I am taking you off the usual travel path to discover Lambarene, a little gem hidden at Ogooué’s river shore in Gabon.
Located 4 hours by car, from the capital Libreville , in the Moyen Ogooué . The town is best known for its hospital built in 1913, by Noble prize Albert Schweitzer.
Between river and lakes
The Moyen Ogooué region, especially the “Ogooué and Lakes” part, has a rich and until recently, untouched rainforest and lakes.
Lambarene is divided in 3 by the river in Adouma, Saoti, and Isaac. At each shore, you can spot small fish markets brought by pirogues from the various lake located near the Ogooué river.
Traditionally, people settled in small villages along the shores of the river and the various lake around. The Ogooué was then the sole means of transportation between them. People traded fish and bushmeat like antelopes, boars…
Where to stay in Lambarene
Depending on what you want to experience, I would recommend :
- Staying in Isaac which is the newest part of the town but less charming (for me),😁 where you’ll find most of the bars, restaurants, and nightlife.
- Staying on the other shore. It’s the old part, quiet, with most of the old colonial buildings, the fish market
You’ll find a “reasonable” amount of hotels and guesthouses, but don’t expect to find 5 stars hotels (This is normally not what you are looking for if you ever come here, but who knows…). Still, some of them are correct places to stay with AC ( very verrrry much-needed if you go during the hot season) and even hot water for some(for the dry one ).
I gathered some notable ones for you
Saoti: Ogooué Palace Hotel, at the shore of the Ogooué. There’s a small restaurant a pool
Schweitzer hospital: To support the hospital foundation, they are renting the old consultation rooms, 15 000FCFA by night (around 22€). I stayed in this one so I can talk a bit more about It and show you more picture 🙂
Really simple, clean and quiet. You have a small restaurant and access to visit the historical part of the hospital.
What to do in Lambarene
River and Lakes
The river and the Lakes are part of the town landmarks and history. Small villages are found throughout the Ogooué which in this part is divided in two.
- The “Oremb’ owango” which is the small part of the river given access to lake Azingo, Ouambé, Nkonié… and villages like Adolè, Zilè
- The “Orembo Mpolo” the largest part of the river with lake Onangué, Ezanga, Evaro… and villages like Achouka, Dyelessi…
This is not an exhaustive list.If you use the satellite view of this map, you will see all the villages known.
You can rent a boat and depending of the season visit the lake and villages around the Ogooué. Some like Adolè have their access totally blocked by sand bank at the dry season.
The old catholic mission St Francois Xavier
Built around 1834 the mission has a church and a school still used today. The school is however in a very poor condition, due to the lack of renovation.
Schweitzer Hospital
You can visit the old hospital and it’s museum.
Spotting some hippo
It was scary and exciting! as they could have easily break the boat, but we were with an experience fishermen. He works on the river daily crossing hippo, so he knew what he was doing.
The Culture in Lambarene
Lambarene is originally home to the Galoa (part of the myene lingustic group) and Fang tribes. Recently other tribes from the south have made their home there , you can also find Punu and Nzebi people.
To say hello you say “Mbolo!”
If you are interested in tribal art , the town is home to :
- The Okuyi dance, performed strictly by men (women are not supposed to talk about it…), for special occasion like funerals (but women are invited to sing), which is also a beautiful mask . The song if you are curious 🙂 Here
I have a Pinterest board full of them if you’re into It Here
- Women only traditional dances like Ndjembe, Abandji . The dancing, if you are curious 🙂 Here
Artist like Georges Mbourou (links to its portfolio) with his beautiful abstract paintings
Food like:
-
- Nyemboue, made with palm tree nuts
- Ayara, made with pounded cassava leaves
- And the renowned “Nkondo” (Carp), which is a freshwater fish that you can eat in various form
- Odika, made with roasted bush mango kernel
Why I love Lambarene
I will confess my parents comes from this region so … I’m biased 🙂 But they left like 40 years ago for the capital / another country. I’m really excited to discover their hometown.I’ll return next year and hope I’ll be able to visit some of the lakes and villages.
I took my first pirogue lesson and went exploring the river Ogooué (the small part of the river 😁 It was also the dry season, so the river level and water discharge were low).
The preserved rainforest, the language, songs and arts of my people speak to me, and I felt like home and safe opposed to the days I spent in the capital.
I invite you to come and visit my little hometown 🙂 see you there!
If you want to know more about It, drop me a few lines bellow!
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This is amazing. The place looks buzzling with its local culture, my cup of tea when traveling. 🙂
Yes! The culture is everywhere
Wow I haven’t been to Gabon nor have I ever thought about going so thank you for sharing all this information about it. I love that you also included so much information about the culture and some native words!
I hope It inspires you to come and visit 🙂
WOW. That song is amazing!
Such an amazing destination and such a great post! I admire the off-the-beaten-path destinations that are less explored! Travelers don’t realise how full of culture and history they are! I really like the pictures of the rivers and churches!
Thanks I had fun taking them 🙂
Fantastic post and information, one day I hope to travel through Africa and this is just the sort of place I would like to visit. Have booked marked your post for future use
Thanks 😊 I hope It will inspire you to book that trip
Wow! That song is amazing. Do you know what the lyrics are all about?
I’m not fluent in my parents language 😀 The fact that this is a men only ritual doesn’t help me either. As a woman I’m not supposed to talk about it. So I never tried to ask for a traduction
I have learned so much after reading this post. I have never heard about Gabon and actually had to locate it on the map. The rivers and lakes look great, thanks for sharing this post and adding to my knowledge.
