Elephants on the beach in Gabon

Hippos surfing in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean and elephants on the beach. These are just two of the many discoveries that American biologist Mike Fay made in Gabon . He traveled on foot through the rainforests for fifteen months. In 2002 he managed to convince the president of this Central African country, which he renamed 'Africa's last Eden', to declare ten percent of the territory a nature reserve. As a result , there are now 12 national parks , the most famous being Loango , Lopé and Ivindo . They form a mix of jungle, grass savannas and coastal area. In addition to hippos and forest elephants, there are lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest buffalo, three different species of crocodiles, the suntailed monkey discovered only in 1984 and the largest group of mandrills in the world. Dozens of humpback whales and killer whales appear every year off the coast, Africa's second largest concentration. You can see the animals up close and at the same time help the scientists who study the whales. It is one of the examples of responsible tourism that the Gabonese government developed in collaboration with Fay and other conservationists. They use revenue from tourism for conservation. Visit Gabon and help protect Africa's last Eden.