These are the best places to travel this summer

Gabon

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

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Western lowland gorilla sitting in a palmtree

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Overview

With an impressive 11.25% of the country proclaimed as national parkland, Gabon offers a spectacular array of wildlife in its dense rainforests and open savannah to enthrall nature enthusiasts. Add to that superb white-sand beaches, rushing rivers and ethereal landscapes, and you have an Eden-like travel experience in an unexplored part of Africa.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Lopé National Park

    Gabon

    One of the most accessible of Gabon's national parks, Lopé offers rainforest and savannah teeming with apes, elephants and birds. Covering 4970 sq km, it…

  • Loango National Park

    Gabon

    Coastline and estuary, savannah and rainforest make for a diverse array of animals and birds in this superb park. There's always something to see:…

  • Pongara National Park

    Gabon

    Wonderful lodges, beautiful beaches and a wealth of animals makes Pongara the perfect escape from Libreville. Lodges provide excursions to see the…

  • Mayumba National Park

    Gabon

    This marine park is the domain of barnacled whales and shy sea turtles, and the land, if you listen to the locals, is hushed by the spirits of ancestors…

  • A female Sitatunga, Tragelaphus spekii, runs through the Langoue River while another watches warily in the background. Langoue Bai. Ivindo National Park, Gabon.

    Ivindo National Park

    Gabon

    This 3000-sq-km national park provides the rare opportunity to view forest animals undisturbed in their own environment. The best location to do this is…

  • Minkébé National Park

    Gabon

    The largest of Gabon's parks at 7000 sq km, Minkébé is the greatest refuge for elephants in the Congo Basin; there are said to be 30,000 individuals. You…

  • Batéké Plateaux National Park

    Gabon

    Vast swathes of savannah cover 2050 sq km and reach heights of 860m. The land is almost desertlike and erosion has caused canyons to form (known as…

  • Waka National Park

    Gabon

    Waka contains ancient savannah dating back 40,000 years and forests known as a Pleistocene refuge, meaning it is of great importance as habitat for flora…

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