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The region of Franceville in southeastern Gabon, is located between
the forest area and the savannah plateaux. This characteristic gives
it a more interesting diversity, and the region shall most certainly
become a main centre of ecotourism.
In the National Park there are several tourist welcome projects, including
the John Aspinall Foundation site, which takes care of reinserting orphan
gorillas into nature.
Today we can always visit the plateaux located to the east of the small
town called Lékoni and its canyons formed by the erosion into
the sandy soil. This is also a remarkable area for birds, and amateur
bird watchers never miss this place.
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Grand canyon |
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Batéké plateaux |
Stay in Lékoni
Flights from Libreville every day for the Franceville airport, where
you must then rent a 4-wheel drive. The Lékoni Hotel is a
small business which is very successful, and which is a practical
place to stay because of its proximity to the Lékoni Circus
– also called the Grand Canyon. You can easily get lost on
the plateaux, and you absolutely must have a chauffeur with you
who knows the region. In addition to the Grand Canyon, you can also
discover the Green Canyon, the Ghost Canyon and the White Canyon. |
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The
Lékédi Park
Located to the south of Moanda and Franceville, the Lékédi
Park is the successful result of an astonishing reconversion project.
Bakoumba – the city of the longest mono-cable car in the world
(76 km) has become a ‘nature’ town within a few years. Used
to the best, Bakoumba has received a park with 14,000 hectares surrounded
by 87 km of fencing.
Sodépal – created by the Comilog Company, has been quickly
setting up economic activities: fish culture, the raising of wild animals,
ecotourism… which will be followed by other activities –
the production of mushrooms, roof tiles, |
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Lékédi park restaurant
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pottery, the weaving of raphia
fibers, etc… Dynamism, creativity, originality, business
creators and managers are in abundance in Lékédi.
Visiting the park and fish culture ponds, watching the animals
when driving, walking , from the Mioula Bridge, from the shelters
on pillars or from a boat going around the island of chimpanzees
– you can’t be bored for a minute during your stay
in Bakoumba.
Lodging is offered in the former premises now renovated of the
directors of the cable car. |
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bedrooms and 3 or 4-room houses for families, air-conditioning, bathrooms,
restaurant, swimming pool, tennis, library and medical service –
nothing is missing.
For economic as well as ecological reasons, the cable car equipment
has been recycled in a thousand different ways: it now serves as an
observation point for watching animals, the ties of the railway used
as fence posts, the raising of young fish in the aluminium tanks, and
the most spectacular – a 30-meter high suspended bridge extending
360 meters in length using the cable car cables, all overlooking |
Liana bridge
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the
forest and a vast area where there is a colony of mandrills!
There is also a project for the reinsertion of chimpanzees on a small
island in the lake and a vivarium has been created.
Stay in Lékédi Park
There are flights every day from Libreville to Mvengué –
the Franceville airport, where you then go to Bakoumba by car. Your
stay includes all meals and also visits of the various zones and activities
of the park. We advise 2 days minimum, and then return by plane.
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train and plain: the best way is the fast day train on Tuesday
which takes 8 hours to reach Moanda. To return, you go back to
the Mvengué Airport for the flight back to Libreville.
The price includes train and/or plane tickets, road transportation
to Bakoumba, lodging and complete meals and tourist outings. An
option is the excursion to the Swinging Liana Bridge and the Poubara
Waterfalls.
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This tourist site is included in
the following tours:
[ Ornithology
tour | Discovering
Gabon ]
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Mandrill
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