| Ndjole is a small town from where we made a walk into the rainforest, using tracks made by logging companies. We were hoping to see some monkeys, but unfortunately they didn't show themselves. Probably most wildlife had been hunted down in this area. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable walk within some nice patches of jungle. |
| Lambaréné is a small nondescript village if it were not for the fact that Albert Schwietzer started a hospital nearby to treat polio patients. In the follwing years it was expanded and also a research lab has been built. With this laboratory as our basis, my colleagues and I performed a field study focusing on the effects of parasitic worm (helminth) infections on the immune system. The hospital itself is nicely situated along the river Ogoue and about 2 kilometers outside Lambaréné. The complex is surrounded by rainforest which made it for me very easy to enjoy the natural beauty of Gabon whenever I had time to squeeze out for a couple of minutes. In Lambaréné there is a daily market where all kinds of local produce is being sold including bushmeat (monkeys and crocodiles). |
| Libreville is the capital and teh biggest city of Gabon. We only arrived there by plane and did not visit the city itself. The evening before our return we ate at a nice hotel, named Tropicana , right next to the beach. |
| On one of our days of we reanted a boat to go to Lac Evaro downstream of Lambaréné. It was a wonderful trip with pristine rainforest all around. In the trees lining the river, we spotted some monkeys and we saw a hippo in the water. In the middle of Lac Evaro is a small Island, which has been turned into a hotel. Its location is superb. You can sit on this island with while listening to absolute silence. It is something we, as Westeners, are not very familiar with anymore (well, at least I am not). |
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© Bart Everts
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| Physical activities: eg Walking / Rafting / swimming Nature: eg National Park / Reserve City / Cultural site |
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| During the fieldstudy we performed in May 2007 in Gabon, we had the oppurtunity to visit one of the great national parks of Gabon. Loango National Park protects a big stretch of rainforest and lagoons that border the southern coast of Gabon. It is home to many forest dwelling animals, including forest elephants, forest buffalos, chimpansees, Gorillas and Mandrills. It is one of the few places in Africa where Elephants and Buffalos come out of the forest to visit the beach and adjacant meadows. In addition, it is a great place for birding for both forest and water associated birds. Furthermore, during July and August Humpback Whales visit the coastal waters for some spectacular splashes. Lastly, if you are lukcy you might see Leatherback seaturtles coming to shore to lay eggs on the beach from November to March. Taken together, this park has a lot to offer and the weekend we stayed there was absolutely fabulous (even without sightings of whales, seaturtles or apes). There are two ways to visit the park. Either from the north via port Gentil and Omboue or from the south via Gamba and Sette Cama. We did the last and we stayed in the small town of Sette Cama where we were the only tourist during that weekend visiting the National Park. |
