You may or may not have heard of Gabon. Its biggest claim to fame was probably being the setting for a season of the show Survivor. I never did see any of those Survivor episodes but from being in Gabon and certainly from flying over it I can see that the jungles are vast and untouched. The weather is hot, humid and nasty which makes for a great place for ecotourism which is the new buzzword in Gabon. The only problem is that it’ll cost you…a lot! Gabon and Central Africa in general are very cheap in terms of living, food and other basic necessities but as far as travel and certainly tourism-they are among the most expensive places on earth.
I arrived in Libreville with the idea that I was going to have a quick look around, buy my ticket to the Congo and then head out on an ecotourism adventure. I was specifically looking to go to Loango National Park which is Gabon’s most varied and visually stunning park known for the mythically surfing hippos. Yes, surfing hippos. Additionally, the park boasts whales, dolphins along with elephants and other assorted land mammals wandering around white sand beaches. It sounds amazing right? Well after further review, it costs upwards of $500 a day and nothing guaranteed. I understand the no guarantee but the price tag is ridiculous. It’s not like that includes drinks, food, souvenirs either. Plus you have to fly out there on a chartered prop plane arranged through one specific company that owns all rights to tourism in the park called SCD.
The bottom line is that those prices are prohibitively expensive especially for someone on an overland tour of Central Africa. The other parks in Gabon, each boasting something else special are also very expensive but Loango is considered to be the crown jewel of Gabon and unfortunately I had to pull the plug on the ecotourism plans as the costs are simply too high. If I was just here to do Gabon then I would’ve done it and also planned ahead-which wouldn’t have saved any money by the way. However, I do plan to spend the extortionate prices for a gorilla trek in Rwanda and possibly some others. But $2000 to see some hippos in the ocean just doesn’t seem worth it.
So this unfortunate news gave me plenty of time (3 days) to get to know the capital city of Gabon. Libreville is home to some 600,000 people and really isn’t that bad of a city. It’s relatively nice…for a Central African capital, and boasts a long beach right in the city. The cleanliness of the beaches (below) is another issue but there are some parts that are very nice such as above out by the airport.
Libreville is home to many expats, mainly European and French specifically. The country has been relatively stable after the current President Bongo, whose signs are literally on every street post and building as you can see below has centralized government making his power pretty much absolute. However, the people are worried what will happen when his time is finally up. A French expat I was talking to said he wondered what would happen and if it would finally turn violent like it did in the Ivory Coast or would it remain peaceful and there would be some smooth transition of power. Only time will tell on that issue.
Speaking of the President, I was walking along the main costal road in Libreville called Au Bor du Mer and was snapping some pictures like the ones of the slave escaping from bondage statue below which I think is really cool and significant. This particular statue is directly across from the grandiose Presidential Palace in Libreville. I also snapped a picture of it and also took several minutes of video that I was narrating when I got yelled at from across the road.
I pretended to ignore it; put my video camera in my case I was carrying and started walking north toward the beaches. The guy was following me walking across the street along the wall of the Palace when finally he took out a whistle and blew it really loud. I couldn’t ignore that and turned and faced him holding his machine gun up in the air and screaming at me to come there. I did and he starts yelling at me in French and I didn’t understand most of what he said but I knew I was in trouble for taking pictures of the Presidential Palace. He told me to follow him to the entrance of the Palace.
At the entrance there were four other military soldier types armed with machine guns putzing around doing nothing when the other guard informed them of my infraction and they got all excited and opened the gate and locked me inside. I knew what I did wrong and offered my sincere apologies but they wanted to see my camera that I had filmed with. So I took out my regular camera and went directly to the picture of the palace which I happily erased and showed him step by step.
He looked puzzled and unsure but I ran through the run of pictures again and there was no palace and he was OK. He then asked if that was it and I said yes. The other guard said video and pointed to my bag where my video camera was and I said no it’s broken. He looked at me suspiciously and said OK and then starts going into some speech about how it’s against the law to take pictures of the Palace and I could be arrested etc. Of course I was polite and apologized and eventually he let me go with my video intact of the Palace.
I just don’t understand what the big deal is about taking a picture of a Palace from afar. The only thing I could come up with is they are worried about a coup and this could give their enemies a potential view of a way into the Palace but that seems farfetched I know. So whatever…the Palace wasn’t that nice anyway, it looked more like a big office building and very out of place along the waterfront. I’d imagine you can Google a picture of it if you really want to see it.
After the Palace fiasco and being surrounded by 5 guys with machine guns I continued my 10 mile walk out to the airport passing all the beaches along the way, avoiding numerous missing manhole covers and a car accident or two. Many were very nice and featured mainly expats in the water along with some well to do Gabonese. But like most of Africa, the nice is surrounded by some very bad where the pollution runs rampant even on some of the beaches and there are homeless people bathing in the sea water and going to the bathroom right on the beaches etc. This is Africa.
