Exploring Gabon’s Remote Jungles and Wild Shores

Exploring the Remote Corners of a West African Secret

Traversing the West Coast of Africa requires visiting a minimum of twelve countries, and optionally up to twenty-four. There are many reasons to skip certain countries—safety, weather, visa issues and even Ebola outbreaks closing borders. More simply, sometimes a country is skipped simply due to a lack of interest.

On the coast and straddling the Equator lies the small and often overlooked country of Gabon. Gabon seems to be one of those countries that is skipped due to a lack of interest. Virtually no one explores the remote corners, and there is almost no information about what can be found when venturing deep into the dense jungles the country has in spades.

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The mighty rainy season is forecast to start during my visit, and my now battered and torn Michelin map shows only the main North/South highway is paved. All other roads appear to be dirt tracks though dense jungle. Gabon’s population is so low there are only sixteen people per square mile, making it one of the least densely populated countries in the world. (In comparison, the U.S. has over 87 people per square mile, according to the 2010 census.) The vast majority of the country is wild and untouched, and it is mostly set aside as protected parks and wildlife reserves.

What will I find if I venture to the remote corners? Are the roads even passable in the wet season? Will I find enough food, gas and supplies to make it through on my intended route?

There really is only one way to find out, and so I dive in, not really knowing what to expect.

Around Lopé National Park

For the second time in my life, very far from home, I drive my Jeep across the mighty line on the earth—the Equator. Years ago I drove across in Ecuador, and I am grinning like mad thinking about where I will be next time I manage it. Soon after, I turn off the major North/South highway and aim for Lopé National Park.

National Parks in Gabon have been setup exclusively as a playground for rich foreigners, with prices around $500 per day for entry and accommodation. Because of that, I am not so set on actually visiting the park, but more on the adventure and beauty along the way. Immediately when small grassy mountains rise all around, I know I made the right decision. The dirt road winds along the shore of the monster Ogooue River, at times cutting through jungle, open plains, forests and grasslands. At night, I simply find a clearing off the road to setup camp. After three days and hundreds of miles, I have seen only two other vehicles.

“In the morning, we hike for many hours through the jungle, always alert for animal signs. When we finally catch up with the gorillas, I am speechless.“

Dan crossing The Ecuator for the second time on his expedition. Previously in Ecuador, his next time will likely be in Kenya.

After a jaw-dropping sunset I am treated to the best lightning show of my entire life. At first many miles away, the wall of lightning slowly moves towards me, perched high on a bluff. While sitting outside transfixed by the light show, I hear the trumpet of a wild elephant making my hair stand on end. Later when the torrential downpour begins, water pours off the front corners of the Jeep pop-up roof creating a virtual river. The lightening is now directly overhead, so close the thunder and lighting are instantaneous, and I feel each boom deep in my chest.

The fancy lodge at Lopé is well outside my budget, and the manager suggests I find a man who might be able to help me search for gorillas deep in the park. At a military roadblock on the edge of town I meet Ghislain, and together we come up with a budget-friendly way to hopefully find the gorillas.

Handmade bridges like this are a way of life in Gabon and can certainly be stressful. Grec takes comfort when he sees overloaded Land Cruisers crossing them, which are probably heavier than his Jeep.

I pay a small fee to the local community before heading into the heart of the park on miles of seriously overgrown jungle trail. Our destination, a long abandoned gorilla research station where Ghislain worked as an animal tracker, is where I setup camp for the night. In the morning, we hike for many hours through the jungle, always alert for animal signs. When we finally catch up with the gorillas, I am speechless. The female, clinging to a tree watching us, is enormous and her facial expressions are shockingly human-like.

On the hike back, we hear an elephant loudly calling out, less than 500 yards away. We both freeze and listen carefully, before Ghislain explains this is a very bad situation. Based on how the elephant is calling, he thinks it must be injured or distressed and we absolutely must not approach any closer. Each time the elephant trumpets, my hair stands on end and I am frozen in place. Even for a little forest elephant he sounds mighty, and I have no interest in tangling with him.

This guy was extremely happy to start the siphon by sucking on the hose – and to charge double the regular price.

Troubling Times for Gabon

Recently Gabon held a presidential election, which was marred in controversy. West African countries are not renowned for their peaceful elections, and it’s generally best to avoid them altogether. For 50 straight years, only two men have ruled Gabon, a father and son duo wildly believed to be bleeding money from the country.

Recently, eight of nine states in the country voted in a new leader, but shockingly the President’s home state turned the tide and pushed him over the line to victory. Amazingly, voter turnout in his home province was 99.9 percent (The national average was 59 percent) and 95 percent of the state voted for the President. The total number of votes cast in this crucial province was thousands more than its actual population—completely impossible.

Wild campsites like the above have become a way of life. Within a month in the country, Grec did not pay for camping or accommodations once.

The election itself was peaceful, orderly and even open to international observers. Shockingly, after these questionable results, the incumbent was announced the winner. With the President in control of military forces there was not a lot the citizens could do about it. Burning cars, rioting and general unrest were met with closed borders and the Internet being cut off so the outside world could not learn what was happening. Mr. Bongo is now officially president until 2025.

Now a few months later, life has returned to normal. Locals shrug and get on with it, accepting voter fraud as part of life.

Dropping into mud pits can be unnerving, never knowing how deep they are. This kind man waded into one to show it would be no problem.

