Gabon Safari

When most people picture an African safari, they imagine vast savannahs, dusty game drives and the familiar wildlife of East or Southern Africa.

A Gabon safari is something entirely different.

Along the Atlantic coast of Central Africa lies one of the continent’s last truly wild landscapes, where rainforest meets the ocean and wildlife moves freely between the two. Here, forest elephants wander deserted beaches, hippos enter the surf, western lowland gorillas inhabit untouched forests, and anglers cast for some of the world’s most sought-after saltwater species.

Welcome to Loango National Park.

For travellers seeking something beyond the traditional safari, there are few places left on Earth quite like it.

Africa’s Last Wild Coast

Loango National Park protects an extraordinary mosaic of rainforest, lagoons, wetlands, coastal grasslands and more than 100 kilometres of undeveloped Atlantic coastline. Unlike many safari destinations where wildlife is concentrated around roads and waterholes, Loango rewards curiosity, patience and time spent on foot.

Rather than driving from sighting to sighting, guests explore the landscape through guided walks, lagoon excursions and quiet time on the beach, gaining a deeper understanding of one of Africa’s richest ecosystems.

It is this slower, more immersive approach that makes a safari in Gabon so rewarding.

There is no rush to tick species off a list.

Instead, every day becomes an opportunity to discover a landscape that remains remarkably unchanged.

Where Forest Elephants Walk the Beach

Few wildlife encounters are as extraordinary as watching forest elephants on the beach.

Loango National Park has become internationally recognised for this remarkable behaviour. Here, elephants emerge from dense coastal forest before wandering the shoreline, feeding, resting and moving between habitats that have existed together for thousands of years.

Depending on the season, guests may also encounter forest buffalo, red river hogs, sitatunga and a variety of monkey species, all sharing this unique coastal environment.

Unlike many safari experiences, these encounters often happen on foot, accompanied by experienced guides who help interpret not only the wildlife, but also the tracks, plants and subtle signs that reveal the story of the forest.

It is this intimacy that makes the experience unforgettable.

Searching for Surfing Hippos

One of Loango’s most famous residents is the surfing hippo.

While it sounds almost unbelievable, the park’s hippos regularly use the Atlantic Ocean to move between feeding and resting areas. Early morning beach walks offer one of the best opportunities to witness this remarkable behaviour as hippos emerge from the surf before returning inland.

Depending on the season, your Gabon safari may also include sightings of humpback whales offshore, Atlantic humpback dolphins, nesting leatherback turtles or crocodiles patrolling the nearby lagoons.

It is this diversity that makes every day different.

More Than Wildlife

Wildlife may be the headline, but it is only part of the experience.

The vast Ndogo Lagoon invites exploration by boat or kayak, where quiet waterways reveal birds, fish, mangrove forests and an extraordinary variety of smaller life that many visitors might otherwise overlook. Guided forest walks introduce guests to towering rainforest trees, medicinal plants, colourful insects, frogs and reptiles, while bird enthusiasts can search for more than 350 recorded bird species.

Many of the moments guests remember most are not dramatic wildlife sightings.

They are the quiet ones.

Following fresh elephant tracks along an empty beach.

Watching kingfishers hunt from overhanging branches.

Listening to the forest wake before sunrise.

Standing completely alone on kilometres of untouched Atlantic coastline.

It is in these moments that Loango reveals itself.

 

Fishing Is Just One Part of the Experience

For more than two decades, African Waters has helped establish Gabon as one of the world’s premier catch-and-release saltwater fishing destinations.

The waters surrounding Sette Cama are home to Atlantic tarpon, giant African threadfin, longfin jack, cubera snapper, Senegal kob and many other remarkable species.

For many guests, fishing is what first brings them to Gabon.

It is only once they arrive that they realise how much more there is to experience.

We’ve had mornings where anglers landed giant African threadfin while, just a few kilometres away, another guest was photographing forest buffalo feeding on the beach. On other days, someone may spend the morning exploring the Ndogo Lagoon by kayak before everyone meets back at camp for lunch and an afternoon walk along the coastline.

