Posts Tagged ‘Gabon visa’

Gabon Visa Requirements to Visit Lopé-Okanda National Park

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

Gabon is justly famous for its nature parks, which protect a variety of different habitats for native African plants and animals, including Lopé-Okanda National Park, this week’s featured UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lopé-Okanda National Park includes vast stretches of well-preserved tropical rainforests as well as savannahs. It is home to more large threatened African mammals than any other African rainforest. The world’s largest known group of primates was found here: a troop of more than 1,300 mandrill.

Lopé-Okanda National Park may be filled with wildlife, but it is also a place with a rich human history. Archaeological remains from this region indicate Stone Age and Iron Age settlements, and they tell the story of the migration of the Bantu people into the Congo Forests.  They left behind tools, traces of habitation and campsites, and art, gracing what is now the park with over 1,800 rock carvings.

If you’d like to visit Lopé-Okanda National Park, the first step is to ensure that you have all of the documents you need to enter Gabon. Naturally, you will need your passport, but you will also need a Gabon visa before you can enter the country.

You used to be able to get a Gabon visa at the airport when you arrived, but this is no longer the case. The US Department of State cautions travelers to apply in advance for their visas, as Americans arriving in Gabon without them have been sent directly back to US at their own expense.

For a complete list of the documents and other information that you must provide to get your visa, read Gabon Visa Requirements for Tourists.

Also, before you apply for your visa, check your passport-if it expires in 6 months or less, you need to get a passport renewal before applying for a visa.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you apply for your Gabon visa, as well as any other visas you need for your trip. We’ll even research the visa requirements for every stop on your itinerary, to help you avoid unpleasant surprises.  Then, we’ll walk you through the visa application process step by step and expedite your applications for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Gabon visa today!

Tags: ,
Posted in World Heritage Site of the Week | No Comments »

Gabon Visa Requirements For Tourists

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

While tourism in Gabon is still an underdeveloped industry, it is definitely on the rise as more and more travelers discover the country’s mix of exotic wildlife and breathtaking vistas.

According to Wikipedia, roughly 85 percent of Gabon is covered in tropical rainforests, creating habitats for everything from gorillas to elephants to many different types of birds. Starting in 2000, the Gabonese government began promoting ecotourism and luxury tourism to further develop this sector of the economy. Approximately 155,000 tourists came to Gabon that year, a tremendous increase from the previous year.

However, the US Department of State notes the the availability of tourist facilities is spotty outside of Libreville, the capital city. Where available, accommodations outside of Libreville can also be quite expensive.

Both a valid passport and a visa is required for American citizens visiting Gabon.  Gabon visas are not available on arrival, so you need to apply for your visa in time to have it in hand before you leave for Gabon.

If you’re traveling as a tourist, here’s what you need to get a Gabon visa:

  • 2 Gabon visa application forms
  • 2 passport photos
  • A copy of your plane tickets or itinerary
  • Your US passport (must have at least 6 months left before it expires-otherwise, you will have to renew.)

In addition, you also need to bring proof that you have been vaccinated for yellow fever. This is required for you to enter the country.

RushMyTravelVisa.com specializes in helping people get the documents they need to travel.  Our visa specialists assist you by researching your itinerary to make sure you know exactly what documents you need before you go.  Then, we provide detailed, easy-to-understand instructions that make it super-simple to apply for the visas you need and reduce the chance of common mistakes that can keep your visa from being issued in a timely manner.

Finally, we submit your application to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the fastest possible processing.

Apply for your Gabon visa today!

Tags: ,
Posted in Country-Specific Visas | 2 Comments »

Get a Gabon Visa to See Hippos Surf

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Have you ever seen a hippopotamus surf? If not, you should definitely put Gabon on your list of places to visit.

Tourists flock to Gabon for its amazingly diverse forests and parks. A full 10% of Gabon’s land area was protected and turned into national parkland in 2002 by President El Hadj Omar Bongo. The most famous of Gabon’s national parks is Loango National Park, which encompasses savanna, dense forests and unspoiled white sand beaches.

In the forests, you’ll find elephants and even families of gorillas. The beaches are home to the famous surfing hippos-if you’re lucky, you’ll see them playing in the waves just off the shore.  Further away from the beach, you can spot whales and dolphins.

Visiting Loango National Park helps maintain this amazing ecosystem. The money you spend when you visit helps provide Gabon with an incentive to preserve its forests and wildlife. Plus, you support the park’s conservation programs, such as rehabilitating baby gorillas orphaned by the bushmeat trade.

Travel with a Purpose has an excellent overview of the accommodations available in Gabon and the conservation and education programs undertaken by the staff there.

To get to Gabon, you will need a passport and a tourist visa.

Here’s what you need to get a Gabon tourist visa:

  • 2 Gabon visa application forms
  • 2 passport photos
  • A copy of your plane tickets or itinerary
  • Your US passport

Depending on where you stop on your way to Gabon, you may also need additional transit visas for other countries. RushMyTravelVisa can review your travel plans and determine which visas you need. We can also help you apply for any necessary visas, assisting you with the paperwork and forwarding your visa applications to the appropriate embassies for expedited service.

Want to see those surfing hippos? Apply for your Gabon visa today!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Destinations | 3 Comments »