Today was 2nd day of three transit days in a row to get from Loango to Príncipe. We had a flight from Libreville to São Tomé at 3pm, which gave us the morning to run errands and repack for the next part of the trip. On the past few trips we've used the hotel in our hub city (in this case Libreville) to store left luggage with items we need for only some legs of a longer trip.
First was more francs. Our hotel suggested we try the ATM at the next door hotel (Le Meridien) and sure enough our cards worked there. That was very convenient. Next was onto the grocery store just down the street for some toiletries. We ended up also buying a fresh baguette, prosciutto and babybel to make sandwiches for lunch.
Back at the hotel I posted my pics (we had been without Internet access while at Loango).
We were ready to go by 12:30pm, so we checked out. We were planning to have a coffee at the hotel but our driver was already there so we figured we'd just grab one at the airport.
However we ran into the same AfriJet terminal problem, they wouldn't let us in until 90 minutes prior to the flight. So we waited outside in the heat again. We had an international flight today, which I thought would mean a different path through the terminal, but it was just an official at a desk between baggage check and security.
It's only a 45 minute flight from Libreville to São Tomé, with an time zone change, so in theory we'd arrive before we took off. It was cloudy and hazy so I wouldn't be able to get pictures from the airplane, although I think it's the approach to Príncipe that is more photogenic.
For some reason the pilot circled a couple times around the airport at São Tomé, including a flyover. Maybe they were doing a visual inspection of the runway as a training exercise. Whatever. But it did mean that our flight took just over an hour.
In São Tomé we made sure to walk quickly on the tarmac to get to immigration ahead of the rest of the plane. We filled out an arrival form (almost every country we've been to recently has done away with these, with the exception of getting back home to Canada), and then onto immigration. There were no issues with our evisa, we paid our 20 Euro each and got a couple stamps in our passport. They also gave us back the printed evisa with a stamp. Maybe we'll need this to exit? I guess we'll find out.
The luggage was just starting to come out on the conveyor belt as we entered the room, ours was one of the first pieces. We had just enough time to get a cart and grab our bags before they disappeared for to start another turn around the belt.
And we were through! Got a taxi to São Pedro Guesthouse, checked in, and relaxed in our room for a bit, just to cool down. It was New Year's Eve and sometimes restaurants have specials which we wanted to avoid. Asked the guesthouse for recommendations, and then walked into town around 6pm. It was a full moon and a clear sky. The town itself is very approachable with a lot of character. There's all sorts of cafes and restaurants in old colonial buildings with tall ceilings. We have a few days in São Tomé after we return from Príncipe so lots of time to explore.
We walked about two km along the bayside road to Sabor do Îla in Parque Popular. Their specialty is grilled fish, so that's what we had. They were out of local beer so I had a Sagrès, Heather had a 50cl of vino tinto. Dinner was excellent, we were glad we went out. We even had an espresso even with the late hour, just to try the São Pedro coffee beans. It was really good.
Walked back before too many fire crackers started going off in the street. We were asleep by 10pm to be rested for our early morning departure to Príncipe. We were woken up by the New Year's Eve revellers just before midnight and heard the countdown in Portugese.
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Libreville, Gabon
We had a relaxing breakfast because we thought we were departing at 10am. We chatted with some of the newly arrived guests, including one who is a travel writer for the Financial Times and the Telegraph. She had recently been to São Tomé and Príncipe and gave some advice for both. She was debating on which excursions to go on at Loango and based on how much we liked Akaka, she decided on the gorillas and Akaka.
After breakfast we found out we were actually leaving with another group at 9am. So rushed to finish packing, pay our bill (just for the alcohol, everything else was included) and say bye to everyone. Jannie asked us to say hi to the bartender at the Roca Belo Monte in Príncipe (Jannie was the project manager that built both Bom Bom and the Belo Monte years ago).
And so we were off. First was an hour in a safari vehicle to Camp Liambissi. (I forgot to mention that on our excursion to Tassi, we crossed through flooded areas about 4' deep, the water pooled over the hood of the vehicle. It's the deepest water I've driven through). Anyways parts of the trail to Camp Liambissi are washed out and only a safari vehicle would make it.
We switched vehicles at the camp. Another group of seven was returning today as well, and so we needed a second vehicle to get to Port Gentil (POG). We lucked out because it was Philippe (the camp manager) who was driving back to POG for other reasons, and we joined him in his nice air conditioned SUV. We were provided with lots of water and a snack, I guess they quickly made changes to their procedures after our hungry and thirsty ride down!
It was an interesting conversation with Philippe. He's worked to build up tourism in Gabon for the past 16 years. Between him, Jannie and Zeka, I can see tourism growing quickly here.
We were back in POG by 2pm. Relaxed at Le Bouganviller until closer to our flights. The flight for the other group was two hours before ours, but we just went to the airport with them (it was a wash for us whether we waited at the airport or the hotel).
Unfortunately, with AfriJet, they only let you in to their terminal 90 minutes before the flight. There were no seating areas in the (air conditioned) check-in area of the main terminal, so we sat outside in the heat. After an hour or so, we were getting sleepy and noticed there was a little cafe in the terminal with a good coffee machine. So we grabbed a cappuccino each. They offered us seats in the business lounge, which was nice of them.
So finally the check-in opened at AfriJet and we made our way through baggage check and security. Now that we knew it was okay to take water through security we weren't thirsty waiting for the flight.
Arrived after sunset in Libreville, and initially had trouble finding a taxi at the AfriJet terminal. We asked around and someone showed up to drive us for 6,000 Franc, cheaper than what we paid the first time through.
They were expecting us at the Royal Palm. It was Guy at the desk, who Heather had been emailing with over the past few months to sort out our changing itinerary. The restaurant was open until 11pm (it was already 8pm) so we had time to shower and clean up before dinner.
