Akanda National Park

Akanda covers mangrove forest, tidal mudflats and estuary north of Libreville, and its significance is what uses the flats: tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds stop here on the route between Europe and southern Africa, feeding on the mud at low tide. Turtles nest on the beaches at the seaward edge. The park is close to the capital but almost entirely water and mangrove, so access is by boat.

History

Akanda is one of the 13 national parks Gabon created in 2002, after a two-year study by the country's wildlife and hunting directorate with the Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF; together they were drawn to represent the country's biodiversity and to encourage tourism. Its coast runs along the Mondah and Corisco bays, just north of Libreville (Wikipedia, Akanda National Park).

Background

Akanda is one of 13 national parks that Gabon created in 2002, after two years of study by the Directorate of Wildlife and Hunting, WCS and WWF. The network was planned to represent the range of the country's biodiversity and to draw visitors. The park spans 540 square kilometres in the north-west of the country, with a coastline on the Mondah and Corisco bays. It was listed as a Ramsar wetland on 2 February 2007, as site number 1652. Gabon holds only 2.5% of the mangrove swamp in Africa, yet Akanda and nearby Pongara National Park together account for 25% of the protected mangrove on the continent.

Source: Wikipedia, "Akanda National Park"

The landscape

• The tidal flats - the mud exposed at low water where the shorebirds feed.
• The migratory waders - tens of thousands of birds using the park on passage.
• The mangrove channels - the waterways worked by boat through the forest.
• The seaward beaches - the sand at the park's outer edge where turtles nest.

When to go

June to September is the drier season and the easiest for boats. Migratory birds peak between October and March. Rain is heavy the rest of the year.

Before you go

Access is by boat only and must be arranged; there is no infrastructure. Bird numbers depend entirely on the tide and the season. Mosquitoes are severe in the mangroves.

Nearby

Cap Estérias is west, and Libreville is south.

Key facts