Travel guide Gabon

Also known as the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), it is the emblematic animal of Gabon. This endemic species of the Congo Basin has the particularity of being small, not more than 3 m at the withers. It sneaks in the forests with more or less discretion. Its existence is endangered by intense poaching.

Although the official language is French, many of Central Africa's ethnic groups share a common linguistic heritage: the Bantu language. In Gabon, for example, there are a number of peoples such as the Fang, Myéné, Punu, Mpongwè, Eshira, Nzebi and Bakota.

Practiced by the ethnic groups of central Gabon, the bwiti cult, which mainly invokes deceased relatives, appears to be one of the country's most important esoteric traditions. More than a religion, bwiti is considered a social structure representing local societies in terms of worship, teaching and therapy.

It's a popular dish eaten at any time of day. Street vendors grill the meat, usually beef or mutton, over charcoal. It is then cut into small pieces, which are served in bread with mustard, chili, onions, "maggi sauce" and ketchup, or in a sheet of paper to take away.

Kongossa is such a common activity in Gabon that one would almost forget that the word originated in Cameroon! It could be translated as "gossip", but it also includes judgement, criticism and often affabulations. A kongossa can quickly make - or break - your reputation, so stay alert!

This very aesthetic monkey is one of the stars of the Gabonese forest. The male has bright shades of red and blue on his face, buttocks and testicles. The tribes can group up to 500 individuals! Unlike Rafiki in the Disney animation The Lion King, the mandrill in real life does not have a tail.

It is the basis of the Gabonese diet, impossible to escape it! Well washed, the tubers are cooked, dried in the sun then crushed. The flour is then mixed with boiling water to obtain cassava cobblestones, served as a side dish. The leaves are also eaten: they can be found in broths and fish dishes.

You can stop off at a maquis to enjoy fish or meat kebabs, or other typical dishes, for less. There's a whole range of maquis to choose from. In a "dos-tourné", you eat standing at the stand, with your back to the road. In an "improved maquis", you sit on a plastic chair, and the kitchen is located in a basic building.

The term mapane is used to describe Gabon's working-class neighborhoods, which are similar to shantytowns. They are made up of small shacks of sheet metal, planks and concrete, built very close together and without building permits. Sometimes, to reach your own house, you have to pass through those of several neighbors.

An instrument of traditional Fang music, the mvett is also the art of the spoken word, storytelling in the oral tradition of Gabon. In Fang, the term mvett refers to the set of stringed instruments, zither or mouth harp, accompanying the storyteller of an epic based on the founding myths of the Fang peoples, the largest ethnic group in Gabon.

A rather fatty sauce made from palm nut juice, often used to accompany smoked fish, meat and poultry, including the famous nyembwe chicken, Gabon's national dish. The palm nuts, once boiled, are usually pounded by women but sometimes men do it. This recipe can be found in local restaurants.

It is the typical alcoholic drink of Gabon. There are two ways of making it: either the tree is cut and the sap is recovered, or the tree is cut while still alive. The sap is left to ferment for a few days, with the addition of a "bitter wood" root, which gives it more alcohol. The capital of palm wine is Moabi, in the province of Nyanga.