Birding Tour Gabon: Complete Gabon — Rare Birds and Apes

Gabon is a relatively undiscovered gem and hosts a great many difficult African bird species. This French-speaking country is located in Equatorial West Africa and complements our “bulge of Africa” tours much further to the north-west (Ghana being the usual destination we run in that part of the world, along with Senegal). While Gabon has no endemic birds, there are several tantalizing species such as African River Martin, Grey-necked Rockfowl, Black-headed Bee-eater, Vermiculated Fishing Owl, and various other Congo-basin species that are arguably more easily found here than anywhere else.

Gabon is home to many rather rare and poorly-known birds – one of the most wanted of them is Black-headed Bee-eater.

Almost 70 percent of Gabon is still covered by pristine, primeval lowland rainforest, which is part of the appeal, and, with a country population of under 2 million people, these forests remain relatively untouched. The country also has a wide range of other habitats, not only tropical rainforest but also coastal lagoons, pristine beaches, large rivers and associated riverine vegetation, montane-type grasslands, and broken miombo woodland, all of which are home to a wide variety of fabulous birds. Gabon also boasts spectacular animals, and these still relatively untouched wildernesses (such as within the amazing Loango National Park, and the vast Lopé National Park) are home to the likes of African Forest Elephant, the striking Red River Hog, three species of crocodile, Western Gorilla and the iconic Mandrill, amongst others.

We include two specific ape-trekking permits in the tour cost, for Mandrill and Western Gorilla (pictured) – which add an exciting dimension to the tour (photo © Sue Bryan, past tour participant).

Our comprehensive Gabon tour visits all of the key birding sites and targets a great deal of the country’s many specials. Beginning in the coastal capital city of Libreville, our first “leg” travels around the interior of the country, beginning with a flight to Franceville. From here, we explore the wild open expanses of the Lekoni region and the Bateke Plateau for scarce species like Congo Moor Chat, Black-chinned Weaver, Black-collared Bulbul and the mega Black-headed Bee-eater. We then transfer to the extremely wild and largely untouched forests of the greater Makokou area, where we have four nights to give us a shot at the many scarce equatorial African forest species, including the highly-desired Grey-necked Rockfowl – which we have a special day set aside to search for them. We then move onto Lopé National Park, where we finish our inland leg of the tour hoping for birds like Congo Serpent Eagle and the localized Dja River Scrub Warbler. Whilst at Lopé, we will also have a dedicated Mandrill trekking activity, where we should see these rare animals.

We then transit back to Libreville, and take a short domestic flight to the coastal wetlands, rivers, and surrounding forests of the greater Loango National Park. This vast wilderness is truly incredible and is sure to be a major highlight. Here, multiple boat trips and exquisite wilderness lodges, will be enjoyed alongside herds of animals and vast numbers of birds. This is a superb way to end our tour, as we seek out the country’s more well-known specials, such as African River Martin and Rosy Bee-eater, along with others such as the rare Vermiculated Fishing Owl, closely related Pel’s Fishing Owl and White-crested Tiger Heron. It is in Loango, where we will have our dedicated Western Gorilla trekking activity.

Black-collared Bulbul is a range restricted species that favors mesic grassy savannas on the edges of forests – and is one of our primary targets in the early days of the tour in the Lekoni region.