Introduction

With a vast sprawl of virgin rainforests and teeming wildlife, Gabon is The Ghost Who Walks territory. Its major cities, however, are a sophisticated bustle of glitz, lights, and casinos. Gabon offers a little of everything to just about everyone.

It's not high on the list of most travellers' itinerary because visas come tied in a mile of red tape and day-to-day expenses, especially in Libreville, are mind-blowingly expensive. But if you can overcome these drawbacks Gabon is worth a visit.

The combination of Texan-tea money and French influence has unfortunately all but destroyed traditional Gabonese culture, but it's still worth passing through if you're taking the western coastal route north or south. Inland it's a different story; despite its wealth, Gabon's roads are not in the best of conditions and once you get off the main roads and railways, getting around is a hard slog.

When to Go

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

Events

The biggest celebration of the year is the three-day Independence Day bash in August, with festivities more evident in the towns and villages than in Libreville. Muslims in Gabon celebrate the major Islamic holidays, including Ramadan, a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan with a feast, beginning on the evening of the 30th day. The centre of attention is usually a roasted sheep or goat. Also known as Eid al-Adha or the Great Feast, Tabaski is the most important celebration for Muslims in Gabon. They kill a sheep to commemorate the moment when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son in obedience to God's command, only to have God intercede at the last moment and substitute a ram instead.

Comfortable travel in Gabon is limited to Libreville and a handful of other places. You could spend US$300 a day or more if you tried, but the top-end hotels and restaurants in Libreville are notoriously overpriced, so you'd hardly get your money's worth. Moderate travel will run closer to US$50-100 a day, though you can get by for less if you pick your accommodation with care, do some self-catering and don't crisscross the country in a 1st-class cabin. Budget travellers can squeak by for well under US$50 a day if they stick to cheap resthouses and restaurants.

The commissions for changing travellers cheques at banks in Gabon can be punitive - make inquiries before you change. Cash has the edge. There are banks in the largest towns, but many of them refuse to change money or travellers' cheques other than those denominated in euros or CFA francs.

Expect to tip between 10% and 15% unless the service charge has already been added to your bill.

With its big ocean-view hotels, office buildings, wide highways, fancy shops and cavalcades of taxis, Libreville looks more like a Miami Beach in the making than a major African city. Just to prove the point, its prices are big-time cosmopolitan as well: Libreville is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Every creature comfort is close to hand, but be prepared to pay for them.

There's no lack of nightlife, either: the African quarters are full of fairly cheap places to eat and drink. They're easy to get to, not half as dangerous or rough as some other African capitals, and the hard-partying locals are always up for a beer or two. Be warned though: The Gabonese are the world's 20th-largest consumer of French champagne, don't mind a tipple or ten of anything and have enormous stamina. What may be a ragged night out on the tiles for you may be just a normal day for them.

The Musée des Arts et Traditions is one of the best in Central Africa and definitely worth a visit as long as you can find it. It's poorly marked but is next to the Elf Gabon building in town. The Fang, Téké and Mitsogho masks are some of the best examples around, and are complemented by the wonderful collection of small carved harps, baskets and an authentic Mitsogho temple. The lively guide is an added bonus to the tour, but relies on well-earnt tips from the punters.

L'Eglise St-Michel is a landmark church because of its 31 unusual wooden columns, carved by a blind Gabonese craftsman, each with a biblical scene. Equally interesting is the choir, which is accompanied by drums and balafons. The vibrant Marché du Mont-Bouët, about a kilometre east of the city centre compares favourably with the best markets in the region.

The Palais Présidentiel overlooks the heart of town and is as much Bongo's paean to Western culture as it is to Gabon might. It was built during the heady days of the 1970s boom at a cost of US$800 million. This paid for the imported Italian marble and Greek columns. Unfortunately photographs are forbidden, and visitors aren't allowed inside.

If it's deserted beaches you're after, then you've only got a choice of two: Pointe-Dénis and Ekwata Beach. Both are on the northern end of the peninsula on the southern side of the Estuaire du Gabon. Except for a fisher or two, both beaches are blissfully deserted and have the lay-back charm of a sleepy backwater. When the beachy theme gets too much, you can wander around the nearby forests, or get a bite to eat, listen to music and sink a few at the local bars in the fishing villages nearby. You can camp or stay at one of the chalets at Pointe-Dénis. Outboard canoes leave for both beaches from Port Môle and run on erratic schedules.

The airport is several kilometres north of town.The seaport and railway terminal are in Owendo, 10km (6mi) south of central Libreville. Taxis are available, though if you walk from the airport to the main drag your fare will be cut in half. There are private red and white minibuses cruising all the major thoroughfares. Rental cars are hugely expensive and often restricted to use in and around Libreville.