The restaurant was packed at the Royal Palm, it's a destination for locals, especially with tonight being Saturday. Dinner was good, I had the lamb noisette and Heather tried a local fish (capitain).
Overall we both really enjoyed Loango. The highlights were the gorilla tracking and the boat ride to Akaka. We saw other big animals including elephants, buffalo, hippos, duikers and chimpanzees, but the real attraction is just the isolation and lack of other people in the park.
After breakfast we found out we were actually leaving with another group at 9am. So rushed to finish packing, pay our bill (just for the alcohol, everything else was included) and say bye to everyone. Jannie asked us to say hi to the bartender at the Roca Belo Monte in Príncipe (Jannie was the project manager that built both Bom Bom and the Belo Monte years ago).
And so we were off. First was an hour in a safari vehicle to Camp Liambissi. (I forgot to mention that on our excursion to Tassi, we crossed through flooded areas about 4' deep, the water pooled over the hood of the vehicle. It's the deepest water I've driven through). Anyways parts of the trail to Camp Liambissi are washed out and only a safari vehicle would make it.
We switched vehicles at the camp. Another group of seven was returning today as well, and so we needed a second vehicle to get to Port Gentil (POG). We lucked out because it was Philippe (the camp manager) who was driving back to POG for other reasons, and we joined him in his nice air conditioned SUV. We were provided with lots of water and a snack, I guess they quickly made changes to their procedures after our hungry and thirsty ride down!
It was an interesting conversation with Philippe. He's worked to build up tourism in Gabon for the past 16 years. Between him, Jannie and Zeka, I can see tourism growing quickly here.
We were back in POG by 2pm. Relaxed at Le Bouganviller until closer to our flights. The flight for the other group was two hours before ours, but we just went to the airport with them (it was a wash for us whether we waited at the airport or the hotel).
Unfortunately, with AfriJet, they only let you in to their terminal 90 minutes before the flight. There were no seating areas in the (air conditioned) check-in area of the main terminal, so we sat outside in the heat. After an hour or so, we were getting sleepy and noticed there was a little cafe in the terminal with a good coffee machine. So we grabbed a cappuccino each. They offered us seats in the business lounge, which was nice of them.
So finally the check-in opened at AfriJet and we made our way through baggage check and security. Now that we knew it was okay to take water through security we weren't thirsty waiting for the flight.
Arrived after sunset in Libreville, and initially had trouble finding a taxi at the AfriJet terminal. We asked around and someone showed up to drive us for 6,000 Franc, cheaper than what we paid the first time through.
They were expecting us at the Royal Palm. It was Guy at the desk, who Heather had been emailing with over the past few months to sort out our changing itinerary. The restaurant was open until 11pm (it was already 8pm) so we had time to shower and clean up before dinner.
The restaurant was packed at the Royal Palm, it's a destination for locals, especially with tonight being Saturday. Dinner was good, I had the lamb noisette and Heather tried a local fish (capitain).
Overall we both really enjoyed Loango. The highlights were the gorilla tracking and the boat ride to Akaka. We saw other big animals including elephants, buffalo, hippos, duikers and chimpanzees, but the real attraction is just the isolation and lack of other people in the park.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Loango NP, Gabon
Today we had a boat cruise down to Akaka. Loango does a good job of limiting the number of tourists per safari so that the experience is optimal. Otherwise the first boat goes down river and scares the animals, and the second boat hardly sees anything. They also don't crowd people into vehicles or boats.
So there was no need for us to rush through breakfast as weren't delaying anyone else for the safari. There was hardly any wind, which boded well for the boat ride through the lagoon.
We left the lodge around 8:45. It took about an hour through the lagoon to reach the starting point for Akaka, about five minutes past the gorilla research camp. The lagoon was like glass, perfect for the boat ride.
Akaka is a wetlands area, with a narrow waterway (about 15' wide) that goes on for kilometres. I don't know what the proper term would be, but it was river-like. Anyways we slowed down and put-putted through. There were lots of birds on both sides, along with flowers, fauna, and even a duiker. It was really cool to cruise up. I took a lot of pictures, trying to capture birds in flight. Some of them flew in unison with the boat, which made it easier to focus and take pictures. Supposedly Akaka is better in dry season because there's more wildlife, but we enjoyed it just for the atmosphere.
It took about 90 minutes to reach a small satellite camp where we had lunch. It's possible to then hike in the surrounding area, but there were lots of bugs and mosquitoes and we weren't prepared to possibly get our shoes wet, so we just asked to go back to the lodge. Plus we'd get to relax for a couple hours before dinner.
So cruised back down the 'river' to the lagoon. There was a bit more wind and so it wasn't as smooth as the ride in, but it was still a pretty comfortable ride. Plus the rain held off and we didn't get wet.
The cruise to Akaka was excellent, our second-favourite thing here at Loango after the gorilla tracking.
The lodge folks asked if we wanted to do any other activities to fill out the day, they really like their guests to maximize their safari time. We just wanted to relax so declined.
We cleaned up, half packed for tomorrow's departure, and then back to the main lodge for reading / blogging / picture editing.
The kitchen had issues with their oven and so our appetizer was the same coleslaw that we had for lunch (the kitchen has been great here - we haven't had anything twice). Our main was lasagna, which was filling. We had a drink after dinner to celebrate the end of the Loango part of this trip. There was still no breeze and so we felt a couple bites, but more like sand flies than mosquitoes.
So there was no need for us to rush through breakfast as weren't delaying anyone else for the safari. There was hardly any wind, which boded well for the boat ride through the lagoon.
We left the lodge around 8:45. It took about an hour through the lagoon to reach the starting point for Akaka, about five minutes past the gorilla research camp. The lagoon was like glass, perfect for the boat ride.
