continued from Road Trip Around Gabon Part 2
After our stay in Lope we went on to Leconi with a stop in Lastoursville. We were looking forward too a nice shower, after the basic conditions in Lope, but in our hotel in Lastorsville there was AC and a shower, but no hot water…oh well. After cleaning ourselves up and doing a little laundry we went into town. Time for some food. We passed a delicious smelling street BBQ joint which we decided to try out.
It could be looked upon as very daring but our faith was rewarded with some delicious chopped up chicken and no stomach issues! After dinner we strolled on and Saras wanted to have a dress made. We found a tailor that could do and pick up in the morning. We decided to celebrate this with a drink and were accompanied by some locals.
After picking up the dress the next morning we went on to Assiami, famous for its “Vin du Gabon”. Yes, they make wine in Gabon….but first some ticks were removed on Adrienne and Chris and the usual police stops and the unusual ones….we were stopped by the police and were summoned one by one into the “office”.
Questions regarding our profession, parents, occupation, army service, children and why not, purpose of being in Gabon were asked….this took an hour from our time but provided entertainment to the local police force which after the interrogation showed us the way to Assiami, so not that bad after all.
After some dusty roads we finally saw the sign to the vineyard. Our plan was to camp there but
as nothing was arranged we had to ease our way in….
We were welcomed by a very friendly man who appeared to be by himself on the property so was happy to talk to some people. He showed us around the vineyard and told some about the history. Not sure it was on purpose but he was muslim, guess to keep the wine safe…
The previous president of Gabon wanted to produce his own wine and several grape varieties were tested before they finally found the right one that would survive in the tropical rainforest.
Climate in the area is relatively mild but still a rainforest none the less. The advantage is that because of the high temperatures and rainfall there a 2 harvests a year so more wine can be produced on the same area.
We got a tour along the pond where they store water for irrigation, some previous trial plots and went back to the tasting room.
Some of our friends and family have tried the wine, and they know its an acquired taste…but in general it is not considered as very nice….
We were offered some by the guide and as not everyone drinks in our group the honor was up to 4 people…but we didn’t want to offend him as we wanted to camp there…so after taking one for the team we put Saras close to him and finally asked the question: can we camp here tonight? Yes was the answer!
We set up our camp near to the vines and prepared dinner. Luckily we had other drinks to wash down the taste.
The next day we packed up, said goodbye and went on to Leconi to the canyons. On the way we passed the Anza factory, the main supplier of bottled mineral water in Gabon. Unfortunately the plant wasn’t open for visits.
As with a lot of things in Gabon, the road to Leconi canyons is not really marked so we had to ask a couple of times for directions, but we even saw some roadsigns! Then we followed random tracks that led us to the canyon where we had some lunch while enjoying the view.
After the canyons we went on to Leconi Park. This park has been set up by a rich Gabonese business man who decided to introduce some south african antelopes into the plaines of east Gabon. The plaines are endless and resemble a completely different habitat compared to the rainforest elsewhere in the country. Unfortunately the road to the park wasn’t clearly marked and we had to take some assumptions along the way. At one point we asked a guy on a scooter and he told us to follow him. But soon he turned and we were on our own again.
We drove for a long time into what we thought was the right direction. In the distance we saw a truck loaded with people and we decided to ask for directions…..it appeared we were approaching the Congo border and totally the wrong direction. Two guys were “friendly” and decided to join us in the airc onditioned cars to show the way.
Finally we arrived at our destination and we got to drive through the park. We saw Oryx, lots of Oryx….which is an amazing and surreal sight at the same time.
We were shown a cabin in the park where we could spend the night, however, we decided to pitch our own tents….the cabin was filled with spiders and other creepy creatures. We had an amazing view over the valleys and started the fire while sun was setting.
After dinner we enjoyed some drinks and went to bed on time as in the early morning we had to get up for a tour of the park.
Alarm went of at 5 and tents were packed up in silence. We drove to pick up the guide and started the tour where we saw more Oryx
The guides took us to the border of the park too the outlook. we had a great view on Gabon and Congo (which we almost visited).
