The word safari conjures up images of sweeping savannas, drenched in sun as far as the eye can see, bursting wild wildlife reminiscent of a scene from the Lion King.
As glorious as this sounds, these days it often comes with truckloads of tourists eager to get their fill of photographic evidence from their tour in the back of a busy safari truck.
I'm not knocking this, one simply cannot fail to revel in the wonder of closely viewing giraffe, elephants, and more from the comfort of a safari vehicle. Although, stop and pause for a minute and ask yourself "what alternatives are there to these typical East (or South) African safari experiences?"
This is where I am excited to introduce to you the West African Safaris that we offer in Gabon.
Here you can still take a 4x4 safari through savanna patches in search of small elephants (forest elephants who have ventured out of the canopy - you can find out more about the small yet charming relatives of their wider known cousins; the African Elephant, in my other blog, coming soon), forest buffalo, red river hogs (not warthogs), many antelope, and if you are lucky you may spot a leopard, chimpanzee, or gorilla.
The difference with our safaris are quite remarkable. On the one hand, you get the luxury to enjoy them almost exclusively because the park and lodge only cater to small groups at any one time. On the other hand, sometimes the animals prefer to be in the forest. Remember how I said "savanna patches"...dependent on the season, time of day, and weather, many animals may be out of the forests or, there may only be the odd sighting here and there.
This brings me to one of the most exciting things about Loango...delving into its many habitats in search of where the animals are and why!
Being a mosiac of savannas, forests (from coastal to primary tropical), swamps, mangroves, lagoons, and beaches, yes beaches, Loango has to be one of the most diverse places you can take a "wild safari".
When the animals are regulars on the savannas they also frequent the beaches too. Where else can you take you safari vehicle on the beach and see wild elephants or buffalo taking a stroll on the sand!
If it is not the season for this then it will be the season for a very exciting alternative: boat safari in the lagoons. These take you through stunning picturesque lagoons, that ooze Tarzan or Jungle Book scenery, passing you alongside many bais (swampy clearings) which attract the wildlife previously out on the savannas. Add to this many other species such as crocodiles, waterbirds, and hippos & you will feel like you have traveled into another country era in time.
Why not leave the vehicles behind an go exploring on foot? Hike in the the many different forests in search of monkeys or take a gorilla trekking tour - See my gorilla trekking blog for more details.
Loango really is a different type of safari to the common perception. To compare it to East African Safaris would not work very well because they are, well, countries apart. If you are looking for wild & tropical adventures somewhere that feels untouched by human presence then look no further...Loango is the place to come.
Come step out into the wildnerness like these guys!