Holiday Reviews
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Gabon holiday, independent reviews
 Reviewed 4 Jan 2009 by Thomas L. James |  |
I should write my impressions of our Gabon adventure while they are still fresh. I will give a few caveats upfront. (1) This is the most expensive vacation my wife Olga and I have taken, and I have traveled fairly extensively (more than 100 countries), so our impressions are filtered through the context of value. (2) Air France cancelled our first flight from San Francisco to Paris, so we had to scramble (causing anxiety and fatigue) to make it to Libreville on time to take the night train to Lopé and lose a day planned in Libreville. (3) As a consequence of the extra travel time, flights and the train being 3 hours late into Lopé, my wife and I both were ill (cold for me, flu maybe for Olga) during the first week of our stay in Gabon. (4) As we have seen many other animals in the wild, we were looking forward to seeing at least one mandrill, gorilla or chimpanzee in the wild, as this was apparently more likely in Gabon than elsewhere (Congo being pretty much off-limits now). However, we did not see any in the wild, which was a big disappointment.
Impressions:
(A) For a while, we were impressed with the service provided by representatives for the tour operator or their SCD Aviation affiliate. Then we became amazed. No matter where we were in Gabon, they had somebody meet us (always on time) for our next transition, even when we could have figured out things ourselves. This service surely contributed to a more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
(B) For the first several days, we wondered about the wisdom of coming to Gabon, as the positive aspects of the experience were not commensurate with the cost and with our becoming ill (vide supra and vide infra). However, we gradually began to appreciate the experience although with some disappointments (vide supra).
(C) Lopé Lodge and environs: Beautiful area, moderately decent for animals. Lodge itself: (1) We were not happy to arrive at the Lodge at about 5 AM after a few days of traveling with little decent sleep to get a cabin that was not ready for occupancy. It was also a little disconcerting to figure out in our fatigued frame of mind how to get to the hotel, but after others had left the platform and nobody showed up, we finally moved to the parking lot where we could see that a truck did have “Lopé Lodge” written on it; so, although we were the only ones going to Lopé Lodge other than the driver, after he made stops to drop off others at various places in the small town, we made our way finally to the Lodge, but the room was not entirely ready for occupancy as we discovered upon entering it. (2) Food was good and abundant at Lopé. (3) General staff, especially dining room and kitchen, were terrific; the manager did not gain our confidence, as he seemed to say whatever was expedient at the moment, and what he said varied by the hour. (3) The WCS representative who was supposed to take us tracking for mandrills did not show up and did not leave any message; the receptionist at Lopé said she tried a few times but was unable to get any answer from them when she tried that day. Since we did not want to miss this opportunity, we just sat around the Lodge most of the day waiting. We did understand that the tracking collars were not functioning well, but two Spaniards we met who were traveling there on the cheap did see the mandrills on the day before we were scheduled to go out tracking them. (4) In short, spending 2 days less at Lopé would have improved the overall Gabon trip.
(D) Mikongo Camp (in Lopé Natl. Park): (1) Each one of the staff, no matter the job, was extremely friendly and kind. (2) Food and sleeping conditions were fine. (3) We were disappointed with the guides/trackers, pleasant as they were, in that they seemed more intent on proving that chimps, gorillas and elephants existed in the vicinity than in actually sighting any. We could hear them, smell them, see their prints, faeces, evidence of eating, etc, but we would not make an effort to actually go see them, even if they could be heard. Chasing elephants in the forest, of course, can be dangerous, but it was not so clear that was true of the chimps and gorillas, as long as our behavior was appropriate. I filled out a questionnaire at Mikongo stating the above; in retrospect, I feel badly about this having a negative impact on any individuals there, since we really liked all of the people.
(E) Langoué Baie: This was undoubtedly the most anticipated part of our Gabon tour, and the place where we realized why this trip was so expensive, especially since we were the only guests at the Langoué camp for the three nights we were there – indeed, reportedly the last guests until it can be determined whether “tourists” will be accommodated there in the future. The staff was terrific on all counts. On the last full day there, we had possibly our best day in Gabon, constantly viewing elephants and their social behavior at the baie, as well as a number of other animals. Alas, no gorillas or chimps for us, although a gorilla reportedly passed through camp in our absence. On our last day hiking out, we heard a group of noisy chimps within 200-300 meters, but the schedule to meet the 4X4 and thence the plane prevented any attempt to chase them down. In concert with staff, we surmised that the relatively few animals viewed in the first 1.5 days at Langoué resulted from the noisy helicopters of a French film crew who were there on the day preceding our visit.
(F) Loango (including Evengué): This was a restful and quite enjoyable part of our Gabon stay. Without exception, everyone associated with the tour operator (including staff at Evengué and Loango Lodges) with whom we interacted were great. The logistics were excellent. We certainly had input on our activities, but there were always multiple options and people available to make sure we were as busy as we wished. We especially enjoyed being able to go out to Tassi Camp for a couple days. The accommodations and food were very much to our liking. (Well, maybe it would have been nice to have a decent wine at a decent price, but that’s merely quibbling; we had one bottle of fairly expensive bad wine and decided to try no more.) We really liked the guides and trackers, who all seemed genuinely to enjoy their work in spite of it being pretty routine stuff to them although clearly not to us.