Around the dinner table that evening, one guest tells the story of a memorable fish.

Another shares photographs of elephants emerging from the forest.

Someone else talks about watching a troop of monkeys moving through the canopy.

Everyone has experienced the same remarkable place—but in their own way.

Fishing is an important part of Sette Cama.

It simply isn’t the whole story.

A Day at Sette Cama

One of the things that surprises first-time guests is how naturally each day unfolds.

Rather than following a rigid itinerary, days are shaped by the tides, the weather, wildlife movements and the interests of the group.

Whether you choose to fish or not, everyone shares the same wilderness experience.

Time	For the Angler	For the Non-Angler
Dawn	Fish the surf for threadfin, tarpon or longfin jack	Beach walk searching for forest elephants, forest buffalo and surfing hippos
Morning	Lagoon or surf fishing	Guided forest walk, birding or kayak excursion
Lunch	Relax together back at camp	Relax together back at camp
Afternoon	Continue fishing or join a wildlife excursion	Lagoon exploration, photography or another beach walk
Sunset	Sundowners overlooking the Atlantic	Sundowners together
Evening	Dinner and stories from the day	Dinner and stories from the day

The beauty of Sette Cama is that nobody feels as though they are compromising.

Everyone experiences the same destination from their own perspective.

A Different Kind of Safari

Many destination fisheries work best when everyone in the group wants to fish.

Sette Cama is different.

The combination of exceptional wildlife, immersive guiding, comfortable accommodation and world-class fishing means every guest can enjoy the destination in their own way.

One person may spend dawn casting into the surf while another photographs elephants on the beach, searches for chimpanzees, explores hidden lagoon channels by kayak or simply walks one of Africa’s wildest coastlines.

By lunchtime, everyone is back together.

It is this balance that makes Sette Cama particularly well suited to couples, families and groups with different interests.

Experience Gabon Together

Throughout each season, African Waters offers a limited number of departures that are particularly well suited to couples, families and mixed-interest groups.

The fishing remains exceptional, but these departures have been selected because they also provide wonderful opportunities to enjoy everything else that makes Loango National Park so remarkable.

Whether your ambition is to catch your first Atlantic tarpon, photograph forest elephants on the beach, search for surfing hippos, watch humpback whales offshore, paddle the Ndogo Lagoon or simply spend time immersed in one of Africa’s last truly wild coastal ecosystems, these departures offer a rare opportunity to experience Gabon at its own pace.

For many guests, these shared experiences become every bit as memorable as the fishing itself.

Some Places Stay With You

Long after guests leave Gabon, it is often the smallest moments they remember.

The silence before sunrise as fresh elephant tracks disappear into the surf.

Watching a forest buffalo emerge from the coastal forest.

The distant blow of humpback whales beyond the breakers.

Finding yourself completely alone on a beach that stretches for kilometres in either direction.

Or sitting around the dinner table after another day in Loango National Park, realising that no two people experienced the same day—and yet everyone came away with a story worth telling.

That is what makes a Gabon safari different.

It is not simply about seeing wildlife.

It is about spending time in one of the last places where nature still sets the pace.

It is about discovering a place that asks you to slow down, pay attention and experience Africa in a way that has become increasingly rare.

 

Discover Sette Cama

Sette Cama is more than a fishing destination.

It is a place where rainforest meets ocean, where wildlife still moves as it has for centuries, and where every day unfolds according to the rhythms of nature rather than a schedule.

Whether you’re an angler, wildlife enthusiast, photographer or simply someone drawn to remote places, Sette Cama offers one of the most authentic Gabon safari experiences available today.

If you’ve ever wanted to see forest elephants on the beach, search for surfing hippos, explore the waterways of Loango National Park, or combine world-class fishing with one of Africa’s last truly wild coastal ecosystems, we’d love to welcome you.

Explore the Sette Cama | Lookbook to learn more about the experience, or get in touch to discover why Gabon’s wild coast remains one of Africa’s best-kept secrets.