry to pinpoint where the animals are. This took a few attempts, but eventually we picked up on their signal, and headed off towards them. We heard them from some distance away, long before seeing them, and eventually found ourselves in dense forest, enjoying our first views of these scarce monkeys, which are virtually endemic to Gabon. At this time of year, the Mandrills form massive foraging groups, and we were taken to only a corner of the entire group, and enjoyed many animals walking about on the forest floor and up in the trees – all the while listening to their contact grunts and noises. Although we were in dense forest all the time, we had an hour to enjoy the animals, and found several large males roving through the area we could see – and enjoyed some good views. After the hour was up, we were ushered out of the forest and headed back to the lodge for a midday break. These were not the only animals we found, as we also enjoyed a fine Forest Elephant that we picked up crossing an open grassy glade nearby. On the bird front, we enjoyed repeat views of Black-casqued Hornbill, along with Grey Parrot, and others like Cassin’s Spinetail, Western Oriole, Splendid Starling and Yellow-throated Longclaw.

A fine male Mandrill takes a break from walking around – complete with its colorful face (and bright purple hindquarters which are not showing in this picture).

We spent the afternoon birding the area surrounding the lodge, which was again extremely birdy. A bright Diderick Cuckoo flashed by before settling alongside some African Green Pigeons and several Splendid Starlings. We moved over to the open grasslands behind the lodge, which gave us some exciting birds like Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Croaking Cisticola, Copper Sunbird and several Yellow-mantled Widowbirds. A pair of Compact Weavers were enjoyed, before we flushed up a surprising Swamp Nightjar from right in front of us. We first heard the tiny Pectoral-patch Cisticola, before we found the bird, and enjoyed some good looks as it foraged around on the ground. Dainty Bronze Mannikin and Orange-cheeked Waxbills were numerous, and we did well to find a few Red-throated Cliff Swallows in the area, alongside several other widespread species. We eventually moved over to the large river in front of the lodge, where we took it easy for a bit, dipping our feet in. Several Rock Pratincoles were seen on the many rocks lining the river, and we again got some distant views of birds like White-crowned Lapwing and African Skimmer, before a fine pair of Hartlaub’s Ducks flew by in the early evening, rounding up another good day.

A pair of Compact Weavers showed well in the open areas near to our lodge.

Day 5, 29^th August 2024. Travel to Lekoni

We had an early breakfast before hitting the road – as we had arguably the longest (and worst roads) to navigate today as we made our way to Lekoni, in the very south-east of the country right on the Republic of the Congo border. Unfortunately, just as we were getting ready to leave, a massive train pulled into Lopé town and blocked the road for a short while. Things were straightened out, and soon we were on the road again. The first half of the journey was on awful roads with little of interest seen on the way, except for Johanna’s Sunbird and a Bay Duiker. We eventually joined up onto a paved road, which made the latter part of the journey much smoother. After a long day of driving, we rolled into Lekoni at dusk, sorted out our accommodations,  involving a change of venues, before enjoying another cold beer or two with dinner and calling it a day.

Day 6, 30^th August 2024. Grassland and miombo birding around Lekoni

We started our morning off by heading into the mosaic of stunted woodland, grassland and mixed agricultural lands east of town. We spent as much time as possible on foot, walking through the habitat, trying to maximize the birding, and this proved a good strategy. Almost immediately after getting out the vehicle, we picked up on some weavers, and had to follow them briskly while they moved through the vegetation. We caught up with them again, and reveled in some good looks at the rare and localized Black-chinned Weaver. A bright Cabanis’s Bunting put in an appearance as well, before we found the first of several Short-tailed Pipits, which flushed up off the ground in front of us. Congo Moor Chat was another priority species that showed well, and we enjoyed several good and close looks at it – these leggy birds being rather curious! It took a little while to pick up on the then local race of Rufous-naped Lark – which has subsequently been split off into its own species, Plains Lark – but we eventually located one, with its very different song. Other more widespread species like Northern Fiscal, Flappet Lark, Banded Martin, Sooty Chat, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Yellow-throated Longclaw and both Orange-cheeked and Fawn-breasted Waxbills were commonly encountered. We then moved into a more wooded area, and immediately found another of our big targets, the scarce Black-collared Bulbul. While the pair were a bit shy, with some patience and effort, they showed well. In the trees, we also enjoyed other birds like Western Black-headed Batis, White-winged Black Tit and Tinkling Cisticola amongst others. With the sun out and beating down on us, birding activity dropped off, and we made our way over to the impressive Lekoni canyon, where we spent a little while taking it all in. Here we opportunistically found some birds like Green-backed Woodpecker, White-fronted Bee-eater and Grey-throated Barbet.

Congo Moor Chat is a localized species restricted to a difficult part of Africa to access – fortunately, they are common around the Lekoni area of Gabon.

We enjoyed a midday break during the heat of the day, before resuming in a different area west of town, where we would focus on miombo woodland birding. Birding in miombo woodland can be tricky at the best of times, and this afternoon was one of those difficult sessions. We were also plagued by some horrible tiny biting sand flies as we went about, which left us with bumps (and some blood) of varying degrees. A party of fidgety Green-capped Eremomelas showed well early on, but it took an exceedingly long time for all of us to get onto the scarce Yellow-bellied Hyliota – the birds were incredibly shy and would disappear almost as we picked up on them. A Flappet Lark buzzed overhead, noisy Striped Kingfishers perched atop some dead branches and a Dark Chanting Goshawk came flying through. We did well to latch onto a scarce Wood Pipit, as it was first displaying, and then perching for us. With the miombo mostly quiet, we tried our hand at some of the denser thickets found within and, while we heard some other targets like Bocage’s Bushshrike, we were unable to lay eyes on them. As the evening began drifting in, and our legs awash with bites, we called it a day, and retired back for dinner, after one of those “difficult” afternoons.

