The rare and exotic tropical beauty of Africa is no more evident than in Gabon. Its vast picturesque coastline to the west on the Atlantic Ocean straddles the equator. Gabon’s landmass is largely covered (70%) by wildlife rich forests. The country also has an abundance of fish species, reptiles and marine mammals in its inland and coastal waters. Its population of less than 1.5 million has enjoyed long lasting political stability, and more prosperity than most countries on the African continent.

In 2002, the Gabonese government developed a vision called the “Green Gabon”. The purpose was to develop “tourism of quality, which respects nature and men and resolutely follows the path of ecotourism”. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in cooperation with tourism and local communities are strongly involved in promoting this vision. WWF is preserving biodiversity and nature to ensure that tourism expansion will be controlled, to minimise negative short and long term impact on the environment.

With this approach, it’s hardly surprising that nature conservation and Gabon’s 13 national parks feature strongly as tourist attractions. The top 4 parks must be mentioned: Loango National Park protects diverse coastal habitat. Ivindo National Park is bisected by the equator and it contains one of the five most important forest clearings in Africa. Reserve de la Lope is its most popular and accessible wildlife reserve. Pongara National Park along the Komo estuary and the Atlantic Ocean beautiful beaches where thousands of turtles nest every year.

Popular cities with a variety of cultural attractions include Libreville, Gabon’s capitol, Point Denis, and Port Gentil. E.g. you’ll find the Museum of Art and Culture and L’Eglise St-Michel Libreville in.