Last night, I went out to a restaurant called La Dolce Vita which was recommended as a very good Italian place. It was one of the best Italian places I have eaten at in Africa perhaps only equaled by a place in Abidjan but the name escapes me right now. The penne arrabbiata was fantastic and the prices were very reasonable and the service was good. The pizza was OK as well.
I met the owner Luca by chance as I was looking for a cab, he helped me get one as it was pouring and sent someone to flag one down at the main road. During that time we chatted as he was from near Milano and had been living in Gabon nine years doing the restaurant. I couldn’t imagine I told Luca but there isn’t much competition for a very good Italian place in Libreville. The place was packed with mainly white European expats as you might imagine as well on a Saturday night.
After dinner I went back to my hotel as I was exhausted. Before I went up I checked out the lobby bar. Lobby bars at nice hotels in third world countries always intrigue me. There is always a mix of people that you don’t see anywhere else except for maybe in Russia-if you consider that first world. There were French expats, a few wealthy Gabonese, a two man band playing 1980’s Whitney Houston hits and an assortment of Gabonese hookers sitting alone waiting for men to approach them.
You can always tell the hookers in a nice third world hotel because first they are the only women there alone, they are generally dressed like hookers, they stare at their mobiles and they always drink coffee. They have to apparently stay up for the long night ahead! The other thing is, I can’t imagine business is very good for them. However baffling, without fail, in the 15 minutes I was down there having a Regab beer before bed, I saw 2 French guys go upstairs with different hookers. I seriously wanted to grab them and be like, you fucking idiot!
Anyway, I am just relaxing most of the day today and will probably head down to the pool at the hotel or go up to the beach if the weather clears up a bit. My flight is tonight to Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo, where I will then head to Brazzaville and Kinshasa before a ridiculous string of connecting flights through to Nairobi, Kenya stopping in Bangui, Douala and Addis Ababa along the way. Flights within Africa are kind of a nightmare and there are almost always connections. I am trying to get to Central African Republic on this trip but it looks like it’s just going to be a stopover. Once again, you can’t have it all and to be honest, there isn’t that much there that interests me anyway. So stay tuned.
That’s insane about those prices. I looked up Loango and it looks cool I agree but not worth $500 a day or even more. Good post today.
A quick addendum to this story…I just went down to the pool to watch the absolutely idyllic sunset over the water before i hit the airport and there is a Gabonese mother and her 1-2 year old daughter screaming that she wants to get back in the water.
She is having a fit so the mother finally can’t take it anymore and basically says screw it and lets her go and fall in the water. The baby cannot swim obviously and the mother lets her flounder around and sink in the water for about 20 seconds before she finally jumps in after her as the baby is spitting up water screaming even more.
I was about to jump in for the kid…I was caught offguard like who would ever do that-I was in shock and denial that it was actually occuring. There s a lesson in how not to parent 101…unbelievable!
Those French guys seriously havta be insane. Duh!-its Africa!
Hi Lee, I love your stories and what you are trying to accomplish. You are very cute and I hope you stay safe on your travels.
G’day, I have lived in Gabon for 2 years mate. I read your postings all the time and would’ve enjoyed catching a Regab with ya. If your back in town give me an email and I’ll show you round the Ville! Pointe Noire is really nice, I reckon you’ll like it. Safe travels mate.
Shouldnt you be in class getting your MBA instead of trekking through the jungles of Africa Mr. Lord of War. I think you are probably an arms dealer and this is your cover! Nice car, you might want get that fixed up a little bit. Up close and personal face photo op with Lee Abbamonte. I am going to make this one my screen saver! Sucks that it costs so much, you would think it would cost pennies to do things there and the flights are the major costs…Do they have Pizza Express in Africa, maybe Danny and you can open one in Congo! That pot hole reminds me of Venezuela, the only thing is there is not water gushing out of it for days before the government does anything about it! Make sure you are a sweet boy out there because life is cheap! Can you shorten the posts, they are very long and you know I have ADD. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Happy New Years Lee. You may see Brandon and my friend Don working on a Carbon Credit project in Congo if you hook up with Unlce Danny. Take Care!
Andy, lay off the crack…Pamela thank you very much! and Brian ya it’s too bad man, would’ve loved t have had a drink in Gabon but next time.
thank\’s for all.
have a nice trip.
luca
(la dolce vita)
Hey Lee:
Interesting 1st hand narrative of the city! My wife is in Libreville at the moment and I came across your blog as I researched the area. She was actually invited to the presidential palace for dinner and to spend the night (her and her fellow delegates)…I had hoped maybe she snagged a few pictures of the palace, but given your experience I’m beginning to doubt it!