Day 7, 31^st August 2024. Birding the Bongoville forest

After an early breakfast, we shot off to the productive lowland forests near Bongoville, a short distance away, where we would spend the morning birding. Although the birding is restricted to the roadside edge here, as the main road runs through the forest, you are right up against the treeline, making the birding excellent. Starting off on the forest edge, we quickly picked up the always spectacular Black Bee-eater, while Congo Pied Hornbills floated by noisily. A group of Rufous-bellied Helmetshrike flew by in the distance, but sadly not everyone got onto them before they disappeared out of sight. Swamp Palm Bulbuls were vocal and showed well in some of the large palm trees along the river. As we moved into the forest proper, a wide range of barbets showed in quick succession, with us enjoying everything from the bland Naked-faced Barbets to the bright Yellow-spotted Barbet and large Hairy-breasted Barbet, while the dainty Red-rumped and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds were also about.

A massive group of Spotted Greenbuls kept us company for a while, numbering well over 50 birds, while a vocal Lyre-tailed Honeyguide sadly went by unseen, despite our best efforts – not unusual for this notoriously difficult-to-see species. A clearing at another river bridge gave us a flyby group of Purple-headed Starlings, along with several sunbirds, including Tiny, Blue-throated Brown and Little Green Sunbirds. A Cassin’s Malimbe also showed well, before a young African Harrier Hawk swooped in, and quietened things down a bit again. Despite Yellow-billed Turacos being rather vocal throughout the morning, we were unable to get any decent views and only saw distant and brief flight views as the birds crossed the road. The scarce Yellow-throated Cuckoo showed incredibly well however, and we even watched as it did its strange display on an exposed perch. The bird would call, angle its head straight up, and rapidly jump up and down on a branch while resuming with some excited calls. What a superb view of this scarce bird! A lovely gabonensis Black Cuckoo and Blue Malkoha also showed well, while Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo remained as a heard only species. We birded long and hard trying to find our main target, Black-headed Bee-eater, but sadly came up empty, and eventually called it in the late morning. A few opportunistic stops along the way back to Lekoni gave us some raptors like Bateleur and Red-necked Buzzard.

We had great sightings of the scarce Yellow-throated Cuckoo – and even watched as it performed its strange jumping display.

In the afternoon, we set out on foot from our accommodations to explore some of the nearby thicket habitat. Although much of it had been chopped out and burnt down in the days prior, as was evident with the recent ploughing, cutting and smoldering logs and brush piles still visible, we had a very birdy afternoon. We picked up on the likes of Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher and White-chinned Prinia almost immediately and enjoyed views of them all. The distinct croaks of a Lühder’s Bushshrike drifted in, and we headed off closer to the call, before finding a lovely pair of these birds. Here, we also found a showy Bocage’s Bushshrike and a Sharpe’s Drongo. We headed off to explore another thicket area, and enjoyed the likes of both Klaas’s and Diederik Cuckoos, alongside other more widespread species like Little Bee-eater, Woodland Kingfisher, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird and Cardinal Woodpecker, though the light was fading fast. We picked up on a calling African Broadbill, but, with the light now all but gone, had to be content with listening to the unique display of this bird. We then spent a short while enjoying a Bat Hawk flying around and chasing bats in the dim light.

Day 8, 1^st September 2024. Long transfer to Makokou

With another full travel day lined up ahead of us, we departed our accommodations early, bound eventually for Makokou, well to the north. Like the roads in all of interior Gabon, they are grim and difficult to drive and make for a long and uncomfortable day. We had a few short birding stops on the way in the morning, as we tried to find our missing Black-headed Bee-eaters. At our last stop for them, we struck gold and found a few birds close to the road. Unlike most other members of this family, this is an incredibly inconspicuous species, and it took us a short while to get the looks we wanted, but we were well rewarded with great views of this highly sought-after bird! In the area, we also picked up on others like both Afep and Western Bronze-naped Pigeons, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Black-winged Oriole, Red-eyed Puffback and a feisty party of Rufous-crowned Eremomelas. Progress was good, albeit slow, despite some vehicle issues – and we were all left somewhat baffled due to the apparent paucity of birds seen, despite the near pristine lowland forest we were driving through. We spent upwards of 8 hours driving through seemingly pristine forests and saw hardly any birds on the way. Closer to Makokou in the afternoon, we made a few more birding stops and enjoyed one particular stop at a river. Lovely White-bibbed Swallows flitted around, and a family of White-browed Forest-Flycatchers kept to the riverine trees, before we found the highly localized Gosling’s Apalis at point-blank range. We eventually rolled into Makokou with enough time for a rest, before settling in for the evening.

Not the most exciting-looking bird, this Gosling’s Apalis is a scarce, localized and sought-after special of this part of Africa.

Days 9 – 10, 2^nd – 3^rd September 2024. Birding the Ipassa-Makokou Strict Nature Reserve

The main reason for venturing up to this remote part of Gabon, is to visit the impressive forests found within the Ipassa-Makokou Strict Nature Reserve. This area is unique in that it is one of the few areas that birders can access lowland forest largely restricted to the mostly inaccessible Congo-basin – and all its scarce birds. As is always the case, forest birding can be difficult, and patience is always well rewarded. We spent two days birding within this area, and the days are discussed together below due to the similarity of the birding.

The sprawling research station grounds provide access to good forest edge birding, with many species coming right out into the open. Invariably the exposed branches at the treetops were occupied by African Green Pigeons and Piping Hornbills, while the massive Great Blue Turacos were surprisingly common and seen well and frequently in the upper canopies. Grey Parrots were delightfully common around the station and provided all of us with good views. Scarce birds like Yellow-throated and African Emerald Cuckoos were found perched high up, and we also did well to see the secretive Guinea Turaco. Red-eyed Puffbacks were commonly seen bounding around in the trees, and we also notched up others like Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet and Red-crowned Malimbe. The scrubby areas of thickets held onto shy birds like Speckled Tinkerbird, Yellow-browed and Olive-green Camaropteras, Green Hylia and Green Crombec, while some of the shaded areas delivered the sought-after White-bearded Greenbul. Moving away from the research grounds, the forests along the entrance road gave us a fine pair of Red-billed Dwarf Hornbills, while the massive White-thighed Hornbills gracefully flew low overhead. The thickets along the road produced further species like Western Nicator and the shy Yellow-lored Bristlebill, along with roving parties of Maxwell’s Black Weaver. We also did well to find the scarce Gabon Woodpecker, while others like African Piculet went by as heard only. Numbers of Square-tailed Saw-wings flitted about over any clearing. Various other forest species, including several barbets, sunbirds, greenbuls and flycatchers, were regularly encountered as well.

