The beach and its hinterland are where forest elephants and forest buffalo emerge onto the sand, sometimes right at the surf line. Sightings are not daily but they are the reason people come, and the light on an Atlantic beach makes them extraordinary.

The Iguela lagoon and its channels are worked by boat for hippo, crocodile, kingfishers and the palm-nut vultures that follow the water, and are the easiest reliable wildlife of any visit.

The forest habituation site is where western lowland gorillas are tracked on foot with researchers. Habituation is a long-running process here and encounters are more variable than with mountain gorillas in the east — treat it as a serious trek with an uncertain outcome.

The ocean itself holds humpback whales from roughly July to September, visible from the beach and on boat trips, along with dolphins year-round. Leatherback turtles nest on these beaches from around November to January, in globally important numbers.

The savanna and forest edge hold red river hog, sitatunga, and the mandrills that Gabon is famous for — though mandrill sightings are far more reliable in Lopé, inland.

Practicalities

Gabon is expensive and logistically demanding. Access to Loango is by air from Libreville to Port-Gentil and then boat or light aircraft, and the small number of camps must be booked well ahead.

Gabon's national parks are a genuinely important conservation project in a heavily forested country with few visitors, and the infrastructure is thin. Go with an operator who knows the country, and expect the schedule to move.