Mayumba National Park and its partners are working hard to realize a vision for the region's tourism future. In our vision, a high quality hotel will receive visitors, where a choice of excursions, visits, and other activities can be chosen from. Realizing this requires further state and private sector investment, in transport infrastructure, hotel services, and in recreational equipment. Mayumba will never be a swarming beach resort with high-rise hotel blocks and packed beaches. Most of it's charm comes from the tranquil and slow pace of life around here. However, we do hope that in the near future, the Park will be able to offer visitors activities from among the following pages, and that watersports and other equipment will be available. Until that time, Mayumba remains a destination first and foremost for those wishing to discover the area for themselves, and to take a more adventurous view of things. The people of Mayumba and the Park Staff will do everything they can to ensure that you get the most out of your trip.

Mayumba has enormous potential for the development of sporting and recreational activities to enrich the visitor experience. The location is unique in Gabon for having a safe bathing beach within a 5 minute walk of an extensive inland lagoon system. Sandwiched between these bodies of water, the town has the special feel of a small island, and views out to sea or across the lagoon are never more than a few minutes walk away. Water sports are consequently likely to figure prominently in the itinerary of many visitors. However, for those not wishing to get their feet wet, the town and the surrounding countryside offers a variety of interesting and attractive walks and cycle rides.

Swimming and Surfing

The Gabonese coast is characterized by wild beaches, large waves and strong currents. Not conditions conducive to a relaxing family holiday! By contrast, Mayumba offers one of the only truly safe bathing beaches in Gabon , and by far the most lovely. The broad sweep of Mayumba Beach stretches 8km from the rocky Kouango Point to the mouth of the Banio Lagoon, facing out over the calm, shallow waters of Panga Bay . The sand here is soft and golden with lots of room for picnics, barbeques, and parties, and has a gentle slope down into the sea for bathers. The sea temperature remains at a balmy 26 - 27 degrees Celsius for most of the year, while the dry season months of July and August see the temperature drop to around 20 degrees.

Local children of all ages delight in taking to the water for a refreshing dip after school, and specialize in performing cartwheels and flips on the soft sand. Frisbee, kite flying, beach volleyball and football are likely to draw quite a crowd of enthusiastic onlookers, and it is hard to spend an afternoon at the beach without making new friends! On many nights of the year, nocturnal bathers are rewarded with the wonder of swimming in bio-phosphorescence. Shimmering green stars will erupt around you with each stroke, lighting up the water, while on land, the sand glows green as you walk or dance across the beach.

On Mayumba Beach , the waves are largely gentle but still great fun for body-boarding. Depending on tide and weather conditions, surfers can also be in for an enjoyable ride. Beyond the point, the beach stretches a full 50km before changing direction and character. This vast sweep of beach is wild, untamed and empty – the preserve of coastal wildlife, wind and seaspray. Swimming here is only for the very confident, and the larger waves are for experienced surfers only. However, this beach is an exhilarating place to blow away the cobwebs and come face to face with the African coastline at its wildest. It is also the destination of more nesting leatherback turtles than anywhere else in Africa !

Other potential activities from Mayumba Beach include kite surfing, wind-surfing, and sea- and surf- kayaking. Behind the waves, snorkeling can reward the diver with occasional views of rays and other fish, although there is no coral reef on which to dive. Magnificent shoals of enormous fish can be seen by scuba- or free-diving close to oil platforms off-shore from Mayumba, although this cannot currently be offered as a visitor experience.

Lagoon Watersports

The Banio lagoon covers an area of 147 km 2 and stretches south-eastward from Mayumba for 77km. The water near the lagoon mouth is salty to brackish, becoming fresh as one progresses up the lagoon. With easy access from the beach or Mayumba town centre, the lagoon is an ideal location for many activities. Windsurfers will delight in the freedom these uncluttered waters provide, and dinghy sailing is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, sailing back to your hotel at a leisurely pace as the moon begins to rise above the surrounding hills.

For those wishing to really get some serious wind in their sails, the large expanse of what locals call ‘The Sea of Tiya' offers the solution. The ‘sea' begins 30km down the lagoon from Mayumba town, and is over 4km at its widest point. This broad reach of the lagoon can be sailed for approximately 35km, and is dotted with small villages and fishing camps where the visitor can pull in and enjoy the local hospitality of the ‘Vili' fisherfolk of the region. Sailing here will be an exhilarating experience for the experienced inland sailor. End your day camping at a lagoon-side savanna, where you can barbeque the catch of the day, or take a boat back to Mayumba and the comforts of the Hotel Bar.

Sport Fishing and Oyster Diving

Mayumba has a history of exciting sport fishing, with species such as Barracuda, Jack, Tarpon, Threadfin and Red Snapper reaching good sizes. It has been some time since sport fishing was practiced as a commercial activity in Mayumba, and damaging fishing practices in other sectors have reduced the number of large fish available. However, with the better protection offered by the National Park and management initiatives planned for Mayumba, a carefully planned catch and release sport fishery could become an additional activity for the sporting customer.

Hiking and Cycling

Mayumba has a habit of bringing out the most relaxed in people, but for those with energy to spare after a hard morning of tanning, swimming or sampling the local seafood, there are several good walks to be had in and around the town, with excellent views of the lagoon and the ocean. The seashore itself draws walkers like a magnet, and the wild coast to the immediate south of the town offers hiking limited only by your own stamina. Return home through the savannah for the chance to catch a glimpse of a rare bird or a sitatunga antelope.

Pirogue Tours

Get to know the Banio Lagoon's labyrinth of mangrove swamps and forest-lined rivers with a local piroguier. Morning trips to isolated manioc plantations, where you can see traditional preparation of this local staple food, visit lagoonside villages, and maybe even come face to face with wetland wildlife.

Volleyball and Football

Local pickup matches are held most days at the Gendermerie in town. In August there is a month-long tournament for these and many other sports (including Scrabble!), held at the Navy base near the airport. The festival is sponsored and supported by government minister, Madame Angelique NGOMA, and is an important and eagerly awaited aspect of town life.

Traditional Fishing Village Visits

At the north end of Mayumba town is the fishing village of l'Office. Observe each aspect of traditional West African fishing in Mayumba, from the morning call to pull in the pirogues, to weaving and mending nets, to the secrets of traditional preparation of smoked and salted fish. It's also a great place to go if you want to get some fresh fish, lobster, or crab to barbeque on the beach!

Annual Pirogue Race

During the August sports festival, the town of Mayumba hosts its annual pirogue race, inviting teams from villages and fishing camps around the lagoon to participate in their handmade wooden dugout canoes. The whole town turns out for the festivities and competition is fierce, often even more so in the women's heats.