A fine Rufous-sided Broadbill about to launch into its display flight. We had incredible looks at this scarce forest bird.

Heading into the forest interior is the main event, and the forest bursts into life in between bouts of quiet. Groups of Spotted Greenbuls often signaled a bird wave coming through, and amongst these bird parties we picked up species like Western Oriole, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Bates’s Paradise Flycatcher, Buff-throated Apalis, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher and Cassin’s Malimbe, amongst others. Dense thickets gave up a fine Yellow-throated Nicator, while Dusky Crested Flycatcher showed briefly to only a few. A calling Chocolate-backed Kingfisher took a long while to track down (well spotted, John!), but once found, it showed remarkably well. Whilst we were painstakingly scanning for the kingfisher, we found a delightful pair of Rufous-sided Broadbills that put on an excellent show for us, before a shape flitting overhead led us to a small family group of shy Western Dwarf Hornbills. It took a little while before the birds settled, but we all eventually enjoyed good looks at these scarce birds. Indeed, the forest interior was good hornbill country, and we enjoyed further looks at the likes of Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, hulking White-thighed Hornbill and numerous Congo Pied Hornbills. A pair of Yellow-crested Woodpeckers kept to the treetops, while an ant-swarm crossing the road gave us excellent views of the shy Fire-crested Alethe and White-tailed Ant-Thrush. Forest Robin remained unseen, despite several attempts to track  this notorious skulker down, as did Brown Illadopsis. Other shy birds, like Pale-breasted Illadopsis,showed very well, while an African Dwarf Kingfisher that dashed across the road left us all wanting more. One of our other more hoped-for targets was Bare-cheeked Trogon, and we sadly had to make do with only hearing this species – the bird seemingly always one step ahead of us and remaining out of sight, despite our best efforts.

Birding in these forests is hard work, and it takes much patience and effort to track down the calling species. Our final afternoon, we settled in for a boat trip along the impressive Ipassa River. Although the birding was rather slow on the boat trip, somewhat surprisingly so, we did well, finding numerous Rock Pratincoles (including one flock that numbered roughly 100 birds!), a lone African Skimmer and some other riverine birds like African Fish Eagle, Hamerkop, Giant Kingfisher, Cassin’s Flycatcher and African Pied Wagtail. Around a wooded island we lucked onto a brief African Finfoot that soon disappeared before everyone could get onto it, and the final period with the sun going down gave us multiple Black-casqued and White-thighed Hornbills flying over the river, and a fine pair of Hartlaub’s Ducks shortly before we returned.

Just a small portion of the large Rock Pratincole flock seen on the Ipassa River.

Day 11, 4^th September 2024. Long transfer back to Libreville

With another long travel day ahead of us, although mostly on paved roads this time, we set off in the early morning, bound ultimately for the capital city, Libreville, back on the coast. We forced in a few stops along the way, firstly at a productive swamp area. The birding was good, and the trees overlooking the swamp held onto Blue-throated Roller and Splendid Starling, amongst other species we had seen already, while the water held the likes of Hartlaub’s Duck, Black Crake, African Darter and Little Grebe. We also enjoyed the most incredible views of both Sabine’s and Cassin’s Spinetails drinking right in front of us – providing excellent comparative views. The surrounding areas were also full of birds and held the likes of Swamp Palm Bulbuls, Black-and-white Mannikins, Chattering Cisticola and several wonderful Purple-headed Starlings. The roads around here also gave us looks at Scaly Spurfowl and Western Bluebill for a lucky few. We eventually had to tear ourselves away and resume the journey. We broke for lunch in Ndjole once again (as on our first drive to Lopé NP), and scanned the river from a different area, and enjoyed far better views of the sought-after Grey Pratincoles than what we had previously. We rolled into Libreville in the late afternoon, and settled in.

Day 12, 5^th September 2024. Flight to Port Gentil, and transfer to Loango National Park

Having survived the first part of the trip through the interior of Gabon, we were incredibly excited for the Loango National Park leg, and looking forward to more comfort and all the many exciting birds and mammals to come.

Delightful Rosy Bee-eaters proved to be very common around Loango.

We started the day off early, with a morning flight from Libreville down to Port Gentil. Here, we met up with our drivers and transferred by road down to Loango National Park – the roads here were in much better condition and made the driving a pleasure. A few stops on the way gave us mostly wetland birds like Caspian Tern, Squacco Heron and Pink-backed Pelican, though once we hit the beautiful coastal grasslands, we found the first of our many large Rosy Bee-eater flocks swooping about overhead. Once at the park, we booked in, before making our way over to the lovely Ndola Camp, where we had lunch and a short break. Eventually, we loaded up onto our boat and transferred deep into the park, bound for the Akaka Bush Camp, where we would spend two nights. The initial part of the boat ride was flat out, crossing the vast Iquela Lagoon, but once we turned off down the Akaka River, we slowed up and enjoyed a productive birding boat trip, all the way to the lodge. Kingfishers were bright and plentiful, with Pied, Malachite, Giant and Woodland Kingfishers all numerous and a shy Shining-blue Kingfisher seen. Some of the grassy floodplains adjacent to the otherwise forested banks held several other waterbirds like White-faced Whistling Duck, African Jacana, Yellow-billed Stork, Great Egret and Pink-backed Pelican. These open areas also gave us our first herd of African Forest Elephants. Rosy Bee-eaters were a dime a dozen, and seen almost continually along the way and we did well to locate a shy Mangrove Sunbird along the edge as well. Shortly before arriving at our camp, we noted some bee-eaters and spinetails drinking from the river in front of us, and we very quickly realized there were also several of the highly sought-after African River Martins present with them. We got some great views as they flew by right alongside us, red beaks and feet blindingly obvious, but it wasn’t until we found a perched flock of Rosy Bee-eaters that we truly saw them well – as in between the perched bee-eaters were quite a few African River Martins. Hardly believing our luck, we soaked up our views of this special bird, before going to check in at our comfortable lodge in this exquisite area.

We did very well to find the highly sought-after African River Martin on our first day in the area – with not many birds around during our trip.

