Gabon
Land of pristine beaches and surfing hippos
Gabon safari guide
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Recommended vaccinations
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person. The disease is closely associated with a lack of safe water, inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene. Every year there are an estimated 1.4 million cases of hepatitis A worldwide. Hepatitis A vaccines are given in two doses. Anyone two years of age or older may receive the first dose. The timing of the second dose depends upon which manufacturer’s vaccine is administered. Both hepatitis A vaccines have pediatric and adult formulations.
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is transmitted from one person to another through blood and body fluids, and primarily infects the liver. Worldwide, it is most commonly spread to infants by their infected mothers. Most people should get three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine. All newborns should receive a dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
MMR
Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious viruses that can have serious complications, including meningitis, swelling of the brain (encephalitis) and deafness. They can also lead to complications in pregnancy that affect the unborn baby and can lead to miscarriage. As a general rule, adults born before 1957 are considered immune to measles and mumps. For many adults born in 1957 or afterward, the MMR vaccine is advised. Most people who receive the MMR vaccine will have no problems from it. Others may have minor problems, such as soreness and redness where the shot was given, or fevers. Serious problems from receiving the MMR are rare.
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
Typhoid
Typhoid (typhoid fever) is a serious disease. It is caused by bacteria called Salmonella Typhi. Typhoid causes a high fever, fatigue, weakness, stomach pains, headache and loss of appetite. Generally, people get typhoid from contaminated food or water. Typhoid strikes about 21 million people a year around the world and kills about 200,000. There are two vaccines to prevent typhoid. One is an inactivated (killed) vaccine administered as a shot; the other is a live, attenuated (weakened) vaccine which is taken orally (by mouth).
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Chad
Tetanus
Tetanus (Lockjaw) is caused by toxin-producing spores of a bacterium, Clostridium tetani that inhabit the soil and the bowels of animals and humans. When they enter a deep flesh wound, spores of the bacteria may produce a powerful toxin, tetanospasmin, which actively impairs motor neurons, nerves that control muscles. The tetanus toxin causes severe muscle contractions, or spasms. Fever, sweating, elevated blood pressure, and rapid heart rate may also occur. A multitude of tetanus vaccines are available.
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Yellow fever
Yellow Fever is a virus that is spread via the bite of a mosquito and is found in parts of Africa and in South America. It is a serious disease that may result in death if left untreated. The vaccination is a live, weakened version of the virus. People who will be travelling need to allot at least two weeks after their vaccination to ensure they do not develop any severe reactions to the vaccination. It is recommended to get vaccinated at least a month prior to departure. Upon receiving the vaccination, patients will receive a certificate that is good for 10 years. This certificate may be needed to gain entry into certain countries and should be kept with passports. It is now believed that a single vaccination is good for life.
- We recommend this vaccination when you go to:
- Botswana
- DR Congo
- Gabon
- Kenya
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Chad
Voltage and plug type
Type C (220V)
About Gabon
Gabon is located on the western shores of the African continent and straddles the Equator. Its central, equatorial location gives it a tropical, humid climate and over 80% of Gabon is covered in rainforest. Gabon has been proactive in its efforts to protect and preserve its wildlife. In 2002, its president Omar Bonjo Ondimba allocated around 10% of Gabon’s land to be part of their national park system, which now includes 13 national parks.
Gabon is an ideal location for those interested in viewing primates and one the largest populations of western lowland gorillas can be found here along with large numbers other primates such as chimpanzees and mandrills. Due to the dense foliage and hot and humid conditions in Gabon, finding and viewing the wildlife can be difficult, much more difficult than in open areas such as Masai Mara, Kenya, Serengeti, Tanzania or Kruger, South Africa. Even more difficult to spot are the surfing hippos, which apparently have been seen bodysurfing in the ocean waves off of Gabon’s sandy beaches. It’s on these sandy beaches that one of the world’s largest populations of leatherback turtles nest.
In addition to the ‘traditional’ animals one expects to see on an African safari, whale-watching is also popular off the shores of Loango National Park. The sighting rates of humpback whales and dolphins for excursions between the months of mid-July through mid-September are purportedly close to 100%, making for a very productive outing.
