MAYUMBA NATIONAL PARK

Mayumba National Park comprises a mainly marine protected area, where the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works. It protects a coastal zone of almost 960 km², as well as a strip of beach and vegetation 1 km wide and 60 km long. Sandy beaches, mangroves, savannahs and forests bathed in freshwater lagoons are all habitats that are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Mayumba Park owes its reputation to its leatherback turtle nesting site, ranked among the top in the world. The park is also home to the ballet of the humpback whales, a spectacular sight between July and October, the peak of their breeding season, which involves courtship and love songs, as well as fights between males.

The best thing to do is to contact the park's very active curator, Gilbert, at least a week in advance. As well as providing you with park entry permits, he can suggest a range of activities:

whale-watching expeditions, either from the coast or from a boat, are organized from Mayumba Park; forest walks, offered by Mayumba National Park guides in July and August. Contact the curator; visit the villages of the Banio lagoon. In the company of Gilbert or one of his colleagues, walks are offered to Tchianzi, Kayes and Yoyo, among other fishing villages; leatherback turtle egg-laying. To be seen on the beach between November and February. Permission required from the curator.