Best time to go to Gabon

Sitting squarely on the equator, Gabon has a classic tropical climate, and is hot, wet and muggy all year round.![]()

The best time to visit Gabon is during the drier season of May to September, with June, July and August being the driest months, although ‘dry’ is relative here – Gabon experiences around 2.5m of rainfall a year. Yes, that’s metres. So downpours can happen at any time. There is also a mini dry season in December to January. As most roads are unpaved, travel can be unpredictable at the best of times, and ‘roads’ can turn to thick mud during the wettest months. In April and November in particular, you’re guaranteed a soaking. Year round, temperatures hover around 26°C.
Gabon Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
24
30
226
FEB
23
31
216
MAR
23
31
238
APR
23
32
196
MAY
23
30
123
JUN
21
27
9
JUL
20
27
2
AUG
20
27
5
SEP
22
28
38
OCT
23
29
245
NOV
23
30
358
DEC
23
29
210
Our Gabon Vacations
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A month by month guide to Gabon
Things to do in Gabon
Things to do in Gabon…
Things not to do in Gabon…
Our top Gabon Vacation
Central Africa vacation, Cameroon and Gabon
A pioneering journey through the heart of Central Africa
From
£6799
13 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 19 Mar
2021: 18 Mar
2020: 19 Mar
2021: 18 Mar
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Gabon or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
Gabon travel tips
Accommodation
Jim O’Brien is a Central Africa expert and the founder of our supplier Native Eye Travel. Having travelled extensively in Gabon, he shared his top tips with us:
Accommodation advice
“Accommodation in Gabon ranges from top end to ‘simple’. On our trips we also spend time camping and/or staying in village houses, where it can be fairly basic, but a great way to meet local people.”
tracking gorillas
Tips on tracking gorillas
“For a start, Loango National Park isn’t mountainous, and so tracking gorillas here tends to be less strenuous than in Rwanda and Uganda. It also feels a little more ‘raw’ as there just aren’t the numbers of visitors that these other areas experience. I’d have to say that this is one of my favourite experiences – there’s little that beats tracking these magnificent creatures in the wild.”
‘Africa time’
Remember you’re on ‘Africa time’
“My main tip would be to bring a lot of patience. I can remember traveling through Gabon with a group in the run up to local elections where it seemed that every town we passed through had four or five separate checkpoints, all manned by officials who were intent on scrutinising our documents – a most frustrating experience…!”
on the beaten track
Staying on the beaten track
“Some of the parks have problems with poaching and for this reason, sometimes the more remote ones can be out of bounds for the visitor as they are not always safe. Having said that, those that are more accessible – such as Loango and Lope – offer exceptional wildlife experiences for visitors.”
Photo credits: [Page banner: Eric Kilby] [Best time to go: Brian Gratwicke]
[Things to do/not to do: Brian Gratwicke]
[Accommodation advice: Kurt Dundy]
[Tips on tracking gorillas: Axel Rouvin]
[Remember you're on Africa time: US Army Africa]
[Staying on the beaten track: Ngangorica ]
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