Your Itinerary:
Day 1: UK to Libreville (Tuesday).
A day time flight with Air France via Paris to Libreville, arriving in the late afternoon. Upon arrival at Libreville International Airport, our representative will meet you and after collecting your luggage, you will be transferred to your hotel, the Le Meridien. Overnight Le Meridien Hotel, Libreville. Includes: (B).
Days 2-4: Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African (Wednesday-Friday).
In the morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and brought to the airport for your private charter flight to Bayanga, which will take approximately 2 hours. After lunch, the group will be divided into smaller groups for the program in and around the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve. Your stay at Dzanga will be for 3 nights. Activities: gorilla tracking, observing forest elephants, hiking around the Salines, net hunting with the Pygmies, music and dance with the Pygmies.
Accommodation: Doli Lodge. Constructed of wooden buildings, most raised above the ground on stilts, the lodge is located on the banks of a river. The living quarters have a terrace with view of the river and are equipped with a bathroom and a fan. This is no "great luxury", but you will find all the necessary comforts to recuperate after your activities in the Reserve.
Day 5: Flight to Omboué, Gabon (Saturday).
On Friday after lunch, the private charter plane departs, first to Douala, and then from Douala to Omboué. After a short stop in Port Gentil, you will arrive in Omboué in the late afternoon. A 20-minute boat trip will take you to Evengué, a small island just outside Loango National Park where the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project is situated. Accommodation: Evengué Lodge. 5 comfortable bungalows (one of which floating on the lagoon), each with private terrace, either facing the lagoon or set in the forest. All bungalows have their own en suite bathroom with shower, basin and toilet. The lodge has a pleasant restaurant with a veranda, lounge with comfortable couches and internet access.
Day 6: Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project and boat trip to Loango Lodge (Sunday).
In the morning, our experts of the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project will share their knowledge with you on the bush meat crisis and other reasons why gorillas are a critically endangered species, and they will give you information about the Fernan-Vaz gorilla sanctuary and reintroduction program. Afterwards one of the guides will accompany you on a short bush walk leading to the gorilla family in the sanctuary.
After visiting the gorillas, you will start the boat trip up the dark waters of the Mpivié River to Loango Lodge. This is a perfect opportunity to sit back and enjoy the breathtaking views. Monkeys, crocodiles and all kinds of birds (Hartlaub’s ducks, finfoots and fishing owls in particular) can be seen. Accommodation: Loango Lodge. Small but exclusive, Loango Lodge offers uninterrupted views of the wide tranquil river that separates the lodge area and the national park. Accommodation is traditionally decorated en-suite bungalows, each with a private terrace and most with superb views. The lodge also has a swimming pool, poolside bar, laundry service, internet facility and room service.
Days 7-8: Tassi/Akaka (Monday and Tuesday, depending on the season).
Tassi region (wet season–October to May). One of our 4x4 jeeps will take you south-west to the Tassi/Louri area. During this drive, animals such as elephants, red river hogs, buffaloes, birds and sitatunga (a swamp-dwelling antelope) can be seen. Tassi Camp is situated on the savannah, surrounded by primary and secondary forest. Take the 4x4 and visit the research camp of the Max Planck Institute in Tassi Sud. From here, the researchers go into the forest to carry out studies amongst the shy, elusive gorillas and chimpanzees.
From Tassi you can easily go on excursions to Louri, where there is a good chance of seeing buffaloes and elephants on the beach: a truly remarkable sight and characteristic of Loango National Park. On very rare occasions, even hippos can be seen. Accommodation: Tassi Savannah Camp. Tassi has 5 tents on sun decks with private bathrooms with bucket showers and toilet. Each tent has comfortable beds, chairs and a private terrace. The tents are placed far enough away from each other to ensure your privacy. The restaurant is built on a platform, which gives you fantastic views of your surroundings while having breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Akaka region (dry season: May to October). Embark on the boat for the 4-hour journey south to Akaka. During the trip you might encounter birds, elephants, buffaloes and sitatunga (swamp-dwelling antelopes), possibly even bathing in the river.
Akaka is one of the most remote parts of Loango National Park. The Akaka forests thrive with butterflies and are home to a number of rare bird species. The bush camp is situated on the riverbank in the heart of the tropical rain forest and the wetlands. At times, the wildlife, especially elephants, pass right through the camp. Akaka is a good starting point for excursions like forest walks, or trips by kayak or motorboat along the Rembo Ngowe and Rembo Echira rivers. In the dry season, the concentrations of particularly forest buffalo and forest elephant that migrate into the area are easily seen. Smaller mammals including sitatunga, red river hogs, forest duikers, five species of monkey and great apes inhabit the area all year round.