Our check-in process was somewhat fragmented, as we had to carefully maneuver around the area because there were African Forest Elephants feeding in the camp. We all made it through safely and eventually started making our way back to the dining area for dinner – where we were treated to our first views of arguably the main birding attraction of the camp – the resident Vermiculated Fishing Owl. This rare bird is not only localized to remote and difficult-to-access habitat but is also notoriously hard to find and extremely shy. This beautiful camp, set in Gabon’s premier reserve, is easily the best place anywhere to locate this rare bird. Over the last few years, this rare bird has taken up roosting around the camp and is often sighted feeding from the surrounding trees – so much so that it has become slightly accustomed to people and is nowhere as shy as they generally are. It was with some disbelief that, when we came down to dinner, the bird was perched only a short distance away on the edge of the deck, totally unobstructed and unperturbed. Though it did eventually move on before everyone had come down to dinner this first evening, everyone would enjoy more views later in the night, and the following evening, leaving us all well and truly satisfied.

A rare view of a Vermiculated Fishing Owl. This must surely be the easiest spot to find this otherwise unknown and highly sought-after species!

Day 13, 6^th September 2024. Birding the swamp forests of Akaka, Loango NP

Like the Mandrills in Lopé earlier in the trip, unique to our tour amongst other birding-focused tours, we also specifically include Western (Lowland) Gorilla trekking as part of the tour. Unlike in other countries like Uganda, where many folks can trek the Eastern (Mountain) Gorillas, the group size allowed to trek the animals here is a maximum of 4 clients – which meant we had to break our trekking up over two days to accommodate our group.

The first group set off for the trekking this morning, while the rest of us went out birding – focusing first on a nearby trail running through the forest. Before we even began, watching over the river from the dining deck produced a heap of birds, with numbers of waterbirds seen commuting up and down the channel, with the likes of multiple Purple Herons being new. Massive Black-casqued Hornbills were seen flying around in the early morning, before noisy Grey Parrots started their daily commutes. The forest walk was unfortunately slow, with bird activity largely absent. While we eked out a few birds like Brown-eared Woodpecker, Shining Drongo and Red-tailed Bristlebill, it was quiet going for the most part. Shortly before we arrived back at the boat, we heard the tell-tale hooting of a Bare-cheeked Trogon, and attempted to track it down once again (we had heard it a few days prior in the Ipassa-Makokou Strict Nature Reserve), but we were quickly halted as an African Forest Elephant came walking through and we had to beat a hasty retreat, putting paid to our attempts for this bird, unfortunately. A boat cruise followed, where we explored a quiet side channel, picking up a few more new birds like African Woolly-necked Stork, a fine African Cuckoo Hawk, African Pygmy Kingfisher and a rather showy Lowland Sooty Boubou. We eventually picked up on another of our target birds, Violet-tailed Sunbird, in the surrounding vegetation. We carefully followed the bird, and it led us to its nest, where it was busily building and adding material to it. Both Reichenbach’s and Carmelite Sunbirds showed well in addition to numerous Winding Cisticolas, amongst many others. We took it easy over the midday period, awaiting the return of the gorilla trekkers, and somewhat later than expected, they eventually arrived back, regaling us with tales of their experiences and time spent with the habituated Western Gorillas of Loango.

African Forest Elephants were regularly seen in the swampy areas around Akaka camp.

With the whole group together once more, we set off on a late afternoon boat cruise, heading deeper into the park. We had another superb cruise, with birds aplenty, and excellent looks at the scarce Central African Slender-snouted Crocodile, along with both Mustached and Putty-nosed Monkeys, along with the now ubiquitous African Forest Elephants feeding out on the floodplains. We spent some time watching a fine male African Finfoot swimming down the middle of the river, right next to the boat, until he veered off into the vegetation and clambered awkwardly into some low branches to sit next to his partner – the female perched inconspicuously nearby. A hulking Goliath Heron didn’t hang around for too long and we enjoyed repeat views of many other species, including multiple Cassin’s Flycatchers and White-bibbed Swallows. We also found large flocks of Red-headed Queleas moving about in the floodplain reaches and were able to track down both Violet-tailed and Reichenbach’s Sunbirds again. At dusk, we began heading back and stopped at a particular point to witness the most incredible spectacle of thousands of Rosy Bee-eaters performing the most incredible roosting display – swirling around in tight groups as they were coming down to roost in the trees surrounding the river. As if that wasn’t enough, we enjoyed good looks at the scarce White-backed Night Heron on the way back in the spotlight, and right on cue, our friendly Vermiculated Fishing Owl was back at camp!

We spent some quality time watching a pair of African Finfoots – here, a fine male stretching his wings. The male finfoots in this area were all noticeably darker than other populations.

Day 14, 7^th September 2024. Birding up to Ndola Camp in Loango NP

The groups were reversed this morning, with those that went gorilla trekking yesterday headed birding, and those that went birding yesterday headed for the gorillas. The restaurant deck was its usual busy self this morning, with many birds up and about. We also managed to finally bring in some of the sought-after Eastern Bearded Greenbuls that we regularly heard calling right in the camp. The morning walk through the forest today was much better, with more birds out and about. Early on in the walk we hit the jackpot, when a small group of the scarce Plumed Guineafowls crossed the pathway, giving us all excellent looks – but not for very long, before they scampered off into the dark undergrowth. Red-billed Dwarf Hornbills were present once more, and we spent a long while tracking down a vocal family of Eastern Long-tailed Hornbills (formerly part of the White-crested Hornbill group) – which resulted in us finally getting excellent views. We were also able to get some better views of Yellow-billed Turacos, as they came bounding through the treetops. Eventually, we came back out the forest and gathered our things together, as we would be checking out and heading onwards to Ndola Camp. With all our bags packed in the boat, we set off to join up with the gorilla trekkers and met them as they came out the forest, flushed with success from their encounter with these Great Apes. A stop off on the way, at an island in the vast Iguela Lagoon, gave us a few of the shy Loango Weavers, and a Swamp Boubou. We eventually checked in at Ndola Camp, enjoyed our lunch and a short break, before resuming in the afternoon.

All the clients enjoyed spending time with the special Western (Lowland) Gorillas of Loango National Park. Photo © tour participant, Sue Bryan.