Gabon is a sparsely inhabited country and much of its landscape is pristine, unvisited and uninhabited, making it a stellar safari destination for well-seasoned travelers. Its infrastructure is poor to non-existent and its lack of experience with tourism mean locals, and local police, are not completely sure how to deal with foreign tourists. The dense jungle and harsh conditions, coupled with the generally lower standards in accommodations, might make Gabon less desirable for first-time safari goers. Pricing remains competitive but the overall tourism infrastructure is of an overall lower standard and travelers planning on visiting Gabon should bear this in mind.
Ivindo National Park is a new park, established in 2004 and located in Gabon, central Africa. The park straddles the equator and tends to be very humid and tropical with dense vegetation of lowland forest. C… read more
Lekedi Park Gabon read more
Establsihed in 2002, Loango National Park is one of the newer national parks in Africa. It is 1550 km² (600 mi²) in size and is located on the western shores of Gabon. Prior to its establishment in… read more
Smack-dab in the middle of Gabon on the west coast of equatorial Africa, stretching up to the broad, tree-flanked Ogooué River on the north, Lopé National Park weaves together two distinct and … read more
Moukalaba–Doudou is Gabon’s third largest national park and receives far less visitors compared to its more famous counterparts. Located about 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of the country&rsqu… read more
Getting to Libreville, Gabon is relatively easy from Europe. Direct flights are possible from Paris, France and most other countries have one or more stopovers. Turkish Airlines also offers direct flights. From within Africa, it's possible to fly direct from South Africa. Other countries, such as Camaroon, also offer direct flights, although it's quite unlikely that many tourists will be coming from Camaroon. It is not advisable to drive to Gabon from any of the safari countries featured on Your African Safari.
The following airlines travel to Gabon
Asky Airlines is a passenger airline founded on the initiative of West African governments, and has its head office in Lomé, Togo. It operates across several West and Central African countries, operating out of its hub at Lomé-Tokoin Airport Visit website
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The French flag carrier. Air France, stylized as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France,. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of 2013 Air France serves 36 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 168 destinations in 93 countries (including Overseas departments and territories of France. Visit website
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7 destinations in Central and West Africa and 1 in France. Camair-Co is based in Douala, Cameroon has about 438 employees coming from various nationalities. It officially started its operation March 28, 2011 with an inaugural flight home Douala-Yaounde-Douala and a long-haul flight Douala-Yaounde-Paris the same day. Visit website
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The flag carrier of Kenya. Kenya Airways was established in February 1977 following the breakup of the East African Community and subsequent disbanding of the jointly-owned East African Airways. KQ now flies to over 60 destinations around the world with over 40 being in Africa. The network expands to many more destinations with partnerships from Codeshare partners. Our Vision is to consistently be a Safe & Profitable Airline that Guarantees World Class Service. Visit website
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The Moroccan national carrier founded in 1957. Royal Air Maroc has been awarded the prize of Best Regional Airline for Africa by Skytrax. The evaluation is the result of an online, airline satisfaction survey in which more than 18 million customers in more than 160 countries took part between August 2013 and May 2014. The campaign plans to use the existing destinations from Casablanca to North America, Europe and Africa as well as new lines. Visit website
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RwandAir is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda. We serve most East African Community capital cities as well as Johannesburg and Dubai with daily flights. Recently, we introduced Flights to Lagos in Nigeria, Accra in Ghana, Juba in South Sudan and intend to expand to Doula in Cameroon. Our Current destinations include Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Johannesburg, Brazzaville, Dubai, Lagos, Accra and Juba. We have codeshare agreements with SN Brussels on the Kigali-Brussels Sector and Ethiopian Airlines on the Kigali-Addis Ababa Sector. Visit website
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The national flag carrier airline of Turkey. Turkish Airlines, one of the most preferred leading European air carrier with global network coverage thanks to its strict compliance with flight safety, reliability, product line, service quality and competitiveness while maintaining its identity as the flag carrier of Turkey. Visit website
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