As we had trouble getting to Gabon, we also had anxieties getting out, although we were at the counter 3 hours before departure. It seems that our reservation had been cancelled for some unknown reason, and the flight was fully booked (mostly ex-pats going home for the holidays). With about 30 minutes before scheduled boarding, we were given the last two seats on the flight to Casablanca due to a couple of no-shows.
Yes on both counts.
We are happy that we had the experience. However, there is probably no one we know (well, maybe one person) besides ourselves who would enjoy the experience as much if they also had paid for it. I would rate the experience 4 stars for us, but the way the "starring" is explained, I cannot.
Impressions:
(A) For a while, we were impressed with the service provided by representatives for the tour operator or their SCD Aviation affiliate. Then we became amazed. No matter where we were in Gabon, they had somebody meet us (always on time) for our next transition, even when we could have figured out things ourselves. This service surely contributed to a more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
(B) For the first several days, we wondered about the wisdom of coming to Gabon, as the positive aspects of the experience were not commensurate with the cost and with our becoming ill (vide supra and vide infra). However, we gradually began to appreciate the experience although with some disappointments (vide supra).
(C) Lopé Lodge and environs: Beautiful area, moderately decent for animals. Lodge itself: (1) We were not happy to arrive at the Lodge at about 5 AM after a few days of traveling with little decent sleep to get a cabin that was not ready for occupancy. It was also a little disconcerting to figure out in our fatigued frame of mind how to get to the hotel, but after others had left the platform and nobody showed up, we finally moved to the parking lot where we could see that a truck did have “Lopé Lodge” written on it; so, although we were the only ones going to Lopé Lodge other than the driver, after he made stops to drop off others at various places in the small town, we made our way finally to the Lodge, but the room was not entirely ready for occupancy as we discovered upon entering it. (2) Food was good and abundant at Lopé. (3) General staff, especially dining room and kitchen, were terrific; the manager did not gain our confidence, as he seemed to say whatever was expedient at the moment, and what he said varied by the hour. (3) The WCS representative who was supposed to take us tracking for mandrills did not show up and did not leave any message; the receptionist at Lopé said she tried a few times but was unable to get any answer from them when she tried that day. Since we did not want to miss this opportunity, we just sat around the Lodge most of the day waiting. We did understand that the tracking collars were not functioning well, but two Spaniards we met who were traveling there on the cheap did see the mandrills on the day before we were scheduled to go out tracking them. (4) In short, spending 2 days less at Lopé would have improved the overall Gabon trip.
(D) Mikongo Camp (in Lopé Natl. Park): (1) Each one of the staff, no matter the job, was extremely friendly and kind. (2) Food and sleeping conditions were fine. (3) We were disappointed with the guides/trackers, pleasant as they were, in that they seemed more intent on proving that chimps, gorillas and elephants existed in the vicinity than in actually sighting any. We could hear them, smell them, see their prints, faeces, evidence of eating, etc, but we would not make an effort to actually go see them, even if they could be heard. Chasing elephants in the forest, of course, can be dangerous, but it was not so clear that was true of the chimps and gorillas, as long as our behavior was appropriate. I filled out a questionnaire at Mikongo stating the above; in retrospect, I feel badly about this having a negative impact on any individuals there, since we really liked all of the people.
(E) Langoué Baie: This was undoubtedly the most anticipated part of our Gabon tour, and the place where we realized why this trip was so expensive, especially since we were the only guests at the Langoué camp for the three nights we were there – indeed, reportedly the last guests until it can be determined whether “tourists” will be accommodated there in the future. The staff was terrific on all counts. On the last full day there, we had possibly our best day in Gabon, constantly viewing elephants and their social behavior at the baie, as well as a number of other animals. Alas, no gorillas or chimps for us, although a gorilla reportedly passed through camp in our absence. On our last day hiking out, we heard a group of noisy chimps within 200-300 meters, but the schedule to meet the 4X4 and thence the plane prevented any attempt to chase them down. In concert with staff, we surmised that the relatively few animals viewed in the first 1.5 days at Langoué resulted from the noisy helicopters of a French film crew who were there on the day preceding our visit.
(F) Loango (including Evengué): This was a restful and quite enjoyable part of our Gabon stay. Without exception, everyone associated with the tour operator (including staff at Evengué and Loango Lodges) with whom we interacted were great. The logistics were excellent. We certainly had input on our activities, but there were always multiple options and people available to make sure we were as busy as we wished. We especially enjoyed being able to go out to Tassi Camp for a couple days. The accommodations and food were very much to our liking. (Well, maybe it would have been nice to have a decent wine at a decent price, but that’s merely quibbling; we had one bottle of fairly expensive bad wine and decided to try no more.) We really liked the guides and trackers, who all seemed genuinely to enjoy their work in spite of it being pretty routine stuff to them although clearly not to us.
As we had trouble getting to Gabon, we also had anxieties getting out, although we were at the counter 3 hours before departure. It seems that our reservation had been cancelled for some unknown reason, and the flight was fully booked (mostly ex-pats going home for the holidays). With about 30 minutes before scheduled boarding, we were given the last two seats on the flight to Casablanca due to a couple of no-shows.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Yes on both counts.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We are happy that we had the experience. However, there is probably no one we know (well, maybe one person) besides ourselves who would enjoy the experience as much if they also had paid for it. I would rate the experience 4 stars for us, but the way the "starring" is explained, I cannot.