The afternoon would see us take a short boat ride to a landing, from where we would hop onto a safari vehicle and do a late afternoon safari drive. This was specifically done to take us through the more coastal grassland section of the park. It was a pleasure to be in this open habitat, for a change from forested areas. As we set about our drive, numbers of Long-legged Pipits and Yellow-throated Longclaws were seen walking through the short and recently burnt grasslands, while large numbers of swallows turned out to be mostly of the scarce Grey-rumped Swallows, with a few Banded Martins thrown in between. Stopping for a few close Senegal Lapwings also revealed a Kittlitz’s Plover, and shortly afterwards a fine pair of Forbes’s Plovers. Multiple Blue-breasted Bee-eaters were seen flitting about through the open habitat, and high numbers of Pectoral-patch Cisticolas were also noted. Another of our core targets was Red River Hog, and with the day running out, we did well to find not only one large family group, but two large family groups, roving about through the open areas. Although the hogs were a bit distant, we had excellent and extended views of the second large group.

A large family of Red River Hogs foraging over the plains of Loango.

Day 15, 8^th September 2024. Birding the open areas around Ndola Camp, Loango NP

Our morning started off with an early morning birding and safari drive through the open areas, straight out from the lodge this time. We did well to find a superb Black-headed Bee-eater early on, which gave us some excellent looks, and spent a while admiring some of the other species around, like Blue-spotted Wood Doves, Congo Pied Hornbills, Blue-breasted Bee-eaters and, on the large herds of Cape Buffalo, some fine Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. We scanned hard for birds we were missing, like Congo Serpent Eagle, but were not rewarded for our efforts. We called in at a Rosy Bee-eater colony and spent a long while enjoying close-up views of the birds perched in the surrounding trees, though we made sure to keep our distance from their specific nesting area. We enjoyed good scope views of the birds on the ground fixing up their nesting sites. Many species we had seen yesterday, like Forbes’s Plover and Grey-rumped Swallow, we found again today.

Following a good midday break, with lots of birds around the lodge, including Red-chested, Diederik and Klaas’s Cuckoos, Leaf-Loves and Green-headed, Reichenbach’s and Carmelite Sunbirds, we headed off for an afternoon adventure along the coast. This required a long and bumpy safari trip to a point on the beach, from where we set off on foot, and walked back to the lodge. There was little to see on the initial part of the drive, though once we set off on foot, we started picking up a few shorebirds which included everything from Grey and White-fronted Plovers, to Eurasian Whimbrel, Common Greenshank and Sanderlings. It also took a while but we eventually caught up with the tern roost at the mouth and, though the bulk of the numbers were comprised of Common Terns, we found others like Caspian, Sandwich and Black Terns, along with both of the sought-after Damara and West African Crested Terns. A large flock of African Skimmers had also gathered here and gave us fine views. The surrounding areas also delivered the likes of Western Reef Heron, Osprey, and somewhat strangely, several Malachite Kingfishers fishing on the beach.

The tiny Damara Tern was a special bird found along the coast.

Day 16, 9^th September 2024. Transfer from Loango NP back to Libreville

The penultimate day of the tour had arrived and would see us departing the lovely Ndola Camp fairly early on, bound for Omboue, where we would enjoy our final boat cruise, before eventually transferring back up to Port Gentil in time for our evening flight back to Libreville. Before we got going, we were able to enjoy a quick early morning birding walk around the lodge and surrounds. Here we made sure everyone got onto the resident Leaf-loves and also lucked out finding a nesting Square-tailed Nightjar. Eventually though, the time had come for us to load up, and we were soon back on the mainland, boarding our vehicles headed to Omboue. Once arrived, we checked in and quickly set off on our boat – which also involved a long trip out over a vast lagoon, to reach the quiet Mpivie River. This river is renowned in Gabon as being the only reliable place to find some further quality birds like White-crested Tiger Heron and Pel’s Fishing Owl.

As we set off down this small and densely forested river, numbers of Hartlaub’s Ducks were seen, and the numbers of African Finfoots around also increased dramatically. The likes of Giant Kingfisher, Cassin’s Flycatcher and White-bibbed Swallow were common, though we did enjoy several views of the jewel-like Shining-blue Kingfishers as well. Eventually, the distinct wing patterns of a White-crested Tiger Heron flashed across the river, and we stalked the bird on the bank through the vegetation. At times our views were obstructed, but we all got some good looks at this scarce bird. The owl was proving more challenging to find, and just as we were getting ready to give up and head back, we spotted a fine Pel’s Fishing Owl perched on a branch overhanding the river. Unfortunately, the bird didn’t hang around for very long and took flight deeper into the trees. We were able to track it down again, but the bird was extremely shy and soon flew off out of sight. Although we were hoping for better views, this was another important target species seen, and we high-tailed it back to Omboue. Progress was good on our return journey, and we called in at Cape Lopéz to wind up the last few hours before we had to be at the airport. Here a low-key beach walk was well enjoyed, with a number of terns and shorebirds seen again, with several hundred Damara Terns being the highlight. Our flight went smoothly, and we enjoyed our final evening dinner back at our comfortable Libreville hotel, reflecting on not only the trials and tribulations of doing a trip to Gabon, but all the many excellent and exciting birds we enjoyed on the way.

A Hartlaub’s Duck watches us from the Mpivie River.

Day 17, 10^th September 2024. Departure from Libreville

The end of the tour had arrived, and the day was set aside for departures only, with no birding plans. We enjoyed a good breakfast together, before we all went our separate ways as we departed Gabon.

I would like to thank the group for always keeping their heads up, despite the challenging conditions and difficult nature of this tour. It was this, and the fantastic group camaraderie, that made the tour the success it was. Birding was all-round good, and we enjoyed views of many rare and sought-after birds and mammals.

A view over the magnificent Loango National Park – surely Gabon’s most incredible park!

Bird List – Following IOC 14.2

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.
The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
DD = Data Deficient, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

Mammal List – Following Mammalwatching.com (Jan 2024)

Mammals ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
CR = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

Reptile List

This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.

Gabon Rare Birds and Apes

General Information

INTRODUCTION

Gabon is located in west-central Africa, lining the coast, and has long been an exciting destination for birders as much of the country is preserved and vast tracts of forest still remain. This is in part due to Gabon’s low population. It must be noted that Gabon, due to its oil wealth, is also a notoriously expensive destination, and birding tours are no different, and costs are high (even for extremely basic services and amenities at times). This high cost in Gabon is prohibitive and is one of the major reasons as to why infrastructure, especially tourism infrastructure, is virtually non-existent.