After the tour, after spotting some more Oryx we had to say goodbye to this gem as we were headed to Poubara and Lekedi park. The way back was a bit easier as we had some clearer directions “tout droit”….but still some sand hazards.
single 40hp outboard engine…slightly overconfident Teun quickly drove up the ramp of the ferry, but the rear right tire missed the narrow ramp and
The next day we drove to the park office and registered, then headed on our way to the boat. The boat appeared to be a wooden pirogue, which is not necessarily very comfortable…and we were told that the journey was going to be 4 hrs…
This post isn’t that exciting, just elephants….we obviously live in their habitat and during the year they will occasionally pay us a visit. However, from October toDecember the fruit ripens on the mango trees and 
occasions where you, and others, have bumped into them. Often they are equally scared and run away, but some times they are surprised and startled and start chasing you…mostly a bluff charge but it is always a good idea to show respect and run….
The hut was build some 8 years ago by the BBC and featured in their tv show. The goal was to provide a place for researchers to study the red capped mangabeys, which apparently are a rare species if you consider the world. To us they are quite normal as they roam the trees around our house quite frequently….anyways Ariana was coming and the hut needed some repairs, after years in the jungle 
Then laterite, sort of gravel, which is more challenging since the surface is quite uneven….only one detour since the people we followed took a wrong turn…hopefully we remember for next time…Then the laterite stops and you think the road ends but no, you just continue on the sand.
This is where the 4×4 comes in handy. We had let the tires down before so it would be able to go through the sand a lot easier. We continued and drove for 15min and then went through the forest….very dense woods.
At some points you even wonder where to go next, but a turn appears.
The drive went over hills, through plains, little creeks and at some point a small settlement. Just after this we pulled over and went to the people we joined. We assumed we were there but we weren’t…the best part was still to come…the last bit was over the beach. Not your typical hard sand beach but a fluffy sandy beach.
As long as you keep the car going everything will be OK, they said. With images of digging our car out of sand on our mind we set off. Without any recovery equipment required we came to the hut. A very remote place, overlooking the lagoon on one side, the ocean on the other.
This time we didn’t stop, as stopping would most likely result in stranding the car in the deep sand. A bit later we saw a group of monkeys on the path and were able to stop. Too bad the monkeys saw us as well and quickly escaped into the woods. After a couple of “is this correct?” “did we drive here before?” we found the path out.On the way we saw a lonely forest buffalo and some birds, no more elephants. 
We would have expected so since the path/road was infested with elephant dung and it has been a couple of days since we saw one. Disappointed we continued on the tarmac and when we were almosthome we saw a couple of bins in the street with contents spread out….the graceful act of an elephant. So what we had been hoping to see far away just walked through our street….oh well better luck next time.
me tarmac, then laterite and finally sand. Going from a plain landscape through dense bushes which try to hide the path going to the beach. Soon after our arrival and some walks on the beach the prep work for dinner started which actually means gathering wood to build a fire for BBQing (and keeping the elephants away). Everyone brought some delicious items which were BBQ’d and accompanied by various salads etc. Then the night falls and a beautiful sky full of stars appeared. Also making it pitch black dark and very difficult to see your surroundings. This is not a bad thing if there weren’t any elephant tracks and manure around us….they are 
around us and are very difficult to spot but before you know they are right in front of you! Before bedtime we did a little walk on the beach and found fresh hippo tracks but didn’t hear anything. Unfortunately the hippo had set off, probably annoyed about the people sitting around in his spot….. Before we all gracefully retired we put some extra wood on the fire, just to make sure we wouldn’t be surprised by a nightly visit of an elephant which will start shaking the tent, or trampling us. That is the reason we bought a roof tent….
walk to the lagoon and hope to see a surfing hippo or maybe an elephant. They tend to go out early to avoid the direct sunlight, or for that matter the people trying to spot them…. unfortunately no signs of wildlife at this lagoon.
After a delicious breakfast containing fresh coffee, cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs and some monkey entertainment we decided to walk over to the other side. There was a breakthrough where the river flows into the ocean this provides an interesting interaction between the salt and freshwater and brings in nutrients for the saltwater species. 
Usually a good fishing spot or an easy way for wildlife to hop between the two. We spotted elephant and hippo tracks, but again the animals were probably hiding in the woods. Unfortunately no wildlife, most likely because of the sun starting to burn quite hot, it is the equator after all. We knew they were around, fresh tracks gave away their presence but didn’t reveal them as the tracks ended in the water where they wandered off…