Andrew
you know what? u better sit and try to get more information bout othr tradition. u can sometimes be soo damnd……..africa can be enjoyabl.
Hey Eli, not sure what you’re talking about or whose comment you’re addressing but Africa is my favorite continent and enjoy almost every second of it. Take care!
I’m heading to Gabon for a few weeks in December/January and would like very much to make contact with someone living there ahead of time. A few of us are hoping to the do the Oyem/Franceville/Loanga route but are concerned about prices, as well. The woman at SCD scoffed at my offer of $1000 for three nights in the park. If anyone local knows of another way, I’d love to hear it! I’m all about roughing it if that’s the only way.
Had the same photographic ambush by police in Mozambique. Not fun!
Thanks for the posts.
Cheers,
Craig
I worked for an airborne geophysical survey company in 1987. I was sent to Gabon for a 3 month job. We started in Franceville ( I believe that it has been renamed since then). I was there over Christmas when the hotel where we were staying at totally abandoned all of us.
The staff was sent home for 4 days and the management made no effort to set us up with alternate means of cooking and every thing else that comes with hotel accommodations. The airborne crew that I worked with along with the children and spouses of the crew were all left with our collective thumbs stuck up our asses and no other options. We scrambled to get the rudimentary products needed to survive for the 4 days.
The weather was always extremely hot and oppressively humid. There were very violent thunderstorms every 3 hours or so……..day and night. The power would go off every day, twice a day. If you took a bath or shower, the intense humidity would wipe it off within an hour or so.
I also spent a very bleek new year\’s eve in Franceville. For dinner, they served a type of african venison that was tougher than any thing that I had ever experienced before. One of my colleagues found a worm in a salad that had been served to him. I left most of my meal on the plate.
One week later, I was elected to drive a Toyota Jeep type of vehicle from Franceville to Tchibanga where we, the crew worked for a month or so. Accomodations were more or less the same and the humidity and thundershowers were the same as before………every few hours and every day.
Some of the people at the hotel ( 2 Belgian missionaries and 4 Polish logging truck drivers )had to be med-evacuated because of severe dissentary or parasitism.
Later, I was again elected to drive the Toyota to Libreville, the capital. It took me 12 hours of a perilous driving across the jungle and the equator. I stopped for about 1/2 hour in Lambarene, the home of the famous leper colony where the sainted Dr Schweitzer spent most of his life.
I found out that one of my distant associates working for a french company in Gabon had been thrown in jail for mimicking wiping his butt with the Gabonese flag after an evening of hard drinking. The poor guy had spent a really hard year in the gabonese jungle and was just letting off steam. I inquired 10 years later about him and was told that he was still languishing in a dark dungeon in Libreville.
I stayed at a nice hotel in Libreville for 2 days and got the hell out of Gabon vowing to never return there.
Wow! That’s some story Frank! I hope he got out eventually, that’s unbelievable.
Hi Lee
it’s so cool to see a post like this; I am from there and started a Facebook Page for people to share part of their experience about Libreville (images, videos, tip). I will post a link to this; it’s just too good.
Please JOIN US there and post something 😉
ANYONE ELSE TOO!!!
John
Are you still in Gabon?
John,
http://www.facebook.com/jaimelbv
Hi All.
I am moving to Gabon with my family in a couple of weeks , been trying to find some people to chat to there before we arrive, also to ask some questions before we leave, anyone have any suggestions?
Wes.
Hi
We may be moving to Libreville in the new year and I would also love to be in touch with other expats. I have 2 boys age 11 and 8 and any useful info would be fantastic!
Thanks
hi lee,
I am an engineer and got a job offer in gabon, it will last 1,5 year .
I have a few concerns about this place,
1- Are there too many mosquitos?, if there are then what do you recomend to protect ourselves?
2- Is it a good place to stay?( 1,5 half year is long time does it worth it?)
please give me some advice
Thanks
Awhile back I found this article and posted a comment about your AIDS statistics (“I mean 1 out of 3 people in Africa has[sic] AIDS”). Obviously you decided not to approve it, which is your prerogative, but I hope you will edit this article to include the correct statistics. It will help your credibility.
I am also shocked by your statement that “1 out of 3 people in Africa has AIDS”. This is not only false, but it vehicules bad stereotypes about Africa and discourages people to travel there. Tourism is vital for many of the African economies. Gabon has 4% prevalence of HIV, or about 40 000 persons having it. Only in NYC 129 000 persons are infected with HIV. Although some Southern African states have around 30% of HIV prevalence it only concerns this particular region and is not a generality at all. Please stay accurate on your information.
Am jorgo Bah from Sierra Leone. .West Africa. .living pricisely in the capital Freetown. .if any one that one to visit here I can be he or she tour guide. .you can email me at [email protected]. …..we have many tourism attractions places. .that you would like to see…..waiting for your responses. .have a blessed day..