Trip Highlights & Dates Travel Map & Summary
 Optional Extensions

 

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"Africa's Last Eden" - 7 days

Itinerary

Optional Extension A - Príncipe

Optional Extension B - São Tomé

Day 1: Friday – Arrival in Douala, Cameroon & transfer to Loango Lodge

Upon arrival at Douala International Airport, a representative of Africa’s Eden will meet you and take you to the VIP lounge to wait for your connecting Africa’s Eden private charter flight to Port Gentil. After a short stop in Port Gentil for customs, you will arrive at Loango Lodge in the evening, where you will be welcomed by our lodge managers and friendly staff for a late dinner.

Lodging: Loango Lodge

Day 2 & 3: Saturday & Sunday - Tassi / Akaka (depending on the season)

  • Tassi region (wet season)

One of our 4x4 jeeps will take you south-west to the Tassi / Louri area. During this drive, animals such as elephants, red river hogs, buffalos, birds and sitatunga (a swamp-dwelling antelope) can be seen. Tassi Camp is situated on the savannah, surrounded by primary and secondary forest.

Take the 4x4 and visit the research camp of the Max Planck Institute in Tassi Sud. From here, the researchers go into the forest to carry out studies amongst the shy, elusive gorillas and chimpanzees. From Tassi you can easily go on excursions to Louri, where there is a good chance of seeing buffalos and elephants on the beach: a truly remarkable sight and characteristic of Loango National Park. On very rare occasions, even hippos can be seen.

Lodging: Tassi Savannah Camp

  • Akaka region (dry season)

Embark on the boat for the 4-hour journey south to Akaka. During the trip you might encounter birds, elephants, buffalos and sitatunga (swamp-dwelling antelopes), possibly even bathing in the river.

Akaka is one of the most remote parts of Loango National Park. The Akaka forests thrive with butterflies and are home to a number of rare bird species. The bush camp is situated on the riverbank in the heart of the tropical rainforest and the wetlands. At times, the wildlife, especially elephants, passes right through the camp. Akaka is a good starting point for excursions like forest walks, or trips by kayak or motorboat along the Rembo Ngowe and Rembo Echira rivers. In the dry season, the concentrations of particularly forest buffalo and forest elephant that migrate into the area are easily seen. Smaller mammals like sitatunga, red river hogs, forest duikers, five species of monkey and great apes inhabit the area all year round.

Lodging: Akaka Bush Camp

Day 4: Monday - Loango National Park

After returning from Tassi / Akaka around lunchtime, you can relax at Loango Lodge or discover some other parts of the park: by car into the savannah, on foot into the mangroves, or by ‘houseboat’ along the shore.

Lodging: Loango Lodge

Day 5: Tuesday - Pte. Ste. Cathérine

In the afternoon, a 20-minute boat tour over the lagoon takes you to the Pointe Sainte Cathérine Beach Camp. This basic camp is situated at a beautiful spot on the beach in the north of Loango National Park. Beach walks, collecting shells and fishing are amongst the possibilities. You can also simply relax here, with one of the most beautiful beaches on earth all to yourself.

As the sun sets, dine in the restaurant, on the lounge deck, or enjoy a feet-in-the-sand beach barbeque affair. During the rainy season, from November to April, Pte. Ste. Cathérine sunsets are even better than usual.

Lodging: Pte. Ste. Cathérine Beach Camp

Day 6: Wednesday – Loango National Park

Upon return from Pte. Ste. Cathérine, a 4x4 jeep will drive you within 45 minutes to the start of the Mpivié River. From here, you will start the boat trip on the dark waters of the Mpivié to Evengué Island, a small island just outside Loango National Park where the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project is situated, which is sponsored by Africa’s Eden.

This is a perfect opportunity to sit back and enjoy the breathtaking views. Monkeys, crocodiles and all kinds of birds (Hartlaub’s ducks, finfoots and fishing owls in particular) can be seen. After approximately 2 hours, you will arrive at the small town of Ste. Anne, where Gustav Eiffel built an iron church in the late 1800s. After the visit to Ste. Anne, the trip will continue up Evengué Island where the staff is awaiting your arrival.

