WHAT OUR FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILM PRODUCTION IN GABON
Gabon, a country at the Equator in West-Central Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean in west is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo. With an area of 267,668 km², the country is somewhat larger than the United Kingdom, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Colorado.
The climate is hot and humid all year round in the north and in inland areas, with a short dry season from June to August, while in the central and southern part of the coast, the temperature becomes cooler during the dry season. In the far south, the dry season is longer, and it goes from mid-May to mid-September.
The temperature varies little over the course of the year in the north and the center of the country: the warmest period is from January to May, when highs are around 30 °C (86 °F), while it drops a bit from June to September, hovering around 24/25 °C (75/77 °F) in the central and southern part of the coast and around 27/28 °C (81/82 °F) in inland areas. Broadly speaking, Gabon has two main seasons: a long rainy season between February and May, followed by a long dry season from late May to mid-September. The dry season is the best time to film in Gabon.
Gabon is primarily a French speaking country. Gabon became the second French-speaking African country in three years to announce it would begin adopting English as an official language.
The Central African CFA franc is the currency of six independent states in Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Although Gabon is, by and large, a safe country in which few travellers experience any problems, it doesn’t hurt to remain cautious. Petty crime, including pickpocketing, bag snatching and vehicle break-ins, is common in Gabon. Keep your valuables out of sight.
Gabon’s roads are on the whole unpaved and some areas can only be reached by river or air. Many roads become impassable during the wet season from October to May. Gabonese fixer organize safe and reliable 4WD transportation. Several international airlines service flights to Gabon.
Film friendly hotels in Gabon include:
Laico Okoume Palace Hotel
Le Meridien Re-Ndama
Contact local film fixer for corporate rates
There is currently no film rebates for filming in Gabon
WHAT OUR FILM FIXERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FILM LOCATIONS IN GABON
Agricultural film locations include plantations of sugarcane, cocoa, plantains, palm oil, and rubber.
Industrial locations: Oil and gas facilities /
Mining: Manganese, uranium, and iron ore mines.
Libreville is the capital and largest city. Libreville is a well-developed city with paved roads, clean streets, and a wealth of expensive restaurants as well as the National Museum, Presidential Palace, L’Eglise St-Michel (St Michael Cathedral), and the Musée des Arts et Traditions du Gabon.
National Parks
Loango : elephants, buffalos, hippos, gorillas and leopards that can sometimes been photographed wandering along the beautiful white sand beaches.
Lopé : Gorillas, mandrills, chimpanzees, leopards, giant pangolins, crocodiles, and elephants.
Ivindo : Koungou, Mingouli, and Djidji Waterfalls. Wildlife includes gorillas, chimpanzees, buffalos, elephants, and a diversity of birds.
Akanda : The park is home to nesting green turtles and a large variety of migratory birds.
Pongara : Mangrove forest, swamp forest, riverine forest, beach, and grassy savanna. Hawksbill turtles, green sea turtles, olive ridley sea turtles and Leatherback turtles who lay their eggs on the beach. The rainforest is home to elephants, gorillas, monkeys, buffaloes, and chimpanzees.
Minkébé : Dominated by isolated rock domes overlooking forest and swamps. Wildlife includes elephants, gorillas, leopards, giant pangolins, mandrills chimpanzees, and crocodiles.
Batéké : Lions, jackals, elephants, buffalo, gorillas, and chimpanzees.
Birougou : Dense rainforest of the Chaillu Mountains. It is one of the best places to film the endemic sun-tailed guenon.
Crystal Mountains : High altitude forests of the rocky crystal mountain ranges. The forests are home to flora such as orchids and begonias, and fauna such as mandrills, chimpanzees, gorillas, buffalos, elephants, leopard, and hundreds of species of butterflies.