Pongara

Head to Pongara National Park, one of Equatorial Africa's most untouched coastlines, just 60 minutes from Libreville. More than simply a beachside campsite, the park is also home to Pongara Lodge, which offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Pongara National Park is uniquely distinguished by its remarkable diversity of primates, plants, and birds. Heading anywhere along its shimmering estuary, which also cuts through mangrove swamps and flooded forests, you can see snapshots of tree monkeys peering down from tall treetops, forest elephants, and hippos wading in slow-moving lagoons. And just beyond a field along parts of the savannah lies another unspoiled sanctuary for herds of buffalo and small wild elephants, red river pigs, and clouded leopards.

However, it is a marine reserve of the national park, where activity goes up a notch during the breeding season. After the arrival of humpback whales and dolphins in the middle of the year, Pongara's gray beaches become even more pristine and wonderful when thousands of sea turtles nest ashore.

If you visit between November and February, you can check out one of the many educational programs run by Adventures Without Borders - a group that protects turtles and reduce human threats the cause.

Don't miss Chief Rapontchombo's first burial and learn the mysteries of his second burial!

Location: South of the Gabon estuary, near Libreville