In the afternoon, our experts of the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project will share their knowledge with you on the bush meat crisis and other reasons why gorillas are a critically endangered species, and they will give you information about the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Sanctuary and Rehabilitation & Reintroduction Programme. Afterwards one of the guides will accompany you on a short bush walk leading to the gorilla family in the sanctuary.

Lodging: Evengué Lodge

Day 7: Thursday - Flight to Douala, Cameroon

In the afternoon, the Africa’s Eden private charter plane will fly you to Port Gentil. From Port Gentil, you will fly with Air Service to Douala, from where you can connect to your international flight.

Optional extension A: Príncipe

Day 7: Thursday - Flight to Príncipe

In the afternoon, the Africa’s Eden private charter plane will fly via Port Gentil to Príncipe airport, where the Bom Bom staff will be waiting to meet you. Before dinner, you will have time to settle into your room, have a swim in the pool or the ocean, or simply to relax and enjoy a cocktail.

Lodging: Bom Bom Island Resort

Day 8 & 9: Friday & Saturday – Príncipe

While Bom Bom is a wonderful place to relax and recharge your spirit, there is also plenty there to explore and discover.

  • Hiking

Circumnavigate Bom Bom Island by foot, and discover its beautiful rock pools with their own ecosystems varying from one pool to the next. Or go on a leisurely hike through the forest to experience the sounds of the jungle and catch glimpses of a Mona monkey or the African grey parrot.

  • Kayaking

Let our guides introduce you to kayaking on the calm waters around Bom Bom Island, then kayak out to the ruins of the old church from the first Portuguese settlement on Príncipe 400 years ago.

  • Diving *)

Discover the underwater world of Bom Bom! São Tomé and Príncipe, both ancient volcanic islands, are home to some of the world’s most spectacular rock formations, above and below the waterline. With drop-offs of over 35 metres, overhangs and cascading boulders, there is plenty of sea life here to keep you coming back for more!

  • Whale-watching *)

From mid-July to mid-September, humpback whales visit the waters around Bom Bom as they migrate from their low-latitude summer feeding grounds to more tropical mating and calving areas.

Lodging: Bom Bom Island Resort

*) Whale-watching: please note that sightings cannot be guaranteed and this excursion is not included in the cost of this programme. Diving: please note that an introductory dive is included in the cost of this programme; all other dives are at a surplus.

Day 10: Sunday – Flight to Douala, Cameroon

In the afternoon you will be brought to the airport for your return flight to Douala, Cameroon, from where you will connect to your international flight.

Optional extension B:São Tomé

Day 7: Thursday - Flight to São Tomé

In the afternoon, the Africa’s Eden private charter plane will fly via Port Gentil and Príncipe to São Tomé, where the Omali staff will be waiting to meet you. Before dinner, you will have time to settle into your room, have a swim in the pool or simply to relax and enjoy a cocktail.

Lodging: Omali Lodge Luxury Hotel

Day 8 & 9: Friday & Saturday – Príncipe

The Omali Lodge Luxury Hotel is the perfect spot from which to explore the natural and cultural wonders of the island! Some examples are:

  • Day trips by car

São Tomé’s well-developed infrastructure and its rich flora are an ideal combination for exploring the island. Head east, south or north by car and discover São Tomé’s dramatic landscapes of torrents and waterfalls, black and white sand beaches, sheer sea cliffs, tropical forest and extensive cocoa plantations.

A day to the southern tip of the island will take you to the heart of the Caué district, where the road ends and adventure begins. Enjoy locally brewed coffee at a “Roça” (plantation) and visit a small village where the local fishermen will take you on their traditional dug out canoes into a mangrove area to discover its peculiar biodiversity.

On your way back, you will stop to take a swim in one of Caué’s most secret beaches…

  • São Tomé city tour

Visit the old city centre and get a feel of what São Tomé was like during the colonial era. At the lively Mercado Central, you will discover the islands products and the Calilu’s secret ingredients. With a visit to the National Museum, our guide will tell you about the life on the plantations and São Tomé’s tormented pre-independence history.

Lodging: Omali Lodge Luxury Hotel

Day 10: Sunday – Flight to Douala, Cameroon

In the afternoon you will be brought to the airport for your return flight to Douala, Cameroon, from where you will connect to your international flight.