Akaka is a wetlands area, with a narrow waterway (about 15' wide) that goes on for kilometres. I don't know what the proper term would be, but it was river-like. Anyways we slowed down and put-putted through. There were lots of birds on both sides, along with flowers, fauna, and even a duiker. It was really cool to cruise up. I took a lot of pictures, trying to capture birds in flight. Some of them flew in unison with the boat, which made it easier to focus and take pictures. Supposedly Akaka is better in dry season because there's more wildlife, but we enjoyed it just for the atmosphere.
It took about 90 minutes to reach a small satellite camp where we had lunch. It's possible to then hike in the surrounding area, but there were lots of bugs and mosquitoes and we weren't prepared to possibly get our shoes wet, so we just asked to go back to the lodge. Plus we'd get to relax for a couple hours before dinner.
So cruised back down the 'river' to the lagoon. There was a bit more wind and so it wasn't as smooth as the ride in, but it was still a pretty comfortable ride. Plus the rain held off and we didn't get wet.
The cruise to Akaka was excellent, our second-favourite thing here at Loango after the gorilla tracking.
The lodge folks asked if we wanted to do any other activities to fill out the day, they really like their guests to maximize their safari time. We just wanted to relax so declined.
We cleaned up, half packed for tomorrow's departure, and then back to the main lodge for reading / blogging / picture editing.
The kitchen had issues with their oven and so our appetizer was the same coleslaw that we had for lunch (the kitchen has been great here - we haven't had anything twice). Our main was lasagna, which was filling. We had a drink after dinner to celebrate the end of the Loango part of this trip. There was still no breeze and so we felt a couple bites, but more like sand flies than mosquitoes.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Loango NP, Gabon
I woke up a few times from the lightning and thunder overnight. It was still raining lightly when we went down for breakfast.
Today's excursion was a safari to Tassi. The lodge has a satellite camp in the middle of the savannah at Tassi. The attraction for some is the remoteness and being in the middle of nowhere. For us the downside was no electricity or mosquito net, so we just visited on a day trip.
We again crossed the lagoon and boarded the safari vehicle. Tassi is on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, about 5km west of the gorilla research camp on the lagoon side. It was still raining lightly, so we put on our baselayers and rain jackets. We saw a chimpanzee in the distance, running across a field with its white bum standing out in the haze. I took out my camera to attempt a pic, but my lens got all fogged up as it was the first time I had removed it from the case after sitting in the air conditioned room all night. So no pics.
We also saw a very young elephant with its mother. Our guide said the baby elephant was about one week old. I got a picture, but because of the rain and the distance it looks out of focus.
We reached Tassi after a couple hours, mostly wet. We dried off in the breeze, and then had lunch. Normally on the Tassi excursion there's a walk along the beach, with the possibility of seeing more chimpanzees and other animals. However the animals dislike the rain as much as us, and there wasn't anything to see, so we decided just to call it a day and head back to Loango lodge. We were lucky to have seen what we did.
Back at Loango, we showered and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The main lodge is very comfortable to hang out at, there is usually a nice breeze coming off the lagoon which it overlooks. The lagoon is saltwater so it also helps keep mosquitoes to a minimum. Had a tea, then later an aperitif, caught up a little on my blog, and read our books. There's no wifi here, one of the first places in a long time that we've been off the grid.
Dinner was excellent again, the main was pork with plantain and a rosemary sauce, a fusion creation by the kitchen.
Today's excursion was a safari to Tassi. The lodge has a satellite camp in the middle of the savannah at Tassi. The attraction for some is the remoteness and being in the middle of nowhere. For us the downside was no electricity or mosquito net, so we just visited on a day trip.
We again crossed the lagoon and boarded the safari vehicle. Tassi is on the Atlantic side of the peninsula, about 5km west of the gorilla research camp on the lagoon side. It was still raining lightly, so we put on our baselayers and rain jackets. We saw a chimpanzee in the distance, running across a field with its white bum standing out in the haze. I took out my camera to attempt a pic, but my lens got all fogged up as it was the first time I had removed it from the case after sitting in the air conditioned room all night. So no pics.
We also saw a very young elephant with its mother. Our guide said the baby elephant was about one week old. I got a picture, but because of the rain and the distance it looks out of focus.
We reached Tassi after a couple hours, mostly wet. We dried off in the breeze, and then had lunch. Normally on the Tassi excursion there's a walk along the beach, with the possibility of seeing more chimpanzees and other animals. However the animals dislike the rain as much as us, and there wasn't anything to see, so we decided just to call it a day and head back to Loango lodge. We were lucky to have seen what we did.
Back at Loango, we showered and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The main lodge is very comfortable to hang out at, there is usually a nice breeze coming off the lagoon which it overlooks. The lagoon is saltwater so it also helps keep mosquitoes to a minimum. Had a tea, then later an aperitif, caught up a little on my blog, and read our books. There's no wifi here, one of the first places in a long time that we've been off the grid.
Dinner was excellent again, the main was pork with plantain and a rosemary sauce, a fusion creation by the kitchen.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Loango NP, Gabon
It took us a while to wake up from my alarm at 6:30am, we were in a very deep sleep after our long day yesterday. We were the only guests (aside from Jannie and his family, but I didn't count them as he worked for the travel agency). Breakfast was pretty good considering our remoteness. Ordered an omelette to get more protein as we had a big day ahead.
Mathieu had reviewed today's itinerary With us the previous evening after dinner. In the morning was gorilla tracking, followed by an afternoon safari to see elephants on the beach.
We packed for the gorilla tracking. We debated wearing beach shoes because there was good chance we'd be crossing streams and swamps, but didn't like the idea of open ankles for ants and other insects to nibble on so wore our trekking shoes.
At 8am we left by boat for the research camp, an hour south on the lagoon. One of the researchers, Zeka, met us at the dock. She was also our guide for the gorilla tracking. First we went through an orientation and the rules. There's three species of gorillas. We had previously seen the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Here we would see the lowland gorillas. The third species is not yet habitualized (I forget what they're called).
