Where forest elephants walk on the beach
Loango National Park, on Gabon's Atlantic coast, protects a mix of rainforest, savannah, lagoons and long empty beaches. It is famous for scenes of forest elephants, buffalo and even hippos on the beach. Humpback whales pass offshore in the southern winter, and leatherback turtles nest on the sand. Western lowland gorillas are the subject of a habituation programme in the park's forest. Lodges on the Iguéla lagoon run boat trips and game drives.