Gabon's third-largest city is built on an island in the middle of the Ogooué River. The big attraction is the Schweitzer Hospital, about 8km (5mi) from town. The hospital is still fully functioning. Albert Schweitzer's office, home, library, laboratory and treatment centre are still there, though deteriorating. Part of the hospital is a museum, and guided tours are available.

From Lambaréné, you can take a pirogue into the lake region, where hippos and other wildlife can be seen (especially during the dry season). Lac Evaro is the most popular of the lakes. Lambaréné is around 200km (125mi) south-east of Libreville.

Lastoursville is located on the southern banks of the Ogooué River, with rolling hills all around. Once a boomtown during construction of the Transgabonais, Lozo (as the locals call it) is now pretty sleepy, offering good restaurants and inexpensive accommodation. The main attractions are all outside of town, including hikes to the Boundji Waterfalls or the caves about an hour's walk from the centre. Lastoursville is about 400km (250mi) east of Libreville, on the Transgabonais.

Port-Gentil is an oil town, built on an island (Ile de Mandji) at the mouth of the Ogooué River. The northern point of the island, Cap Lopez, is flooded with expatriates, top-end hotels and the only decent beach. Port-Gentil has more restaurants, nightclubs and stores per capita than any other African city and has expanded to include a casino and a decent hospital. The African quartiers are cheaper than the top-end of town and offers a host of inexpensive restaurants, bars and clubs that are as lively and interesting as those in Libreville and even safer to visit.

Port-Gentil is about 200km (125mi) south-west of Libreville. The only way to get there is by air or water. There are flights from Libreville, a ferry between Port-Gentil and the capital, or a riverboat, which you can catch in Lambaréné or Ndjolé.

The easiest wildlife reserve to get to is Réserve de la Lopé. This is the best place in the country to see wildlife, but you need your own vehicle to explore the park - you're not allowed in on foot and budget travellers are not well catered for (camping is not allowed inside the park).

Established in 1982, the park consists of open savannah and small but dense forests beside the riverbeds. Except during the rainy season, the animals tend to favour the dense forest and you won't see much other than buffalo. The reserve is about 200km (125mi) east of Libreville and borders both the road and the Transgabonais railway line.

Iguéla is a good place for a spot of fishing and is home to a fine wildlife reserve where forest elephants, buffalos, warthogs, crocodiles, monkeys, lowland gorillas and many species of birds hang out. The best time to go is between April and October when the weather is drier and travelling around the reserve is easier. The reserve is 300km (185mi) south of Libreville. There are flights between Libreville and Omboué, a few kilometres north of Iguéla. During dry spells you can sometimes get to Omboué and Iguéla from the Lambaréné-Louila road.

Makokou and the surrounding area is one of the prettiest spots in Gabon, with rainforests and beautiful mountains. The city centre is compact but the town is surprisingly sprawling. Many Pygmies still live in this part of the country, though their camps are scattered throughout the forests and are difficult to get to. For a small adventure, you could hire a pirogue and head for Les Chutes de Loa-Loa, 10km (6mi) away on the Ivindo River.

Gabon's forests in this area still harbour great numbers of forest elephants and a myriad of other species, but this area is still unprotected and accessible only by canoe. For a truly major adventure, consider hiring a pirogue and guides to take you northward up the Nouna River. The river is literally filled with forest elephants. Bold, chattering monkeys race through the treetops, and in the evening you're likely to be entertained by throngs of parrots. You may even see bands of lowland gorillas.

Makokou is 610km (380mi) east of Libreville. The easiest and fastest way to get there is to fly. There are also minibuses every day between Makokou and Booué, which is reachable on the Transgabonais.

Oyem is in cocoa country and Fang territory. It's the largest city in the north, with many amenities and places to eat and drink. You'll find lots of Muslim Hausa traders in the city's two markets and no less than three mosques scattered over town catering to them. For some real exercise you could try climbing Mont Nkoum, 32km (20mi) away; you'll recognise it by the giant metal cross planted on top of it. Oyem is about 300km (185mi) north-east of Libreville and accessible by plane from the capital or minibus from Bitam (to the north) or Mitzic (to the south). It takes most of the day to get there from the capital.

Activities

In addition to being good exercise, cycling is a good way to get around. Cyclists tend to make contact with locals much more easily than do other travellers. And of course you see a lot more of the countryside. The best time to try it is during the dry season, when pedalling will be easier and drivers stand a better chance of staying in control of their vehicles.

Football (soccer) is extremely popular in Gabon, as it is throughout the region. Pickup games in villages, universities and municipal stadiums are generally easy to get in. Basketball is also popular, and foreigners are usually welcomed into games.

Squash is popular in the capital and in Port-Gentil. You'll find tennis courts and swimming pools in Libreville and other large towns. Beaches at the larger hotels in the capital and at Port-Gentil offer decent sands, and some of them will rent you a sailboard. There's also some decent diving to be had near the capital.