Gorilla tracking at Loango only opened up about seven months ago. It wasn't an option when I was planning the trip - we only hoped to see the gorillas randomly on a safari, for which the odds were rather low. Zeka said we were the first tourists to the gorillas who didn't have a connection to Gabon (e.g. an expat from Libreville or friends / family visiting someone in Gabon).
The trackers were out early in the morning, and radioed the location back to camp. We washed our hands so that we didn't bring germs into the gorilla habitat. We then took a boat ride to the nearest point so we didn't have to walk as far through the rainforest. We followed elephant trails (they are nicely wide) for about 45 minutes, to about 200m from the gorilla family. We stopped to put on a medical mask (for the gorillas' protection), remove our cameras / binoculars from our packs, and packed away our water bottles. Then we were on to see the gorillas!
First we observed Kamaya, the silverback on the family. He pretty much ignored us, which was what we wanted. Next we moved on to other members of the family. Over the course of the hour visit, we saw 13 of the 14 family members. We were fortunate to observe the family during a rest period, and that they were on level ground. There was pretty dense underbrush which made for dim lighting and difficult focusing for pictures. Lowland gorillas tend to spread out, unlike mountain gorillas which clump together. So there was gorilla activity all around us, about 20m away, and near the end we were encircled by the family! The researchers said it was a sign that the group was truly habitualized, otherwise the silverback would make sure he was always between the humans and the family.
After our hour was up (tourist exposure is limited so that the gorillas don't become over-habitualized), we left the family. After 200m we were able to remove our masks. The trackers led us back to the boat and we returned to camp. We were really lucky with our tracking - there was no rain, it was a short walk to track the gorillas, they were in a relatively flat area, and we didn't have to cross any swamps or streams. It was really cool to see the gorillas. It's the first time a baby gorilla hasn't hugged me, breaking my streak at two.
We chatted with Zeka over lunch. She's doing her masters thesis on something related to gorillas and ecotourism, and was very interested in what drew us to Loango. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about gorillas.
The boat ride back to the lodge was pretty bumpy, as the wind had picked up. We were back at the lodge by 3pm, just enough time to freshen up and head out on on next excursion.
We were joined by another group of four tourists. Took a boat ride 500m across the lagoon, and boarded the safari vehicle. We drove over white sand, which was far more bumpier than I would have thought sand could be. We drove to the Atlantic facing side of the peninsula, along the way seeing elephants, buffalo, and other animals.
One thing we did not like was that the guides purposely antagonize the elephants to try to get them to charge so that tourists can get videos to post to social media. It's very stressful for the elephants. The other tourists we met at the lodge all showed off their videos, so the problem is that there's a demand for it, which safari drivers and the lodge are happy to supply. Anyways it the lowlight of our time at Loango.
On the Atlantic side we drove parallel to the beach, hoping to see elephants and / or hippos on the beach. There was a lot of garbage on the beach. We came across buffalo and elephants on the grasslands adjacent to the beach, but not actually on the beach. There was no use taking pictures what with all the trash.
We returned back to the boat, and then back across to the lodge. Showered and then went to the main lodge for dinner. We had red snapper for our main, which was excellent. We had had maybe ten minutes of downtime since our arrival at Loango and were pretty exhausted. Fell asleep almost immediately.
Mathieu had reviewed today's itinerary With us the previous evening after dinner. In the morning was gorilla tracking, followed by an afternoon safari to see elephants on the beach.
We packed for the gorilla tracking. We debated wearing beach shoes because there was good chance we'd be crossing streams and swamps, but didn't like the idea of open ankles for ants and other insects to nibble on so wore our trekking shoes.
At 8am we left by boat for the research camp, an hour south on the lagoon. One of the researchers, Zeka, met us at the dock. She was also our guide for the gorilla tracking. First we went through an orientation and the rules. There's three species of gorillas. We had previously seen the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Here we would see the lowland gorillas. The third species is not yet habitualized (I forget what they're called).
Gorilla tracking at Loango only opened up about seven months ago. It wasn't an option when I was planning the trip - we only hoped to see the gorillas randomly on a safari, for which the odds were rather low. Zeka said we were the first tourists to the gorillas who didn't have a connection to Gabon (e.g. an expat from Libreville or friends / family visiting someone in Gabon).
The trackers were out early in the morning, and radioed the location back to camp. We washed our hands so that we didn't bring germs into the gorilla habitat. We then took a boat ride to the nearest point so we didn't have to walk as far through the rainforest. We followed elephant trails (they are nicely wide) for about 45 minutes, to about 200m from the gorilla family. We stopped to put on a medical mask (for the gorillas' protection), remove our cameras / binoculars from our packs, and packed away our water bottles. Then we were on to see the gorillas!
First we observed Kamaya, the silverback on the family. He pretty much ignored us, which was what we wanted. Next we moved on to other members of the family. Over the course of the hour visit, we saw 13 of the 14 family members. We were fortunate to observe the family during a rest period, and that they were on level ground. There was pretty dense underbrush which made for dim lighting and difficult focusing for pictures. Lowland gorillas tend to spread out, unlike mountain gorillas which clump together. So there was gorilla activity all around us, about 20m away, and near the end we were encircled by the family! The researchers said it was a sign that the group was truly habitualized, otherwise the silverback would make sure he was always between the humans and the family.
After our hour was up (tourist exposure is limited so that the gorillas don't become over-habitualized), we left the family. After 200m we were able to remove our masks. The trackers led us back to the boat and we returned to camp. We were really lucky with our tracking - there was no rain, it was a short walk to track the gorillas, they were in a relatively flat area, and we didn't have to cross any swamps or streams. It was really cool to see the gorillas. It's the first time a baby gorilla hasn't hugged me, breaking my streak at two.
We chatted with Zeka over lunch. She's doing her masters thesis on something related to gorillas and ecotourism, and was very interested in what drew us to Loango. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about gorillas.
