Gabon as a travel spot

Anyone tried out Gabon for a trip. Am considering a Scweitzer footsteps
trip, and into the forests, then downriver and back to Libreville. Is
it a good trip, and would it be expensive. Am thinking of setting up
Gabon for a school trip, but am unsure. What about security, crime etc.?
--
Geir Ertzgaard
http://www.ertzgaard.net
----------------------------------------------------
No matter where you go, there you are
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In article , Geir Ertzgaard geirertz-
writes
Anyone tried out Gabon for a trip. Am considering a Scweitzer footsteps
trip, and into the forests, then downriver and back to Libreville. Is
it a good trip, and would it be expensive. Am thinking of setting up
Gabon for a school trip, but am unsure. What about security, crime etc.?


You can find US info for tourists here.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1120.html

And for Australians here

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-c...w/Advice/Gabon

This URL contains this information, which frankly, seems OK, compared to
other African countries, including South Africa.

"Petty theft is common throughout Gabon. Violent crime, including
robberies and armed attacks, also occurs, especially in Libreville and
Port Gentil. Security risks increase when walking alone and on beaches
particularly at night, in and around Libreville and areas of La
Cocoteraie, La Sablière, Santa Clara and Le Pont de Gue-Gue.

Prior to travel, Australians should ensure they have a variety of
financial options available to them including credit cards, travellers'
cheques and US dollars cash. Australians should consult their automatic
teller machine (ATM) card provider for information about overseas
services and availability. Not all overseas ATMs accept Australian
cards. Credit cards are not widely accepted in Gabon.

Australians should only carry sufficient cash for their daily needs,
secure their valuables against theft and avoid displays of wealth at all
times. Photocopies of valuables such as passport, tickets, driving
licence and travellers' cheques should be kept separately from the
originals."

You should also worry about Ebola outbreaks as recently as 2001. One
strain of Ebola is actually called Ebola-Gabon.

http://www.mcb.uct.ac.za/ebola/ebopage.htm

There were some National geographic specials about Gabon recently.
Mayvbe you should try to find the relevant issues.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0408/feature6/
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature3/

All things considered, I'd go if I were you :-)

--
JohnM
Author of Brazil: Life, Blood, Soul &
Rainbow Diary: A Journey in the New South Africa
http://www.scroll.demon.co.uk/spaver.htm

You should also worry about Ebola outbreaks as recently as 2001. One
strain of Ebola is actually called Ebola-Gabon.
http://www.mcb.uct.ac.za/ebola/ebopage.htm

There were some National geographic specials about Gabon recently.
Mayvbe you should try to find the relevant issues.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0408/feature6/
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature3/

All things considered, I'd go if I were you :-)

Thanks, John.

I see that Gabon is a country to really consider. From surfing the web
I get an impression that it is a somewhat forgotten entity, but not by
the rich and famous who have the money to spend on exclusive travel.

What's the status of Gabon in the francofile world?

--
Ha en god dag/Have a nice day

Geir
----------------------------------------------------
No matter where you go, there you are
----------------------------------------------------

We have wanted to go to Gabon for quite a while. Recently 11% of the
country was set aside for national parks. This is an amazing thing in a day
when habitat is being wantonly destroyed. There is a direct flight from
Paris to Libreville; I think the flight is about 7 hours.

"Geir Ertzgaard" geirertz-nospam æt mac.com wrote in message
...


You should also worry about Ebola outbreaks as recently as 2001. One
strain of Ebola is actually called Ebola-Gabon.
http://www.mcb.uct.ac.za/ebola/ebopage.htm

There were some National geographic specials about Gabon recently.
Mayvbe you should try to find the relevant issues.

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0408/feature6/
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature3/

All things considered, I'd go if I were you :-)

Thanks, John.

I see that Gabon is a country to really consider. From surfing the web I
get an impression that it is a somewhat forgotten entity, but not by the
rich and famous who have the money to spend on exclusive travel.

What's the status of Gabon in the francofile world?

--
Ha en god dag/Have a nice day

Gabon is a VERY expensive country to visit and tourism isn't really
developped there. Wild life is very difficult to see, unless you can
spend a lot of time walking through the forest. The only exception
seems to be Sette-Cama where you should be able to see a few animals
(mainly elephants) within a day (though not guaranteed). People are
very friendly, but villages, customs, marketplaces are not as
spectacular as you could find in western africa.