| Founded in 2002, this national park stretches more than 740,000 acres across the plateaus of eastern Gabon. The park is crossed by the Djidji and Ivindo Rivers (the latter is one of the principal tributaries of the Ogooué) at elevations of 985 to 2,500 ft (1,585 to 4,023 m). The Djidji and Kongou Falls are among the most spectacular in Central Africa. Most of the park is covered in old-growth forest not yet disrupted by man and home to an exceptionally rich biodiversity particularly interesting for entomological research. The avifauna includes more than 350 species and the park also has gorillas, chimpanzees, and one of the last intact populations of forest elephants. Ivindo National Park does not yet have the infrastructure necessary to accommodate large numbers of tourists. The Wildlife Conservation Society, the scholarly organization that manages the zoos of New York and that played a determining role in the creation of the new Gabonese national parks, is preparing a visitors center. For its part, the Gabonese government is looking for investors interested in building residential sites and operators to organize ecotourism activities. But despite this ambition to develop tourism, Gabon only attracts a few thousand visitors a year.
Visit the YAB Gallery for books and signed prints |