PAHON AND MALEBO CAVES

Allow between 2 hours 30 min and 4 hours to visit one or two caves. Best done in the dry season. Take the road to Doumé (direction Koulamoutou) following the Ogooué and stop at the hamlet of Pahon-Pira located 12 km from Lastoursville. Following a path that winds through tall grass, we see, on the left, the Likoumou mountain. The walk, quite sportive when approaching the caves, is very pleasant in the forest with its delicate perfumes. Huge cheese trees punctuate the path that the guide often has to open with a machete.

After an hour's walk at a good pace, the first cave is in sight, a gap in a rock covered with moss and ferns. The descent, on a steep slope of slippery earth, is difficult. But the reward is at the end: a beautiful room from which galleries start, a rugged space in the hollow of which a small stream winds. The way back up is much easier.

After about 45 minutes, the second cave is quite difficult to find in a denser vegetation. This cave is very different from the previous one : vast and clearer, it allows to cross the relief and to go out on the other side of the hill. This cave has galleries decorated with numerous concretions, including this beautiful pleated hanging of stalactites organized a little like the pipes of an organ.

To visit these caves, it is recommended to ask a guide to accompany you.