The boat ride back to the lodge was pretty bumpy, as the wind had picked up. We were back at the lodge by 3pm, just enough time to freshen up and head out on on next excursion.
We were joined by another group of four tourists. Took a boat ride 500m across the lagoon, and boarded the safari vehicle. We drove over white sand, which was far more bumpier than I would have thought sand could be. We drove to the Atlantic facing side of the peninsula, along the way seeing elephants, buffalo, and other animals.
One thing we did not like was that the guides purposely antagonize the elephants to try to get them to charge so that tourists can get videos to post to social media. It's very stressful for the elephants. The other tourists we met at the lodge all showed off their videos, so the problem is that there's a demand for it, which safari drivers and the lodge are happy to supply. Anyways it the lowlight of our time at Loango.
On the Atlantic side we drove parallel to the beach, hoping to see elephants and / or hippos on the beach. There was a lot of garbage on the beach. We came across buffalo and elephants on the grasslands adjacent to the beach, but not actually on the beach. There was no use taking pictures what with all the trash.
We returned back to the boat, and then back across to the lodge. Showered and then went to the main lodge for dinner. We had red snapper for our main, which was excellent. We had had maybe ten minutes of downtime since our arrival at Loango and were pretty exhausted. Fell asleep almost immediately.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Loango NP, Gabon
I was a bit nervous about the Loango part of the trip, that it would actually happen. After our plans changed in early November due to flight schedules, the Loango part had taken the longest to confirm, with the booking only being finalized a week before we took off. My bank transfer for the balance owing had been declined by the receiving bank because the IBAN (account #) was invalid, even though I had sent a deposit to the same IBAN back in September. So I was hoping that someone would be at the airport in Port Gentil (called POG by the locals) to meet us.
First we had to get to the airport in Libreville. We had arranged an early breakfast at 5:30am, but there was no one at reception or in the kitchen at the Royal Palm. Not a promising start :(. The person on duty came out from a back room (looked like we woke him up). We asked for petit dejeuner and he sprung into action, and by 5:45am we were enjoying croissants and pain au chocolates with tea and coffee.
We asked about the taxi we had reserved for 6am to give them some time to work out in care there wasn't actually a reservation. Quickly ate (for us anyways - for most other people it was probably normal speed). Then got our packs and back to the reception. We still had to pay - we had tried the previous evening after dinner but the credit card POS wasn't connecting. It worked the first time (we had Euros as back up but preferred not to spend them so early), a taxi was there at 6:05am and we were at the airport by 6:25am.
We were flying domestic, the driver had asked around a few people to confirm the correct terminal for AfriJet. It took all of five minutes to check in, go through security (bottled water allowed), and get to the (only) domestic gate.
The other passengers looked like oil industry folks heading back to work after Christmas. At 7:15am, we walked out on the tarmac to board, right on schedule. It was a larger prop plane, a manufacturer I didn't recognize.
Thirty five minutes later we touched down at POG. We waited a few minutes for our luggage, (they actually checked the tags when we exited), and out into the sidewalk. I didn't see anyone with a D'Souza / Murray sign, but before I could look fully around, someone walked up and asked Loango? He had a Loango Lodge tshirt too, so it all seemed legit. So far so good!
The driver took us to Hôtel Le Bouganvillier in town, about 10 minutes from the airport, which was the same hotel that had been mentioned when I was originally booking back in July.
We switched to a quatre-quatre (4x4) for the next leg. They weren't quite ready to leave so we had a 2nd breakfast, including an omelette, as we hadn't had any protein with our 5:30am breakfast and I wasn't sure when we'd be eating again.
Our first driver came back from the pharmacy with a pair of generic reading glasses, and asked if we could deliver to Mathieu (the manager at Loango). Like most remote places, there's infrequent transport to a main centre and anyone going back and forth becomes an ad hoc transport service.
We drove through POG, to another hotel, where we picked up a group that had their own vehicles but had to follow our driver in a convoy.
So now we were four vehicles on our way to Loango. Our driver said it was about 3.5 hours to another meeting point, where we would switch vehicles for the last hour into Loango.
It was a long hot bumpy ride over a dirt road. There is a road being constructed, and for parts of the drive the new road was operational. There weren't lane markings or anything, but aside from a couple of construction related vehicles, there was no one else on the road.
I hadn't realized that the entire drive would be through undeveloped countryside. There weren't any little towns or even junction towns e.g. to buy water. Never mind junction towns - there wasn't even a junction - there was just this one road, from POG to Loango, with nothing else in between. This would have been good to know before we left POG, as we would have bought some extra water. We had a 1L bottle that we had carried on the plane, but that was it.
There were a couple of security checkpoints, related to the construction company. Our driver makes this run frequently and knew all the checkpoint people so there were no issues.
Finally around 3pm we reached Camp Liambissi, very parched and hungry. This was the destination for the rest of the convoy, which finally made sense to us. We had been wondering how the group of 14 including 7 young kids would handle Loango, as there's not many kid-accessible activities.
The manager, Phillipe, greeted us and invited us to stay a few minutes to have a snack. I guess the driver had called ahead to let them know that were hungry and thirsty tourists incoming :) It was the fastest Heather and I have ever finished a 1.5L bottle of water, less than 10 minutes.
We switched to a safari vehicle for the last hour to Loango, just me and Heather. It felt great to be in the open safari vehicle after the hot enclosed ride for the previous five hours. The scenery was amazing - intermingled grasslands and forests. It reminded me of a very large golf course in the woods, except this was natural.
We reached Loango around 4:30pm. We met the manager, Mathieu, as well as another person who introduced himself with what sounded like Yanni. Turns out it was Jannie who I had been emailing over the past few months. He had signed his emails alternately as Jan or Jannie, and I had assumed it was a female name of someone with Africa's Eden, and based in Portugal. So finally I knew that the Loango trip wasn't an elaborate Internet scam :)
Mathieu showed us to our chalet. We quickly washed up and then went out for a short tour of the lagoon which separates Loango National Park from Loango Lodge.