There's some good hiking in Gabon. You can climb to the top of Mont Nkoum, near Oyem, or around the Boundji Waterfalls outside of Lastoursville. You can also go caving near Limbenga.

History

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

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

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

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

In 1960, Leo M'Ba was elected as the first president of the new republic of Gabon and survived a mid-60s coup to remain in office until his death from natural causes in 1967. This was no mean feat given that presidents of other African countries tend to be elected at the pull of a trigger and deposed in much the same way. His successor, the diminutive Albert-Bernard Bongo, made Gabon a one-party state and then converted to Islam, becoming El Hadj Omar Bongo. His appointment fortuitously coincided with the processing of manganese and uranium deposits and a bullish run on oil prices. This ushered in the 'Gabonese Miracle', a decade of untold wealth, champagne and caviar lifestyles, and a spendthrift's mentality. In the year that oil prices peaked, Gabon hosted a summit for the Organisation of African Unity to the staggering tune of US$1 billion.

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

While Gabon continues to grapple with such issues as substandard health care and schools, Bongo has allegedly used his country's oil riches to purchase large amounts of real estate in Paris. The citizens of Gabon, however, continue to show strong support for their leader, at least in theory. In practice, the elections of December 2001 were boycotted by the opposition on account of alleged irregularities by the National Election Commission. An outbreak of the deadliny Ebola virus was reported on the border with Congo at Mekambo in January, 2002, and accusations persist of a child-trafficking racket from Nigeria to Gabon.

Culture

Gabonese are almost exclusively of Bantu descent but are subdivided into ten large ethnic groups. The largest of these is the Fang, who hail primarily from the north and north-east. The Mbédé (which also includes the Téké and the Mbété) are from the southeast, and the Eshira from the southwestern areas. Most of the coastal areas are the province of the Myéné people.

On paper, somewhere between 65% and 75% of the population are true to the one holy apostolic church, but traditional religions and animism remain strong influences. Consequently Catholicism in Gabon is more a matter of regional sensibilities than papal bull. About 1% of the population are Muslim, an extraordinarily low number for an African country

Although French is the official lingua franca, over half the population also speak the African language of Fang. You will also hear Bapunu spoken in the south, and Bandgabi in the east and south, around Franceville.

Gabon is particularly noted for its woodcarvings and masks. The former gave visiting missionaries palpitations when they first set eyes on them, and the exquisite but sensual forms of the statues, with their emphasis on the fleshy tones of the human body, does suggest an earthiness at odds with Protestant and Catholic chastity. It's little wonder that they were banned as pagan idols by these buttoned-down proselytisers.

Fang masks, like other African masks, have enormous significance in rituals designed to keep in touch with the world of the dead. Traditionally every aspect of the mask, from the selection of the wood to its creation, was overseen by a priest. These rituals were of prime importance. At completion, the mask developed enormous occult powers and was a concrete expression of the abstract world of the spirits. Sloppy attention to ritual details could spell death and disaster. Today these masks are valued for their artistic merit - both Picasso and Matisse were influenced by Fang masks - although the whiff of occult powers still hangs around them. The Gabonese art of mask making has been lost and the only place you can see them today is in the museum.

Traditional Gabonese fare is not always easy to find; most restaurants offer generic type meals. You'll know the real stuff by the presence of manioc paste (or rice) served in a spicey sauce alongside a selection of bush meat such as antilope (antelope), porcpic (porcupine), singe (monkey), sanglier (wild boar), and boa (snake).

Environment

Lying flush on the west coast of Africa and straddling the equator, Gabon is about half the size of France and a hundred times more fertile. It's bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the north-west, Cameroon to the north, and Congo (Brazzaville) to the east and south.

Gabon's coastal strip rises in an ascending arpeggio of plateaus until it reaches the interior where the mountains peaks at over 1500m (4920ft). Nearly three-quarters of the country (one of the highest rates in Africa) is covered in tropical rainforests with only one minuscule percent falling under the agricultural axe. This unfettered lushness and the deep river valleys that dissect the country make getting around a challenge. The major artery of Gabon, the Ogooué River, almost cuts the country in half as it passes through Franceville and Lambaréné and rushes toward the Atlantic Ocean. At the mouth of the river is Port-Gentil, the heartbeat of Gabon's lucrative oil industry, which pans out into the filigreed coastline with its miles of breathtaking but almost inaccessible estuaries. Vast wetlands stretch inland from the coast.

Gabon is principally known for its tropical rainforests but also has coastal woodland areas and open savannah grasslands where the coastal plains meet the forests. Within the rainforests there is an encyclopedic range of flora from the climbing palms, rubber vines, and liana of cartoon jungles to hardwood trees like purpleheart, ebony and mahogany. The hardwoods, including the okoumé (unique to central Africa) and Ozigo tree, represent cash crops of significant value.