Gabon has become a safe bet in terms of west-central African birding, offering many exciting birds like Black-headed Bee-eater, Vermiculated Fishing Owl and African River Martin, along with many of the same sought-after specials as can be found in the far less safe Cameroon – and, as such, is the preferred destination of travel to this part of the world. Added to this is the fame that the luxurious Loango National Park has built up, with its incredible conservation success, especially for Western (Lowland) Gorillas. All these ultimately make Gabon a very attractive and sought-after country for ecotourism.

Our tour starts and ends in the capital city, Libreville (on the coast). There are essentially two legs to the trip, with the first involving travel around the interior of the country (to sites like Leconi, Makokou and Lope National Park). This is the “difficult” leg of the trip, with long and hard travel days and basic accommodations and amenities throughout. Most of the birding (though importantly, not all) is done in forested areas, and is thus also challenging at times. The second leg of the trip is to and within the excellent Loango National Park. Here, safari lodges ensure our comfort, and boat rides are practically a daily occurrence, with an abundance of birds and mammals to keep us occupied. Loango National Park is a truly stunning area and is the perfect way to round off this tour.

*It needs to be stressed that this is a challenging tour and is designed for more dedicated birders who are prepared to spend long days out in the field, mostly in forests, looking for rare and poorly known species. There are two important mammal activities as well, Mandrill and Western Gorilla trekking, which are included, but the bulk of this tour is birding focused. You should also expect humid conditions throughout and, especially in the interior of the country, very long and difficult travel days (on extremely poor roads).

PASSPORT AND VISA

Your passport must be valid for a period of at least six months after the date of your arrival in Gabon. Please make sure that there is at least one full empty page available in your passport. Please make sure that you also bring a photocopy of your passport, to be kept in a different location from your passport, in case of loss.

Most countries require a visa which needs to be arranged in advance. Please make sure you find out accordingly, and well in advance of your tour. Birding Ecotours can assist in providing documentation to confirm your participation on the tour, in support of your visa application. The onus is on you, as a client, to secure your visa to travel here. Kindly do liaise with us, as we are happy to assist with this process.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We require (see Birding Tours Terms and Conditions – Birding Ecotours) that you purchase trip cancellation insurance in case you have to cancel due to illness just prior to the tour departure date, to protect yourself against accidents, illness, loss of valuables, luggage etc. and travel interruptions or delays of all kinds. Allianz Travel and Generali Global Assistance are two options to consider.

SAFETY

This tour does not spend much time in large cities and we generally stay in areas which are considered safe. We recommend that you do not leave personal items of value in the vehicle while it is unattended (while the vehicle is parked at the hotel overnight, for example) – if you are ever in doubt, please check with the tour leader.

Much of Gabon is very rural, and we spend the bulk of our time in these rural areas/small villages and such. Petty theft is a risk, though most of the people we encounter are friendly.

HEALTH, PESTS AND DANGEROUS ANIMALS

While out birding on foot in some areas there could be ticks (and other biting flies and insects) around, and so it is mostly recommended to wear long trousers and especially check yourself for ticks after the day out in the field. Additionally, it is a good idea to spray your legs/trousers and particularly boots/socks with anti-tick spray/similar.

Rabies (although rare) does still exist in some areas and, although the chances of encountering rabid animals on this trip is very low, we strongly advise against touching/petting domestic animals while out in rural areas. Please consult your tour leader if you are ever unsure.

We will be visiting areas inhabited by venomous (and non-venomous) snakes although, as usual, we will be very lucky to see any. To minimize the risk of snakebites or other stings and bites (which is very low), we recommend hiking boots, jeans/long trousers, and a good dose of care, to minimize the danger.

Large mammals are present in Gabon, although they are mostly confined to the larger national parks – where we usually have park rangers with us. There is a chance we may encounter animals such as African Forest Elephants, Western Gorillas, Mandrills, Cape “Forest” Buffaloes, and many others, whilst out birding. *Note that we do have two scheduled activities, Mandrill and Western Gorilla trekking – which takes us close to these animals, under the guidance of rangers and staff that study and work with these animals. As always, our tour leaders and local guides are there to help, should any dangerous situation arise.

Please carefully read the UK Foreign Travel Advice for Gabon and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) information for travelers to Gabon (or your government’s equivalent health travel advice for Gabon). Below, we have mentioned a couple of specific items but, first and foremost, be informed with the updated information at the above links.

Required immunizations for travel to Gabon: yellow fever vaccine.

It is recommended that you are up to date with all routine vaccinations, such as Polio and Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR). Additionally, it is also recommended to get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, Meningitis, Rabies and Typhoid. Please keep in mind that if you have never had one of these illnesses, you should be inoculated at least six weeks prior to your trip for the best protection.

Malaria

We strongly recommend anti-malaria drugs for travel to Gabon. Note that as per the CDC, Chloroquine prophylaxes are not effective here. The following chemoprophylaxis are recommended: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine. Please consult your doctor.

Mosquito repellant, long trousers/jeans and long-sleeved shirts, particularly at night when malaria (Anopheles) mosquitos bite, are advised, in addition to the drugs.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Please make sure that you are covered with medical insurance in case of an emergency while on these trips. Without insurance the cost of medical care can be extremely high.

Please notify us at the time of registering for the tour of any medical conditions you think we should know about (including allergies, heart conditions, epilepsy, etc.). This will greatly help us in catering for your needs.

*Importantly, all participants will need to get a doctor’s signed authorization certificate that certifies your physical capabilities, in order to participate in the Mandrill and Gorilla trekking activities. If you do not complete this, and thus cannot participate in these activities, you will not be refunded for these items (unless arranged in advance of your tour). Birding Ecotours will issue these certificates shortly before the tour, for your doctor to complete and sign.

WATER/FOOD

We provide unlimited bottled water in the tour vehicles, and you are welcome to take water from the vehicle for the evenings, when not provided in the hotel rooms. More expensive bottled water available at restaurants is excluded from the tour cost and is for your account, but (again) you are welcome to take water from our tour vehicle whenever you want.

*While within the high-end Loango National Park, all drinks are included (except a few, but the staff will make you aware of which are included/excluded).