We saw some hippos, and then did a short walking safari and saw a lone elephant. Our guide / boat driver got us close to the elephant on foot. The elephant didn't take too kindly to this, and we backed off back to the boat. It all seemed rather sketch. (Over the next couple days we observed other newly-arrived tourists doing the same walking safari to a lone elephant. It looks like walking safaris are The Next Big Thing that lodges offer, without all the safety / knowledgeable guides that we've had at previous lodges.)
We went by boat to another beach and walked around to the ocean-facing side of Loango NP, hoping to see elephants or hippos on the beach. We did see elephant footprints but no animals.
We got back to the lodge around 6:30pm. Showered and then to the main lodge for dinner. It was excellent - freshly-caught jack fish, impossibly tender, with green beans and mashed potato, and a fruit crumble for dessert. Mmm good.
We were a little concerned about sleeping, as there was no mosquito net and Gabon is a great place to catch malaria. I had brought a small net but there was no place to rig it up. There was a/c and a big fan, so we cranked up both and hoped that the power didn't go off in the middle of the night. Also put on bug repellant as a back up. Turns out the power at Loango Lodge is pretty reliable and the a/c and fan did the trick, we didn't get any bites.
First we had to get to the airport in Libreville. We had arranged an early breakfast at 5:30am, but there was no one at reception or in the kitchen at the Royal Palm. Not a promising start :(. The person on duty came out from a back room (looked like we woke him up). We asked for petit dejeuner and he sprung into action, and by 5:45am we were enjoying croissants and pain au chocolates with tea and coffee.
We asked about the taxi we had reserved for 6am to give them some time to work out in care there wasn't actually a reservation. Quickly ate (for us anyways - for most other people it was probably normal speed). Then got our packs and back to the reception. We still had to pay - we had tried the previous evening after dinner but the credit card POS wasn't connecting. It worked the first time (we had Euros as back up but preferred not to spend them so early), a taxi was there at 6:05am and we were at the airport by 6:25am.
We were flying domestic, the driver had asked around a few people to confirm the correct terminal for AfriJet. It took all of five minutes to check in, go through security (bottled water allowed), and get to the (only) domestic gate.
The other passengers looked like oil industry folks heading back to work after Christmas. At 7:15am, we walked out on the tarmac to board, right on schedule. It was a larger prop plane, a manufacturer I didn't recognize.
Thirty five minutes later we touched down at POG. We waited a few minutes for our luggage, (they actually checked the tags when we exited), and out into the sidewalk. I didn't see anyone with a D'Souza / Murray sign, but before I could look fully around, someone walked up and asked Loango? He had a Loango Lodge tshirt too, so it all seemed legit. So far so good!
The driver took us to Hôtel Le Bouganvillier in town, about 10 minutes from the airport, which was the same hotel that had been mentioned when I was originally booking back in July.
We switched to a quatre-quatre (4x4) for the next leg. They weren't quite ready to leave so we had a 2nd breakfast, including an omelette, as we hadn't had any protein with our 5:30am breakfast and I wasn't sure when we'd be eating again.
Our first driver came back from the pharmacy with a pair of generic reading glasses, and asked if we could deliver to Mathieu (the manager at Loango). Like most remote places, there's infrequent transport to a main centre and anyone going back and forth becomes an ad hoc transport service.
We drove through POG, to another hotel, where we picked up a group that had their own vehicles but had to follow our driver in a convoy.
So now we were four vehicles on our way to Loango. Our driver said it was about 3.5 hours to another meeting point, where we would switch vehicles for the last hour into Loango.
It was a long hot bumpy ride over a dirt road. There is a road being constructed, and for parts of the drive the new road was operational. There weren't lane markings or anything, but aside from a couple of construction related vehicles, there was no one else on the road.
I hadn't realized that the entire drive would be through undeveloped countryside. There weren't any little towns or even junction towns e.g. to buy water. Never mind junction towns - there wasn't even a junction - there was just this one road, from POG to Loango, with nothing else in between. This would have been good to know before we left POG, as we would have bought some extra water. We had a 1L bottle that we had carried on the plane, but that was it.
There were a couple of security checkpoints, related to the construction company. Our driver makes this run frequently and knew all the checkpoint people so there were no issues.
Finally around 3pm we reached Camp Liambissi, very parched and hungry. This was the destination for the rest of the convoy, which finally made sense to us. We had been wondering how the group of 14 including 7 young kids would handle Loango, as there's not many kid-accessible activities.
The manager, Phillipe, greeted us and invited us to stay a few minutes to have a snack. I guess the driver had called ahead to let them know that were hungry and thirsty tourists incoming :) It was the fastest Heather and I have ever finished a 1.5L bottle of water, less than 10 minutes.
We switched to a safari vehicle for the last hour to Loango, just me and Heather. It felt great to be in the open safari vehicle after the hot enclosed ride for the previous five hours. The scenery was amazing - intermingled grasslands and forests. It reminded me of a very large golf course in the woods, except this was natural.
We reached Loango around 4:30pm. We met the manager, Mathieu, as well as another person who introduced himself with what sounded like Yanni. Turns out it was Jannie who I had been emailing over the past few months. He had signed his emails alternately as Jan or Jannie, and I had assumed it was a female name of someone with Africa's Eden, and based in Portugal. So finally I knew that the Loango trip wasn't an elaborate Internet scam :)
Mathieu showed us to our chalet. We quickly washed up and then went out for a short tour of the lagoon which separates Loango National Park from Loango Lodge.
We saw some hippos, and then did a short walking safari and saw a lone elephant. Our guide / boat driver got us close to the elephant on foot. The elephant didn't take too kindly to this, and we backed off back to the boat. It all seemed rather sketch. (Over the next couple days we observed other newly-arrived tourists doing the same walking safari to a lone elephant. It looks like walking safaris are The Next Big Thing that lodges offer, without all the safety / knowledgeable guides that we've had at previous lodges.)
