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.

Background

Tchibanga had an estimated 24,000 residents in 2008. It lies on the N6 road, has its own airport and sits near the Ivela Falls; from Libreville a bush taxi takes twelve hours. The town has a hospital, two high schools and a post office, plus a large Catholic church and a commercial district, and electricity in the centre comes from a small power station, running water from a spring. It receives only about 1,260 hours of sunshine a year, among the lowest totals in Africa. Its manioc has a name as the best in Gabon, sold at the market as leaf-wrapped batons for 100 Central African Francs, alongside woven mats and baskets.

Source: Wikipedia, "Tchibanga"

What to look for

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts