Libreville
Gabon's capital on the northern shore of the estuary, with the airport on the beach road and the sands of Pointe Denis a short boat ride across the water.
- Arrival
- Léon-Mba International · LBV
- To the city
- About 7 km north-west of the centre
- Private jets
- At LBV, open around the clock
- Best time
- June to August
The city
Freetown on the estuary.
In 1849 fifty-two people freed from the slave ship L'Elizia were landed on the north bank of the Gabon Estuary, and the settlement took its name from them: Libreville, Freetown. A French treaty with the Mpongwe ruler and an American mission had come a few years before. The city now has some 700,000 people, the seat of government and the country's port at Owendo.
Life runs along the Boulevard du Bord de Mer, with its seafood restaurants, and spills into Mont-Bouët, the biggest market in Gabon. Two national parks sit on the doorstep: Akanda to the north, and Pongara on the far side of the estuary. October to May is the long wet season. In June the sky clears and through July and August barely a few millimetres fall, with afternoons around 26 °C.
- Mont-Bouët market The largest market in Gabon, in the heart of the city.
- National Museum of Arts, Rites and Traditions The national collection of Gabon's arts and ritual traditions.
- Pointe Denis White sand across the estuary, fifteen to twenty-five minutes by boat from the city marinas.
Arriving
An airport on the beach road.
Léon-Mba International sits on the coast about seven kilometres north-west of the centre, with a single 3,000-metre runway and a terminal built in 1991.
- Lagos 1 h 35
- Accra 1 h 55
- Kigali 3 h 20
- Amsterdam 7 h 45 long-range jet
- Bangkok 13 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
Libreville is humid in every month, the afternoons between 26 and 30 °C. The long dry season runs from June to August, when rain almost stops and the sea cools to 25 °C; October and November are the wettest months, with well over 400 mm each.
- 29° J 241 28°
- 29° F 232 28°
- 30° M 344 29°
- 29° A 326 29°
- 29° M 251 28°
- 27° J 49 27°
- 26° J 7 25°
- 26° A 16 25°
- 27° S 116 26°
- 27° O 439 27°
- 28° N 469 27°
- 28° D 288 28°
Where to stay
On the Boulevard de Nice.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Two tables worth booking.
No MICHELIN Guide or other restaurant guide covers Gabon. These are the two dearest tables among the best rated on Tripadvisor in Libreville.
- Roma Restaurant Tripadvisor, No. 1 in Libreville Italian and grill $$$$ Montée de Louis
- Le Phare du Large Rated 4.3 on Tripadvisor French $$$$ Batterie IV, on the seafront
Flying to Libreville?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.