We went by boat to another beach and walked around to the ocean-facing side of Loango NP, hoping to see elephants or hippos on the beach. We did see elephant footprints but no animals.
We got back to the lodge around 6:30pm. Showered and then to the main lodge for dinner. It was excellent - freshly-caught jack fish, impossibly tender, with green beans and mashed potato, and a fruit crumble for dessert. Mmm good.
We were a little concerned about sleeping, as there was no mosquito net and Gabon is a great place to catch malaria. I had brought a small net but there was no place to rig it up. There was a/c and a big fan, so we cranked up both and hoped that the power didn't go off in the middle of the night. Also put on bug repellant as a back up. Turns out the power at Loango Lodge is pretty reliable and the a/c and fan did the trick, we didn't get any bites.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Libreville, Gabon
We managed to sleep through the night so I hoped we had skipped jetlag on this trip. Breakfast was yummy at the Royal Palm - pastries, pancakes, fresh fruit salad and the best scrambled eggs I've had.
We spent most of the morning reorganizing our packs. We had used the carry-on suitcase to pack clothes in case our luggage didn't make it. (We were leaving the carry-on at the Royal Palm to carry souvenirs back at the end of the trip.)
It was Christmas so everything was closed, so we just walked into the centre of Quartier Glass to stretch our legs and see what the neighbourhood was about. Similar to Toronto, Libreville is a city of neighbourhoods. We did have a few objectives -- get local currency (CFAs), find a place for lunch, and buy some bottled water.
We tried a couple of ATMs but no luck, so went to Hotel Le Cristal to see if they would change some Euros. They had an ATM, so we tried that first, and it worked!
Flush with cash we continued on our little tour. Heather spotted a happening place in an old colonial building, with people seated around the 2nd floor balcony. It was starting to drizzle and it looked like a nice place to at least have a coffee so we stopped in. It turns out the salon de thé, Le Pelisson, is a Libreville institution (at least according to the Bradt guide). We decided to have lunch there, even though it was still before noon and a bit early for us, as we hadn't seen much else open. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the coffee was great and the dessert was amazing.
We figured that was enough for the day and so headed home, stopping in at a gas station convenience store along the way to buy some water.
Cleaned up and then went to the pool area to have a drink and watch the sunset. I was expecting the sun to slant down across the sky, but then remembered that we were close to the equator and so the sun just goes straight up and straight down. The sun got close to the horizon and then disappeared behind some clouds.
So it was now dark and we figured respectable enough to have dinner. However the bar staff said the kitchen wasn't open and to come back later. They weren't really clear on the reason. So we surfed a bit in our room, looked up some back up places that might be open on Christmas. At 7:30 we went back our to the bar and luckily, they were now open for dinner.
I had the grilled langouste and Heather tried the duck with fig. Both were pretty good, our Christmas dinner. We had an early start the next morning so went to bed early around 10pm.
We spent most of the morning reorganizing our packs. We had used the carry-on suitcase to pack clothes in case our luggage didn't make it. (We were leaving the carry-on at the Royal Palm to carry souvenirs back at the end of the trip.)
It was Christmas so everything was closed, so we just walked into the centre of Quartier Glass to stretch our legs and see what the neighbourhood was about. Similar to Toronto, Libreville is a city of neighbourhoods. We did have a few objectives -- get local currency (CFAs), find a place for lunch, and buy some bottled water.
We tried a couple of ATMs but no luck, so went to Hotel Le Cristal to see if they would change some Euros. They had an ATM, so we tried that first, and it worked!
Flush with cash we continued on our little tour. Heather spotted a happening place in an old colonial building, with people seated around the 2nd floor balcony. It was starting to drizzle and it looked like a nice place to at least have a coffee so we stopped in. It turns out the salon de thé, Le Pelisson, is a Libreville institution (at least according to the Bradt guide). We decided to have lunch there, even though it was still before noon and a bit early for us, as we hadn't seen much else open. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but the coffee was great and the dessert was amazing.
We figured that was enough for the day and so headed home, stopping in at a gas station convenience store along the way to buy some water.
Cleaned up and then went to the pool area to have a drink and watch the sunset. I was expecting the sun to slant down across the sky, but then remembered that we were close to the equator and so the sun just goes straight up and straight down. The sun got close to the horizon and then disappeared behind some clouds.
So it was now dark and we figured respectable enough to have dinner. However the bar staff said the kitchen wasn't open and to come back later. They weren't really clear on the reason. So we surfed a bit in our room, looked up some back up places that might be open on Christmas. At 7:30 we went back our to the bar and luckily, they were now open for dinner.
I had the grilled langouste and Heather tried the duck with fig. Both were pretty good, our Christmas dinner. We had an early start the next morning so went to bed early around 10pm.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Libreville, Gabon
Our flight was Saturday at 6:35pm. We got most of our packing done on Friday night so we weren't too rushed on Saturday to get to the airport. We had booked our flights back in June through Heather's cousin Cindy and got a great deal for Business class. I hadn't realized this also meant we skipped the line up through security, which was a nice bonus, especially over the busy Christmas season. The agent verified our visas to Gabon in Toronto; I thought they would only check before the flight from Paris but I guess it makes more sense. (Airlines are responsible for flying you out if you're refused entry to a country, so they check to make sure your papers are in order before you board.)
The food was pretty good on Air France, and we both slept for the latter half of the flight. The Air France lounge at CDG was under renovations and the temporary lounge was packed (woe is us). It was a short connection, just enough time for a coffee and pastry, and then we were off to Gabon!
We napped a couple times on the second flight and arrived relatively rested in Libreville. We were one of the first people to disembark and I accidentally followed the first class passengers to the VIP immigration, before one the VIPs helpfully pointed out the normal immigration checkpoint.
We already had our Gabon visas and the immigration official whisked us through in no time. Her ink pad was getting dry so the stamp is barely visible, but oh well. Then we waited over an hour for our luggage (reminded me of being at Pearson), but they all arrived. Everyone was very friendly around the conveyor, moving carts out of the way to let people pass and generally being helpful.
There was a final checkpoint leaving the secure area, where the official asked if we were students (lots of students were returning home for the holidays). We said, no, we're tourists, at which point she got suspicious. Oú allez-vous? cause no-one comes here as a tourist. We said we were going to Loango, and she nodded approvingly and waved us through.
Outside the terminal it was packed with families and friends waiting for the returning students. We found the taxi line and took a taxi to our hotel. We could smell the ocean as we drove, and I remembered that the road from the airport to town ran right along the coast. It was a pleasant temperature, about 26C, and pretty humid.
We checked into the Royal Palm around 7:30pm. We cleaned up and went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. According to Heather's research it was one of the better restaurants in town, plus on Christmas Eve we weren't sure what else was open. We sat at a table outside. We were the only guests at first, but a couple other tables filled in later on. We were still a little full from the Air France food, so split the seafood platter and a couple large Régab (the local beer). The seafood was excellent, it was super fresh and cooked properly. A good start to the food on this trip!
The food was pretty good on Air France, and we both slept for the latter half of the flight. The Air France lounge at CDG was under renovations and the temporary lounge was packed (woe is us). It was a short connection, just enough time for a coffee and pastry, and then we were off to Gabon!
We napped a couple times on the second flight and arrived relatively rested in Libreville. We were one of the first people to disembark and I accidentally followed the first class passengers to the VIP immigration, before one the VIPs helpfully pointed out the normal immigration checkpoint.
We already had our Gabon visas and the immigration official whisked us through in no time. Her ink pad was getting dry so the stamp is barely visible, but oh well. Then we waited over an hour for our luggage (reminded me of being at Pearson), but they all arrived. Everyone was very friendly around the conveyor, moving carts out of the way to let people pass and generally being helpful.
There was a final checkpoint leaving the secure area, where the official asked if we were students (lots of students were returning home for the holidays). We said, no, we're tourists, at which point she got suspicious. Oú allez-vous? cause no-one comes here as a tourist. We said we were going to Loango, and she nodded approvingly and waved us through.
Outside the terminal it was packed with families and friends waiting for the returning students. We found the taxi line and took a taxi to our hotel. We could smell the ocean as we drove, and I remembered that the road from the airport to town ran right along the coast. It was a pleasant temperature, about 26C, and pretty humid.
We checked into the Royal Palm around 7:30pm. We cleaned up and went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. According to Heather's research it was one of the better restaurants in town, plus on Christmas Eve we weren't sure what else was open. We sat at a table outside. We were the only guests at first, but a couple other tables filled in later on. We were still a little full from the Air France food, so split the seafood platter and a couple large Régab (the local beer). The seafood was excellent, it was super fresh and cooked properly. A good start to the food on this trip!
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Toronto, Canada
This year's trip is to Gabon and São Tomé & Príncipe. I can't say I could have pointed out Gabon on a map prior to researching this trip, although I knew roughly the whereabouts of São Tomé and Príncipe. We picked the destinations based on the least touristed countries in the world, with things of interest to us. In 2011, São Tomé & Príncipe received 12,000 visitors, which is an average of about 30 tourists per day. Gabon is a relative hotspot with 269,000 annual tourists, which still puts them in the lowest 25% of countries. (For comparison, France, the most-touristed country, has over 80 million visitors per year). Well enough with the statistics.
The two countries provide good variety for a three week trip. São Tomé & Príncipe has great beaches and snorkeling, coffee and chocolate plantations, hiking, and Claudio Corallo chocolate. Gabon highlights include national parks, with surfing hippos, lowland gorillas and elephants on the beach.
There wasn't much choice for guide books, just a skinny Bradt guide for each country. The two put together are the same thickness as the South Africa Lonely Planet from our previous trip.
We had booked most of the trip back in June, and had to rearrange everything in November when the regional flight schedules changed from what we were expecting. Luckily we were able to change our dates for most of our hotels & lodges.
We were a bit concerned with getting visas, as there's a lot of comments all over the web about other travellers having their visa applications rejected. We had no issues, although we did have to submit a lot of documentation. The visa application for São Tomé & Príncipe is online. Gabon also has an e-visa, but we needed a double-entry so mailed our passports to the embassy in Ottawa. The Gabon visa is a nice looking full-page sticker which includes our picture! I've not seen that before.
We learnt from previous trips and did most of our shopping for gear in early summer, when stores still have hot weather inventory. We're mostly ready to go, another week and we'll be on our way!
The two countries provide good variety for a three week trip. São Tomé & Príncipe has great beaches and snorkeling, coffee and chocolate plantations, hiking, and Claudio Corallo chocolate. Gabon highlights include national parks, with surfing hippos, lowland gorillas and elephants on the beach.
There wasn't much choice for guide books, just a skinny Bradt guide for each country. The two put together are the same thickness as the South Africa Lonely Planet from our previous trip.
We had booked most of the trip back in June, and had to rearrange everything in November when the regional flight schedules changed from what we were expecting. Luckily we were able to change our dates for most of our hotels & lodges.
We were a bit concerned with getting visas, as there's a lot of comments all over the web about other travellers having their visa applications rejected. We had no issues, although we did have to submit a lot of documentation. The visa application for São Tomé & Príncipe is online. Gabon also has an e-visa, but we needed a double-entry so mailed our passports to the embassy in Ottawa. The Gabon visa is a nice looking full-page sticker which includes our picture! I've not seen that before.
We learnt from previous trips and did most of our shopping for gear in early summer, when stores still have hot weather inventory. We're mostly ready to go, another week and we'll be on our way!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)