NOTE: Primate tracking and forest birding are easiest at this time of year, and birds can be quite responsive since it is breeding season for most species. If you wish to also see species in drier habitats to the south-east of the country and the arrival of African River Martin, we offer a longer Gabon tour in October, however the forest birding at that time of year is more challenging! Click here to find out more.

Day 1: The tour starts this evening with arrivals into Libreville International Airport (LBV). We will overnight nearby.

Day 2: Transit to Loango National Park for the beginning of our exciting time in the field! 

Day 3-4-5: We will have three days of birding and mammal watching in Loango National Park and the surrounds of Omboué. On one day we will be looking for Western Lowland Gorillas with local guides, which should certainly be a major highlight of the tour! We should also see Red-capped Mangabey and Red River Hog. Birdwise, great attractions of this region are Vermiculated Fishing Owl (and perhaps also Pel’s Fishing Owl!) and White-crested Tiger Heron, while birding in a variety of open woodland and grasslands will be good backup for finding many of the difficult species we have previously tried for, with a few additions possible like Hartlaub’s Duck, Rufous-vented Paradise Flycatcher, Swamp Boubou, Red-tailed Leaflove, Long-legged Pipit, Loango Weaver, and the restricted-range Violet-tailed Sunbird.

Day 6: Transfer to Libreville.

Day 7: Transfer to Lope National Park.

Day 8-9-10: We will have three full days to make the great Lope National Park justice, and especially to have time for Mandrill tracking! Seeing these fabulous primates at close range ranks amongst the most impressive experiences there is! We should also see Chimpanzee, Black Colobus, Putty-nosed Monkey, Moustached Monkey, Forest Buffalo, and Forest Elephant. With ample time to explore most stretches of the vast national park, we hope to connect with as many of the scarce specialties as possible. Most notably, Dja River Scrub Warbler is an important target, while more forest birding could produce Gabon Coucal, the rare Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk, Bates’s Swift, Eastern Bearded Greenbul, White-bearded Greenbul, Sharpe’s Drongo, Forest White-eye, Red-eyed Puffback, Red-bellied Malimbe, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Western Bluebill, and Bates’s Sunbird. We also stand a chance of finding the legendary Grey-necked Picathartes, which should be breeding at this time of the year. Hopefully nests will be found by local birders before our arrival!

Day 11: Transfer to Ipassa for our final stop on the tour.

Day 12-13-14: Three full days of birding in Ipassa will allow us to cover every micro-habitat this amazing reserve has to offer. Participants should be prepared for the slow birding and hard work required in afrotropical rainforest, but with persistence the rewards are great, and the wet season is usually particularly good for finding these goodies! We will be on the look-out a lot for mixed flocks, usually holding dozens of species not readily seen otherwise. The list of specialties recorded here is very long, and possibilities include Black Guineafowl, Plumed Guineafowl, Latham’s Francolin, Olive Ibis, Spot-breasted Ibis, Congo Serpent Eagle, Black-casqued Hornbill, Bare-cheeked Trogon, Gabon Woodpecker, White-spotted Wattle-eye, Gabon Batis, Gosling’s Apalis, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Bates’s Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-lored Bristlebill, Woodhouse’s Antpecker, Red-crowned Malimbe, Red-headed Malimbe, the superb Rachel’s Malimbe, the rare Yellow-capped Weaver, or perhaps even Grey Ground Thrush if we are lucky, which has been recorded in previous trip to that area. We will also take a boat trip at night in search of roosting birds and some special nocturnal targets, including Bates’s Nightjar, Brown Nightjar, Fraser’s Eagle Owl, and Vermiculated Fishing Owl.

Day 15: We will head back to Libreville this morning, where our tour ends in time for evening flights.