Tchibanga

Tchibanga sits on the Nyanga river in the far south, in country that is open savanna rather than the forest covering most of Gabon, and it is the main town of the Nyanga province and the base from which Moukalaba-Doudou National Park is reached. The surrounding grassland is grazed and burned annually, which keeps it open. A market and a river crossing are the town's centre. The province takes its name from the river, which runs west from here to reach the Atlantic near Mayumba on a coast of lagoons and sandbars.

What you actually see

• The savanna - open grassland rather than the forest of the rest of the country.
• The Nyanga river - the water the town is built beside.
• The market - the trading centre for the surrounding province.
• The park access - the base for reaching Moukalaba-Doudou.

When to go

June to September is the long dry season. The rains make roads difficult. The savanna is burned in the dry months.

Honest expectations

The town has almost nothing for visitors and functions purely as a base. Facilities are minimal. Roads in the south are poor.

Nearby

Moukalaba-Doudou is north, and Mayumba is west on the coast.