The bulk of our breakfasts and lunches will be enjoyed at our hotels and lodges throughout the tour. Very occasionally, packed breakfasts and packed lunches will be required. Dinners are always held at our hotels or lodges. *Meals on travel days will be more limited and often consist of basic picnic-style sandwiches/similar, eaten on the road.

Kindly note that breakfasts are usually held early in the morning (before sunrise and our birding; between 05h00-06h00). There are generally big gaps between meals (6+ hours), and bringing various snacks (such as cereal bars, trail mix etc.) is recommended.

It is also important to note that meals are simple, not very exciting, and without variety, especially on the first leg in the interior of the country, The main options are usually chicken/fish and rice. Breakfasts are often bread and eggs. Once we get to Loango National Park there are upmarket lodges, and the services and meals are of a much higher standard and the food is usually excellent.

As always, please inform us if you have any food allergies or other dietary requirements. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that these can be accommodated throughout the tour. Gabon is a rural African country with extremely limited availability (or none at all) of specialist foods (such as for gluten intolerance etc.). If you have special requirements/allergies, we kindly ask you to bring your own appropriate/replacement foods, since it is often impossible to purchase such in the country.

CURRENCY AND MONEY

The Central African Franc (CFA) is the official currency, and we recommend that you have sufficient cash in local currency to cover expenses such as drinks, tips, and other items of a personal nature (such as gifts). Credit cards are not widely accepted for payment.

We suggest you get all your local currency immediately when you arrive into Gabon – either exchanging foreign money like US Dollars or Euros at the airport, or withdrawing from an ATM  in Libreville. ATMs are uncommon, restricted to the big towns which we pass on only one or two days of the tour, and many don’t work. Note: US and Canadian Dollars and Pound Sterling cannot be used for purchases. Euros, however, are often accepted (often at an unfavorable exchange rate).

WEATHER   

It will be hot and humid throughout the tour. The maximum is often near 95⁰F/35⁰C, with high humidity. It is advisable to have some warmer clothes, as some folks may feel the need for a jersey/jacket in the evenings, and a raincoat. Although we visit towards the end of the dry season, early rain is possible. Previous tours (run during the Aug/Sep period) have experienced lots of cloud/overcast weather, mostly with no rain.

Please be aware that the high heat and humidity make this tour challenging.

ELECTRICITY

The standard voltage is 240 V. If you intend to recharge camera batteries etc. in your hotel room, you will need an international adapter. In Gabon the power plug sockets generally make use of Type C (Click here).

All our hotels/lodges have access to electricity throughout the day/night, and many have backup generators, in case of power failures or power outages. Remember, this is rural Africa, and sometimes the electricity does go out – we sadly don’t have control over this.

A good torch will be useful if you wish to join us for a night walk or drive. If you intend to join any nocturnal activities , you’d be advised to bring at least one good torch, preferably with a strong beam. All the places we stay at will have electrical outlets for chargers and laptops.

INTERNET/WIFI

Wi-Fi internet is not widely provided at the hotels and lodges throughout the tour (only provided at a few), although cellphone signal is usually good. Where available, Wi-Fi is often not accessible from your room, only in the main reception area/dining area.

Should you wish to remain connected, we advise you either:

• Purchase an eSim compatible with your phone (such as those available on AloSim.com, for example).
• Purchase a local sim card with data at the airport, on your arrival.

TRANSPORTATION & LENGTH OF DRIVES

This tour takes place in a third-world country, and roads are often narrow, potholed and very busy. Do not expect highways and quick travel between destinations.

Transportation is complex on this tour, with multiple internal flights. We will generally make use of two (or in some instances, three) 4×4 vehicles to transport the group. This is to cope with the dreadful roads, which are virtually impossible to drive on with the usual mini buses that we use on most of our other tours. These 4×4 vehicles are generally OK and mostly comfortable, but since this is rural Africa, with limited maintenance and servicing capabilities, these vehicles can be rugged.

We will spend quite a lot of time driving, as there is often a transit time to get from our hotel to the birding area. *We have three especially long travel days, where virtually the whole day will be spent driving on bad roads. A small seat cushion/back support may be useful here.

As with all our birding tours we make use of a seat rotation policy within the vehicle. This will be explained by your tour leader at the start of the tour.

Air-conditioning is available in our tour vehicles.

Some roads are dusty, so please consider bringing a scarf (or other measures) in case you are birding along an unpaved road and a car goes past putting up dust.

*Our drives within both Lopé and Loango National Parks are usually in the lodges’ open-air-style safari jeeps/vehicles, commonly used in most parts of Africa. These generally have canopies overhead but are open-sided (with no widows), and sometimes require a bit of clambering to get in/out.

*We will undertake several boat cruises (on boats of varying sizes, depending on our group), especially while in Loango National Park and Omboue. Boats are the main form of transportation in Loango and when we transit to our lodges our luggage will be with us (it is usually stored in the boat’s various compartments).

WALKING

We do quite a bit of walking on this tour – both for the birding, and the ape treks. We usually drive to a point, then get out the vehicle and walk around, birding on foot. Sometimes, we will be out for several hours at a time (especially when we are at Makokou, and birding in the Ipassa forests). Although we usually don’t walk very far, the most tiring aspect is the time spent standing/on your feet while trying for a shy, skulking bird/similar.

*There is one notable, long and difficult birding walk planned – to look for the mega Grey-headed Rockfowl. This walk is to a new site and is somewhat unknown – but it is envisioned to be multiple hours each way, covering a lot of distance. It is best to bank on this being a hard and challenging walk, through dense forest, not on dedicated trails.

There is lots of forest-birding – some of which is on interior trails, the rest of which is from roads cutting through the forest, aside from the rockfowl walk mentioned above. Sometimes, we will go off trail to track down a bird. Apart from these, all other walking for birding is not particularly “difficult” with most of the walking on level ground, or with only slight undulations.

*Aside from our birding walk, we will also have two ape treks (Mandrill and Western Gorilla). These are unknown entities, the walking can either be very easy and quick (short distance), to incredibly difficult and long (covering a large distance). Both of these occur off trails and involve much bush walking. The gorilla trek, especially, can be difficult, depending on where they are that day (they can occasionally be in swampy areas that are difficult to access, and can require walking in water (up to waist high), through vine tangles and dense forests etc.). This is why we require a signed doctor’s certificate (which will be provided – see under “Medical Conditions” above).