Accommodation: Akaka Bush Camp. Akaka Camp is right on the riverside. From the comfort of the thatch-covered restaurant/lounge deck the view is one over the river, papyrus swamps and distant, high forest. At times, the wildlife, and especially elephants pass right through the camp. Five dome dents are placed along a narrow forest clearing leading uphill from the river. Each tent is mounted
on a platform under a palm thatch roof, facing the forest, sleeps two, and is comfortably outfitted with its own private bathroom, toilet and bucket shower. Bamboo torches light the way to each tent at night.
Day 9: Pte. Ste. Cathérine (Wednesday).
After returning from Tassi/Akaka around lunchtime, it is time for some relaxation. In the afternoon, a 20-minute boat tour over the lagoon takes you to the Pointe Sainte Cathérine Beach Camp. This basic camp is situated at a beautiful spot on the beach in the north of Loango National Park. Beach walks, collecting shells and fishing are amongst the possibilities. You can also simply relax here, with one of the most beautiful beaches on earth all to yourself. Accommodation: Pte. Ste. Cathérine Beach Camp. The camp's five dome tents, mounted on wooden platforms and shaded with palm thatch are nestled into the coastal forest right on the beach's edge. Each tent is comfortably outfitted, has its own private bathroom with toilet and bucket shower, and sleeps two. At night bamboo torches provide gentle lighting and although there is a restaurant/lounge deck, most evenings will be a feet-in-the-sand beach barbecue affair.
Day 10: Flight to Príncipe (Thursday).
In the morning, transfer from Ste. Cathérine Beach to the airstrip at Loango, from where you will fly via Port Gentil to the island of Príncipe, arriving in the afternoon. On arrival staff from your resort will be waiting to meet you. Before dinner, you will have time to settle into your room, have a swim in the pool or the ocean, or simply to relax and enjoy a cocktail. Accommodation: Bom Bom Island Resort. Bom Bom Island Resort is a true haven of luxury and calm, offering the ultimate in comfortable and secluded accommodation. In addition to an en suite bathroom, air-conditioning and other modern amenities, each bungalow has its own veranda with wonderful views across the green palm fronds and the bay.
Bom Bom’s restaurant, bar and marina are located on a tiny islet, which can be reached by crossing the 230-meter wooden walkway. What better location for enjoying a cocktail or a choice of local as well as international delicacies than the outside deck of this restaurant, overlooking the secluded beaches, the bungalows and the marina pier. Due to the high cost of charter flights our local operator reserves the right to make a change to the program in the event that the group size is less than 6 clients. In the case, the program will be amended to include an extra night in Loango National Park. You will then leave on the Friday by a scheduled flight to São Tomé, where you will stay overnight, before continuing to Príncipe the next morning.
Days 11-12: Príncipe (Friday and Saturday).
Príncipe is a virtually undiscovered paradise in the Atlantic Ocean, a place where dense rain forests teem with exotic birds, where whales sport playfully off unspoilt, deserted beaches, where crystal-clear waterfalls cascade into azure blue ocean, and where people are friendly and happy to meet you. During these two days on Príncipe, you will have the time to relax, swim, fish or turn adventurous. Accommodation: Bom Bom Island Resort.
Day 13: Flight to Libreville and connection to UK (Sunday).
In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport for a flight via São Tomé to Libreville. On arrival in Libreville you will be required to complete check-in formalities for your flight to Europe. Traveling overnight with Air France via Paris, you will arrive in the UK the following day.
Day 14: Arrive UK. Morning arrival on the connecting Air France flight from Paris.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Group tours:
- 28 July 2009 to 10 August 2009: £7,500
- 25 August 2009 to 7 September 2009: £,7500
- 15 December 2009 to 28 December 2009: £7,500.
Price Includes:
- Transfer between the airport and hotel on Principe
- All meals in Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Loango National
Park and on Príncipe
- All excursions and non-alcoholic drinks during the excursions
in Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Loango National Park and at Bom Bom Island Resort
- Room tax on Principe
- Visa cost for Central African Republic
- Domestic and regional flights during the program, including taxes.
Price Excludes:
- Travel Insurance
- All drinks (except during the excursions)
- Dinner in Libreville
- Visa fees for Gabon and Principe
- Single Supplement: £750.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Gabon
Central African Republic
Nature & Wildlife
Wildlife Viewing
Camping
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