Jeep Wear and Tear

Often in West Africa, I find myself on paved roads that I wish were not paved. Years of massively overloaded trucks have destroyed the surface, leaving an endless series of first gear potholes. At one pothole stretching right across the road, a truck flicks a monster rock into the windshield of the Jeep, cracking it badly. The rock does not come all the way through, but it does come extremely close. Tiny shards of glass cover me, the dash and the front passenger seat. Happily, I am wearing my sunglasses and can brush everything off.

Where the rock actually hit is now soft when I push on it, and I am sure rain will come straight in. I am thousands of miles from any Jeep parts, so there is nothing I can do about it. Hopefully tape will keep out the worst of the rain. To add insult to the injury I find a flat tire while doing my morning walk around the Jeep. A screw was buried deep in the tread, and I have no trouble plugging the hole and airing up with my onboard compressor.

Everyone I talk to in Gabon is shocked the rains have not yet started, and they are desperately waiting for them to begin. It should have been thumping every day for a month, I am told, and I am fully aware it is just a matter of time. When the rain does finally come, it is monumental and small puddles quickly turn into deep water holes and moving rivers. I squirm every time the front end of the Jeep drops into each hole, wondering when I will bottom. Two or three are right at the level of the hood, making me extremely thankful for my snorkel.

“In this extremely wild and untouched landscape, elephants are also frequently spotted on the beach and swimming in the ocean.”

Although only a small forest elephant, he is much bigger and heavier than the Jeep. This photo was taken through the front window, less than ten yards away.

To the Coast

Wedged against the South Atlantic Ocean, Loango National Park hit international headlines when wild hippos were seen playing in the ocean and actually surfing in the waves. In this extremely wild and untouched landscape, elephants are also frequently spotted on the beach and swimming in the ocean. Both of these occurrences are extremely rare on the entire planet, and so I set my sights on visiting the area.

Simply getting there turns into an adventure in itself—all my maps and GPS show many blanks and small tracks that lead nowhere. Guidebooks and locals mention roads under construction, though nothing is certain. In my usual fashion, I stop in every small village to ask directions, and fumble my way along, in no particular hurry. Eventually, I come to a guarded gate, which turns out to be the entrance to an active Shell oil field. The security guards are extremely friendly, and it is no problem to call up an escort vehicle to take me across. On the far side, the driver is happy to give directions, which I sort of understand in French.

Bushmeat is frequently for sale on the side of the road. Unfortunately, locals even eat monkey—one of the main ways to catch Ebola. This one was $15.

Again, I camp on the side of the road wherever I can find a pull out, and I know I am getting close when the track turns to deeply rutted beach sand. On a brilliantly sunny day, I break out of the thick jungle onto a spectacular beach and immediately setup camp. I have the entire place to myself and once again enjoy a spectacular sunset before a quick swim in the warm water.

With my auxiliary tank I have a total range of about 600 miles, and have had no problem finding gas at every station so far. Gabon is deceptively big, with towns extremely few and far between. After hundreds of miles heading into Loango on sand, dirt and mud, I start to wonder if I will have enough gas to get back out. In every village in West Africa, there are always small bottles of gas for sale on the side of the road, usually in Coca-Cola bottles.

For the first time on the expedition, I fill up from a guy on the side of the road. The gas looks very clear, though I think it smells more like paint thinner than gasoline. Before I can get out my super syphon, the friendly guy starts the transfer by directly sucking on the hose.

“This is a surprisingly large country with huge tracts of untouched wilderness, providing unlimited opportunities for exploration.”

Standing in waist-deep water while holding a crying baby crocodile is not considered wise, but it’s hard to pass up the opportunity.

Around Loango National Park

Loango Lodge is an extremely high end lodge for foreigners, and luckily the manager is extremely friendly, and loves my journey so much he insists I camp directly on the lawn. The following day the manager and I catch a small boat into the park proper, and over the afternoon we spot many elephants, including babies, right down on the beach sand.

In the evening, we head out on a boat tour in the pitch black, and I am stunned when a local jumps into the waist-deep water to snatch up a baby crocodile in his bare hands. When the baby starts crying for its mom, I get very uncomfortable, wondering where momma actually is. The guide assures me no local has ever been attacked by a crocodile here, though I am certain he is really pushing his luck!

On the return journey, I cross the oil field in a different direction, hoping to catch a Shell-operated ferry I have been told about. The hundred miles or so is breathtaking, winding up and over small mountains, thick jungle and occasionally open grassland. Around a corner I am startled to see a huge elephant almost on the road. I stop and stare, not really believing he is right in front of me while he stares right back. Years ago when I dreamed of Africa, this is what I dreamed of!

In the morning, I am disappointed to learn I will not be permitted to catch the ferry today. I needed to submit a written request a week ago, and though the captain tries to help as much as possible, there is just no way I can be allowed on. All the other drivers and the captain are extremely kind, and even offer to give me food, water and gas to make sure I have enough for the return trip, which I decline, extremely thankful.

Unplanned Adventure

On my last night in Gabon, I feel as if I have just barely scratched the surface over the last month. This is a surprisingly large country with huge tracts of untouched wilderness, providing unlimited opportunities for exploration. Locals are extremely friendly and laid back, always quick to smile and shake hands. Gabon’s spectacular wildlife, wilderness and national parks stand out as a highlight from all of West Africa.

Once again, I am extremely happy I turned off the main road and explored off the beaten path. I wave goodbye to Gabon, and drive into a county I am very excited about. It’s Congo time.

Author Dan Grec is currently on the road in Africa. To follow Dan’s ongoing adventure around the entire African continent, checkout his website TheRoadChoseMe.com.