The beaches on the Atlantic coast offer ideal bathing. Port Gentil at the mouth of the River Ogooué and Libreville have beaches with facilities for water-skiing and other watersports. Mayumba in the south and Cap Estérias, 35km (22 miles) from Libreville, are popular watersports centres at weekends. Perroquet and Pointe Denis both offer good skindiving.
Many of the rivers offer excellent fishing; equipment can be hired at Port Gentil. Fish abound in Gabonese rivers and lakes, but the local fishermen can find the largest variety along the coast and in the numerous lagoons located at the mouth of the Ogooué.

Gabon’s national parks are rich in wildlife. The largest is the Lopé-Okanda Reserve, near La Lopé in the centre of the country. The landscape is a mixture of savannah and dense forest. Gorillas, chimpanzees and elephants are all present, as well as a variety of other primates, large mammals such as buffalo and around 350 species of bird. Details can be obtained from GABONTOUR (see Contact Addresses section).