Participants should be able to manage these conditions and, most importantly, be comfortable on their feet for many hours at a time.

PACE OF TOUR

This is an intense and difficult tour, with long days virtually every day, and will only appeal to more dedicated birders. In addition, the birding (and travel) conditions are mostly difficult as well. The roads are bad and the birding is mostly forest-based, thus, views of birds can be obstructed and/or brief and/or poor – often leaving folks wanting more.

We will generally start the days off early, with a pre-dawn breakfast before spending the full morning birding – as we try to maximize the morning coolness, before the heat sets in. We usually return to our hotels/lodges for a lunch break (and a short siesta during the oppressive midday heat). We then typically resume in the mid/late afternoon, but note that the afternoons are usually hot. Due to the rural nature of Gabon, most of our birding sites require some driving to reach them from our hotels/lodging.

We will do a few nocturnal trips, looking for scarce owls and other birds and mammals, but these aren’t a regular/daily feature.

It is possible to opt out of some activities should you not feel up to it, but this generally isn’t possible on the days when we transit between accommodations. We don’t do much birding on our travel days in Gabon.

MANDRILL & GORILLA TREKKING

As mentioned previously in this document, these activities are included in the tour price and give unparalleled opportunities to see these rare apes. A doctor’s signed medical certificate is mandatory to take part in these. (You will be refused – and no refund issued – if you do not have this completed and signed by a doctor). We will issue these to clients shortly before the tour begins, to be filled out and signed by your doctor.

For those who have trekked Eastern (Mountain) Gorillas and Chimpanzees in East Africa (like Uganda, for example), please note that the trekking in Gabon is quite different.

• A maximum group size of four per day is allowed (therefore, our group will likely be split up over two days – those folks who are not trekking will be taken out birding, and vice versa).
• The trekking is far more “wild” than East Africa, in that there is usually considerable effort needed to locate the animals.
  • The Mandrill trekking can take a while, with lots of driving around, and radio-telemetry usually needed to locate the Mandrills, before the hiking to get to them begins.
  • The gorilla trekking, likewise is not as easy as in East Africa (where trackers spend lots of time with the various gorilla families, keeping track of exactly where they are). There is only a single group that is habituated, and they wander widely through the forests. There are occasions where they are not found that specific day (although we are then usually allowed to try again in the days following, until we have seen them).

These are exciting activities (but can include challenging walking conditions to find them), that we feel that no trip to Gabon would be complete without them.

ACCOMMODATION

The accommodation used on this tour ranges from ‘standard’ to ‘basic’ (and below the standard we use on virtually all our other tours, especially those we use on our southern/East African tours). Air-conditioning is available at most places (although it sometimes doesn’t work). En-suite bathroom facilities are available throughout the tour. *We do all we can to ensure that we stay at the best places possible. We do not stay at the very rustic Ipassa research station or basic Lekoni hotel. Our hotel in Libreville and our lodges within Loango National Park will be of a good standard and are usually rather comfortable.

Especially on the interior leg of the country, in the more basic places at Bongoville and Makokou and the very old La Lope Hotel, there are regular “issues”, such as hot water pumps not working, plug points not working, air-cons not working, and inadequate light in rooms, amongst other typical issues with rural African travel. Please bear with us in such situations – it is often not easy to fix such issues in rural countries like Gabon.

WHAT TO BRING

Clothing Casual and informal dress is fine in the hotels. Loose, lightweight, breathable field clothing works best, with a warm fleece or jacket for cooler weather/evenings. As mentioned previously, some warmer clothing is recommended, certainly a minimum of a warm fleece and a rain jacket. Rain is a possibility, so an umbrella and/or rain gear is always useful to have.

* Note that cotton clothing is not recommended, and  quick-dry nylon, linen or bamboo clothing items are usually best.

Laundry can be done at all establishments throughout the tour (at your expense) – but please note that a lead time of at least one day is needed (it is therefore not possible to get laundry done if we stay at a hotel/lodge for only a single night – but it is possible if we have two nights or longer).

Sunglasses, sunhat and sunscreen (rated SPF 30 or higher) are essential. A pair of trousers (or several) or a long skirt, and a long-sleeved shirt should be included to help protect against forest vegetation and the sun. Swimwear can be brought since there are swimming pools at some of the lodges.

We have lots of boat trips in Gabon (especially Loango National Park), but none of these are expected to be wet landing/embarkings. Sandals are usually necessary for such scenarios, since your feet may get wet.

We recommend lightweight walking boots for when out on foot, and a second pair is often useful. Please ensure that your footwear is comfortable, as much time is spent on your feet on this tour. You may consider sandals/Tevas as well, for use around the hotels/lodges, and for getting in/out of the boats.

Do not forget – BINOCULARS, prescription drugs (also bring the generic names for these drugs), toiletries, prescription glasses (and a spare pair), insect repellant, camera, flashlight, batteries (for electronic equipment and chargers for the re-chargeable batteries), plug adaptors, alarm clock, mosquito repellant, money pouch, field guide(s), a soft-sided duffle-style luggage bag is recommended (hard-sided luggage is not always ideal), daypack/backpack, and your favorite road snacks!

Key documents and cash – Passports, your travel or health insurance cards (you can send us copies to file in case of emergency), credit cards – Visa and Mastercard are best – see above, US dollars, euro or pounds can be exchanged for local currency at the airport as you arrive into the country (if you prefer not to simply draw from ATMs), cash for drinks, gifts, tips, items of a personal nature etc.

Luggage – Due to restricted space in the vehicles, please pack as lightly as possible. A medium-sized, soft-sided duffle bag (not the hard-sided cases) works best for packing in the vehicles. This allows us to better fit the bags. Please bring a daypack to keep items that you wish to use or need on a daily basis.

*Additionally, we make use of several domestic flights in Gabon, and these are usually on small aircraft with a strict one check-in bag, weighing ~40 pounds (20 kilograms) per person.

Books – We recommend purchasing a copy of “Birds of Western Africa – Second edition – Borrow, and Demey, 2014”. Also, it is always worth reading Birding Ecotours’ blog on recommended field guides.

Download Gabon: Rare Birds and Apes Information