Waka National Park

Waka protects steep forested country in the Chaillu massif of central Gabon, cut by rivers and rising to hills that keep the forest wet, and it is one of the least visited of Gabon's thirteen national parks: there is essentially no infrastructure, no lodge and no road inside. Forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees and mandrills use the forest. Visits mean walking with guides from villages on the edge.

The landscape

• The Chaillu forest - steep wet woodland across the massif.
• The rivers - the watercourses cutting through the park's interior.
• The primates - gorillas, chimpanzees and mandrills in the forest.
• The absence of infrastructure - a national park with no road, lodge or facility.

When to go

June to September is the long dry season and the only practical window. The rains close the tracks entirely. Trekking is hard in any season.

Things to know

There is no infrastructure of any kind; this is expedition travel with village guides. Wildlife is present but very hard to see in dense forest. Access requires a great deal of arranging.

Nearby

Fougamou is west, and the Chutes de l'Impératrice are nearby.

Key facts