Finding the centre

Usually, we pick up guests at a prearranged time from their hotel in Lopé and drive them to the Mikongo Conservation Centre using four wheel-drive vehicles. Guests who have booked in advance can come in their own car or camping car.

You can reach Lopé village by road or by train.

By train

All trains on the TransGabonais from Libreville to Franceville stop at Lopé. There are four trains going to Lopé per week. Three night trains (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) leave Libreville train station (called Owendo) around 20:30 and arrive at Lopé at 01:30. One day train (Tuesdays) leaves Libreville at 09:30 and arrives at Lopé at 14:30. The day train is the better option as not only do you not arrive in the middle of the night but you pass some great views on the way. From July to September, additional trains run on Saturdays (day train schedule).

Leaving Lopé

There are also four trains per week from Lopé to Libreville. Three night trains (Wednesdays, Saturdays and Mondays) leave Lopé at 01:30 and arrive at Libreville at 07:00. One day train (Thursdays) leaves Lopé at 16:30 and arrives at Libreville at 21:30. From July to September, there are additional trains on Mondays (day train schedule).

Train information

Trains are often late so patience is required. There is air conditioning in first class and VIP class and this can make night trips quite cold so warm clothes are required. From July to September, a lot of people travel by train for their holidays, so it is recommended to book tickets as far in advance as possible to make sure seats will be available (tickets can be booked in Libreville directly at the SETRAG agency in the town centre or via travel agencies). Currently, it is not possible to book return tickets from Libreville. Tickets to leave Lopé can only be bought at Lopé station on your day of departure. A one-way ticket Libreville-Lopé in first class is currently (August 2008) around 23 000 FCFA (approx. £27, €35).

By road

From Libreville, it is about 8 hours drive, via Ndjolé town, to Lopé. Between Libreville and Ndjolé (around 3 hours drive), the road quality is quite good but expect a lot of police check points. After Ndjolé, the road quality is much poorer and a four wheel-drive vehicle is needed, especially during the rainy season. Fuel can only be found in Ndjolé (it is very difficult to find fuel even in Lopé village).

By road from Lopé village to Mikongo

Take the national road in the direction of Lastourville/Franceville for about 40km (passing 3 villages: Kazamabika, Makoghé and Mbadondé), then turn right, approximately 1km after a metal bridge, onto a forest road. After 12km, the road ends at Mikongo Conservation Centre. The forest road is usually locked and only left open when guests are expected.