Gabon safari vacation by train

Planet

We recognise that Gabon is an internationally important hub for biodiversity, supporting a huge array of rare mammals and birdlife, owing primarily to its extensive forest cover. However, we also recognise that many of the ecosystems in Gabon are under mortal threat, in particular from poaching and logging. In particular, Lope supports incredible populations of forest elephant, forest buffalo, red river hog, giant pangolin and mandrill, as well as localised species such as sun-tailed guenon. Ivindo offers superb viewing of great apes including western gorilla and chimpanzee, as well as the elusive sitatunga. Lekedi, contrary to popular belief, shelters crucial populations of wild mandrill, and Bateke supports Gabon's only lion, as well as birds as diverse and rare as Angola batis and Congo moor-chat. In order to protect these ecosystems from the severe threats they face, fees included in the cost of your tour are paid directly to the national parks and their administrators. These funds directly contribute to activities such as patrols that deter the poaching and logging that is so problematic here.

This tour is unique in its heavy reliance of the famous Trans-Gabon railway that extends from Libreville to Franceville. We appreciate that these trains are not the most comfortable way to explore a country, nor the most punctual, but they do significantly decrease the carbon footprint of this tour, and visits by tours such as ours help to ensure that this valuable service remains financially viable.

People

The key threats to the wilderness areas we visit in Gabon are, sadly, driven by international demand for wildlife products (including ivory and rosewood), but facilitated by local people who play a role in extracting these materials. The reason this is permitted to happen is often financial - local people see that the financial benefit of poaching or logging outweighs any longer-term benefit from retaining these wilderness areas and the wildlife that depends on these areas. Ecotourism must address this by ensuring that local people, and the communities of which they are a part, see a genuine, tangible benefit to ecotourism that they can then attach to wildlife and ecosystems where they live. With this in mind, we employ Gabonese people throughout this tour, and clients should expect that guides, drivers, cooks and porters on this tour will be Gabonese.

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that is considered disrespectful towards local people, and we provide detailed information during our pre-tour briefing as to what local norms and customs will ensure a warm welcome throughout our stay. In particular, we ask clients to ask comfortably but modestly, and to avoid photographing anybody without their expressed consent.