Fernan Vaz Lagoon

A journey to the Fernan Vaz Lagoon is one of the highlights of any tour of the Ogooué-Maritime area, and it is now more accessible than ever thanks to the completion of a new route from Port-Gentil. The lagoon's dark waters are surrounded by an unnaturally green and vegetated coastline, creating a marvelously dramatic environment. The lagoon was named after the Portuguese sailor Ferno Vaz, who found it at the end of the 15th century, but the Mission Sainte-Anne, with its rust-red église, was built four decades later. The church was completed in 1889, the same year as the Eiffel Tower, and there is a link, as odd as it may appear. Look no farther than Gustav Eiffel, who, at the request of Mrs. Bichet, the mother of Sainte-founding Anne's priest and a rich woman with Paris connections, transported the blueprints and materials all the way from Paris. The church is towering and graceful, with the metal having weathered to a deep, rusty red over time.

The laudable Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project, which has been caring for orphaned gorillas since 2001, is now located in the lagoon. The organization operates a refuge and reintroduction center on Île Evengué-Ezango. The sanctuary's four gorillas serve as conservation ambassadors, educating national and international tourists about the predicament of great apes in a wooded cage on the island. The rehabilitation center, which now houses eight orphaned gorillas on adjacent Île Oriquet, is located away from human exposure. The goal is to restore them to their natural habitat. Mpanda, just 600 meters across from Oriquet Island, is where the PGFA base camp is located. The average visit lasts 90 minutes, including a brief orientation to the center.

You may take guided excursions in the surrounding forest or along the beach, as well as visit some of the nearby towns, in addition to viewing the mission and gorilla sanctuary. Most people arrive by boat on a day excursion with one of Omboué's hotels, although the mission is also theoretically accessible by 50 kilometers of unpaved roads and sandy paths that connect it to Omboué. If you're intending to go this way, seek advice from locals on the best route. If you choose to stay the night, the mission provides limited accommodations in wood-paneled first-floor rooms.

Location: the Atlantic coast of Gabon