Batéké Plateau National Park

The Batéké Plateau park covers rolling sand savanna cut by forested river valleys in the far southeast, a landscape unlike the rainforest that covers most of Gabon, and two things have made its name: a lion photographed there in 2015, the first recorded in the country for decades, and a programme reintroducing orphaned western lowland gorillas into the forest along the Mpassa river. Boats work the river through the park.

What you actually see

• The sand savanna - rolling open grassland unlike the rest of Gabon.
• The gallery forest - the wooded strips along the river valleys.
• The gorilla reintroduction - orphaned animals released along the Mpassa.
• The Mpassa river - the waterway worked by boat through the park.

When to go

June to September is the long dry season and the best window. The rains make tracks difficult. Early morning and late afternoon are best for game.

Honest expectations

Access is difficult and expensive with no scheduled transport. The lion record was a single animal and there is no resident population. Facilities are a basic camp run by a conservation organisation.

Nearby

Franceville is north, and Léconi is northeast.