{"id":415146,"date":"2020-10-01T06:37:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T10:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/?page_id=415146\/"},"modified":"2020-10-09T04:48:02","modified_gmt":"2020-10-09T08:48:02","slug":"surfing-in-gabon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/surfing-in-gabon\/","title":{"rendered":"Surfing in Gabon"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13914,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"blog-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-415146","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"dl_page_content":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-415460 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/gabon.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"365\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gabon is a relatively small african country located at the central coast, just below the \u201cArmpit of Africa. The country <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has significant areas of protected parkland which says a lot about the beauty and natural resources of this nation. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White sandy beaches, lush green jungles, untouched wildlife and goof infrastructure should make this an easy tourist destination but surfing in Gabon is not a big thing yet. There are plenty of perfect reeling left-handers scattered along the 267km of coastline due the good exposure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to roaring forties swell, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere winter months<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The best time to surf is from April to October and the most consistent months are from June to September. The best things about the surf conditions in Gabo is that the water is warm year round and there is rarely any wind affecting the waves so any swell that hits the coast won\u2019t be blown out. Another positive side is the lack of crowds. Most of the surfers in the country are expats because west africans have developed a great fear of the ocean forcing them to stay on dry land and with limited swimming skills. T<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he great majority of surf spots are located close to Port-Gentil and the capital, Libreville. Making a surf trip to Gabon is having the opportunity to surf in a totally different place, surrounded by nature at all times and definitely out of the beaten path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Climate in Gabon<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The climate in Gabon is equatorial with hot and humid weather all year round. There is a short dry season from June to August and a dry season from mid-May to September. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">temperature<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> variation is minimal along the course of the year. The warmest months are from January to May and the coolest months are from June to September<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Gabon has good exposure <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to roaring forties swell, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere winter months<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The best time to surf in the country is from April to October and the most consistent months are from June to September. The winds are very gentle or none and rarely affect the surf conditions. The water is warm throughout the whole year <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and you can surf just in your board shorts<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Best surf spots in Gabon<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of Gabon\u2019s well known surf spots are located around <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Port-Gentil and the capital, Libreville, but the best waves are found down south in the Loango National Park. Here are the registered surf spots in Gabon: Gomb\u00e9, Cap Lopez, Palplanche, Guegue, Ekwata, La Ferme aux Crocos, Mayumba and PG2.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Budget Planning<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Meal price range<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simple meals start at $8 USD. Mid-range meals start at $15 USD. Dining &amp; drinking at high-end restaurants can cost anywhere from $30-60 USD<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Equipment rental<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should bring your own gear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Prepaid SIM cards<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gabon Telecom\u00a0 is a good choice. SIM cards can be purchased from Gabon Telecom stores called agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prepaid packages start at $2 USD.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Public transport<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are very few paved roads. For long distance travel the most comfortable and quick options are to take internal flights or the Trans-Gabon train.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buses run between major centres and are very cheap.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taxis are found in all towns. You can hire the whole vehicle, known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;une course&#8217; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you can just buy a seat in a shared taxi, known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8216;une place&#8217;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Car hire is available but you&#8217;ll need a 4WD if venturing out of town and they are extremely expensive. You\u2019re better off hiring a driver at around $60 USD a day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Gas prices\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1.06 USD a liter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Types of risks<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inconsistent swells. Rocky reef breaks. Elephants and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hippos!<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3><b>How to prepare<\/b><\/h3>\n<h3><b>Visa<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Citizens from <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">48 countries, including EU, US, and Australia, need to apply for an eVisa online or may obtain a visa upon arrival. All others will need to apply for an eVisa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Vaccines<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although it&#8217;s not mandatory, it\u2019s recommended that you have been vaccinated for hepatitis A &amp; B, yellow fever, typhoid, rabies, meningitis, polio, Tdap, chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia, influenza, measles, mumps and rubella. You may be asked to show proof of your yellow fever vaccination if you come from a country with a risk of yellow fever.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3><b>Things to know<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Language &amp; Currency<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">French is the official language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central African Franc (CFA)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Best time to go<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">April to October and the most consistent months are from June to September.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Checking Surf forecast\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Checking the forecast about a week before your trip is always a good idea. Understanding what the waves will be like and knowing what gear to pack is essential. You can check the forecast for the waves <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surf-forecast.com\/breaks\/P-G2\/forecasts\/latest\/six_day\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Do I need pack a pharmacy kit<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should bring a basic kit. Including ear drops, eye drops, bandaids, ear plugs, gaze, alcohol, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mosquito repellent<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and broad spectrum antibiotic ointment.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Travel\/Surf Insurance<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldnomads.com\/Turnstile\/AffiliateLink?partnerCode=nmdsrf&amp;source=&amp;utm_source=nmdsrf&amp;utm_content=link&amp;path=https:\/\/www.worldnomads.com\/travel-insurance\/\">World Nomads<\/a> has great travel insurance packages that are not super expensive and they cover surfing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Emergency<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dial 177<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check surf pictures of Gabon at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/gabonsurf\/\"><strong>#gabonsurf<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","title":"","description":"","test-booking-shortcode":true},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13914"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/415146\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415146"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nomadsurfers.com\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=415146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}