Both the floor and the roof of the rainforests are alive with animals: snakes, vipers and pythons slither around hunting for field mice, insects and small animals that just ran out of luck; hedgehogs, porcupines and tortoises lumber around the forest floor; squirrels, monkeys, baboons, lemurs, toucans and African parrots occupy the trees; crocodiles and hippopotamuses claim the river banks; big game animals - antelopes, buffaloes and elephants roam the grasslands; and even gorillas, endangered in most other parts of Africa, are so numerous in Gabon they've become an environmental nuisance. Despite the plethora of wildlife, actually getting a glimpse of them is another thing altogether. The growth is so dense that many parts of the rainforest are inaccessible.

The climate is hot - the average daily high is 31°C (88°F) in April and rarely dips below 27°C (81°F) any other time of the year. It's also extremely muggy most of the year. The dry season extends from May to September, with a short dry spell in mid-December.

Getting There & Away

Outside of Africa, travellers from Europe have the best air access to Gabon. There are direct flights to Libreville from Brussels, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Geneva. Most travellers consider Air Gabon to be one of the three or four best African airlines serving Central and West Africa. There is no departure tax.

You can take the train from Brazzaville to Mbinda, make the hop to Franceville via a series of bush taxis, then take the Transgabonais to Libreville; the total trip should take a minimum of six days. The other border crossing between Gabon and the Congo involves a string of trucks and bush taxis running from Loubomo, Congo, through Doussala to N'Dendé it's about two days from N'Dendé to Libreville. The stretch between Loubomo and Brazzaville is normally done by train and takes about six days.

Travelling by bush taxis and minibuses between Youndé, Cameroon, and Libreville takes about three days. The crossing is between Bitam and Ambam. Coming from Cameroon, you absolutely must get an entry stamp in Bitam from immigration. The standard fine for infractions is over US$60.

The Libreville-Bata (Equatorial Guinea) route is via the town of Cocobeach, where (if you're going north) you should spend the night as accommodation is a problem until you get to Mbini or Bata. The leg between Libreville and Cocobeach is two and a half hours by pickup. Getting between Cocobeach and Acalayong involves taking a pirogue (motorised dugout canoe) across the Estuaire du Muni. The pirogues leave when full and take about four and a half hours to cross. You'll be charged an 'exit fee' of around US$10 at Cocobeach and a similar 'entry fee' at Cogo, but the latter fee is negotiable. There are pickups from Acalayong to Mbini and there are others from there to Bata.

There are occasional freight boats that ply between Libreville and Douala that may take passengers. Fares are negotiable, but don't expect any comforts and bring your own food and drink. Enquire at Port Môle (the old port) in Libreville about the possibility. The Solmar II sails between Libreville and São Tomé on a fairly regular schedule; the one-way fare is under US$100.

Getting Around

The fastest way to get around is via Air Gabon, which flies between Libreville and Lambaréné, Port-Gentil, Franceville and other major towns. The frequency varies from daily to three times a week.

The Transgabonais train runs four times a week between Owendo (a few kilometres south of Libreville) and Franceville via Booué and Lastoursville, and is very efficient and punctual. Libreville's railway station is in Owendo, about 10km (6mi) south of the city centre. Most stations along the route are way out of town, and taxis may charge outrageous prices. Unfortunately, there is often no alternative.

Minibuses are more popular than bush taxis, but both are very expensive and service varies greatly from one vehicle (and one trip) to another. Minibuses go in all directions, but the number of people travelling is relatively small, so don't expect much choice of vehicle, even from Libreville. And, when travelling between Libreville and Franceville, 2nd class on the train is as cheap as a minibus.

During the rainy season, bush taxis can be rather dangerous as the roads become very slippery. Moreover, some of the drivers are maniacs, and stopping several times along the way for a drink is a common practice. Most drivers are sober, but if yours gets drunk, catch the next car.

There are several boats that plough between Libreville and Port-Gentil almost every day. The fastest takes about four hours one way; slower boats take from five to eight hours. Once or twice a week, there are boats plying the Ogooué River between Port-Gentil and Lambaréné the fastest takes about ten hours, though there are some that take a day or more and make several stops along the way; some go on to Ndjolé.

Driving is the least desirable way to get around Gabon. There are very few paved roads, and despite being well-maintained the dirt roads are alternatively slippery or sticky during the long rainy season. Come prepared for all eventualities (you'll want a strong rope or cable). The Libreville-Lambaréné road is paved for two-thirds of the distance. You cannot drive from Libreville to Port-Gentil. There are several major car rental agencies in Libreville; rates are astronomical. You'll need an International Driver's Licence; driving is done on the right.