You’re welcome! That’s the beauty of travel blogs! we share insights about the beautiful places we visit 🙂
I am really unfamiliar with this part of the world so I find this very interesting. I would love to stay at the hospital too. Thank you for sharing this post!
I’m glad I made you discover It 🙂
The culture here looks fascinating, we love off the beaten path destinations 🙂 Africa is on our priority list, we want to drive Cape Town to Cairo but it seems I need to see to see the countries on the west too! It’s just so big. Thanks for adding in the map, I must admit we weren’t sure where Lambarene was!
Yes, people tend to forget about the west part of Africa! They are not known for their tourism but if you like off beaten path destinations, I’m sure you’ll enjoy them 🙂
Love, love loooove the cultural aspect of this post. I enjoyed the pictures because they helped showcase the rich culture of this city outside of Gabon. Excellent photos!
Thank you Tifanee !
Looks like Lambarene is buzzing with culture! How cool that you can stay in a hospital, and be giving back at the same time. Looks like a great trip.
yes, the town really has a rich culture
Hi Ayana! I read your post with a great interest! I know very little (or I should say really… nothing!) about Gabon so learning about its rural parts was really interesting. Hope you gonna write more about it! I love African arts – the masks looks so cool, would love to have one of those in my house (once I finally decide where do I want to live).
🙂 I can definitely relate to the “once I finally decide where do I want to live”. I love African arts too. This time I manage to bring back a small piece of art for my apartment
It was so nice to read a bit more about Gabon. It’s so cool you got to spot hippos in the water too, and it seems like there are a lot of great outdoor activities to do as well. The natural environment looks amazing and the cultural masks fascinating.
Yes, nature is still untouched in most part of the country. You can really enjoy It in the different parks around
Emotional homecoming and a wonderful destination to explore. Really enjoyed your post with beautiful pics.
Thank you 🙂
So interested in their culture ! Nice pictures too. What a great post , enjoyed reading your blog:) keep writing:) thanks for sharing
Thanks for passing by Jackie!
Amazing insight into a place and culture I had never known before – thankyou for sharing 🙂
Thanks Alex. Now you potentially have 1 more country to visit 🙂
Wow wow wow! This looks so much like a destination I have been longing to discover. Just the right place to get away from all the chaos and spend a few peaceful days at leisure. The Okuyi dance and other traditions sound quite intriguing. I shall definitely read more about them.
Yes!It was really that.Peaceful days in nature 🙂
Hey dear! I love this post. I was in Africa this summer and I found that I love it even if I was skeptical at the beginning. I would love to visit this part of Africa because I was in Zanzibar and could’t see hipos and other wild animals. The reason why u love the place – it’s worth it!
So please share how is the easiest way to enter the region – plane to… after that a car/ guide.. I am waiting for your hints 🙂
Keep it cool!
Indeed, you won’t find wild animals expect monkeys in Zanzibar. You have to go to the mainland for that 🙂
Depending on where you are in the world, to reach Gabon you have AirFrance and Turkish airline going in the capital Libreville. You can email me if you need more details info.
Nice article, really good information. Happy to discover another place off the beaten track
Thanks for passing by 😊
really nice to read this – I never see bloggers covering areas like Gabon – great that you give it exposure!
Gabon is not really known for its tourism, but the country as a lot to offer!
This is a hidden gem! It’s great that you’re able to stay in the old consultation rooms to help support the hospital. Would love to spot hippos! There’s so much to see and do … I’m adding this to my list!
I can’t wait to go back and explore the rest of the lakes 😊
First time I read a post about Lambarene..let alon Gabon at all… Sooo, yeah, after reading your article, this could be one of my future destinations – I’ll have to practice my rusty french first though 🙂
Yes come visit 😊 you’ll indeed need French you won’t find many people speaking English
So cool you were able to visit your parents’ hometown! This is a pretty uncommon region to discover, and I love that kind of trips. Amazing pis, pinned it! Thanks for posting this. Love reading about hidden gems and sooooo wanna go now!
If you are a nature lover, this is the perfect place to visit!
Such amazing destination! Love the hidden places, I think they’re the best. Travelers have to visit more places like this.
Yes! I like visiting places like this
Beautifullt written. Came to know about Albert Schweitzer. Loved the hospital, peaceful and serene. And the idea of renting it out to make it more clear for us. Thanks for sharing. Learnt so much.
Thanks 🙂 I take it as a compliment since English is not my first language.That means I’m improving
I love the feeling of this little town, with the people trading fish and meat by the seashore of the river. It surely is a hidden and off the tourist path destination, the kind of places I love the visit. Staying in a consultation room over night and learning about the history of what went there in the past must have been so exciting!
Yea! I really enjoyed visiting the old hospital. The town history changed due to this hospital
We have similar tastes as far as wanting to see places less explored. I can’t wait to get to Africa one day. I want to visit every country for at least a week. Your photos are beautiful also!
That’s my goal too! I have visited 6 countries so far 🙂
Mbolo! I really enjoyed this and I love discovering hidden gems. I think I’d love to stay in the old part for sure where there’s more history, which in my opinion is definitely a lot more charming.
Mbolo Jas ! Glad I made you discover a new gem 😊
This is amazing. I’ve never been anywhere in Africa and this is one of the less-talked about countries. Thanks for the insight.
This is so well written and full of useful information! Thank you!