Lying flush on the west coast of Africa and straddling the equator, Gabon is about half the size of France and a hundred times more fertile. It's bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the north-west, Cameroon to the north, and Congo (Brazzaville) to the east and south.

Gabon's coastal strip rises in an ascending arpeggio of plateaus until it reaches the interior where the mountains peaks at over 1500m (4920ft). Nearly three-quarters of the country (one of the highest rates in Africa) is covered in tropical rainforests with only one minuscule percent falling under the agricultural axe. This unfettered lushness and the deep river valleys that dissect the country make getting around a challenge. The major artery of Gabon, the Ogooué River, almost cuts the country in half as it passes through Franceville and Lambaréné and rushes toward the Atlantic Ocean. At the mouth of the river is Port-Gentil, the heartbeat of Gabon's lucrative oil industry, which pans out into the filigreed coastline with its miles of breathtaking but almost inaccessible estuaries. Vast wetlands stretch inland from the coast.

Gabon is principally known for its tropical rainforests but also has coastal woodland areas and open savannah grasslands where the coastal plains meet the forests. Within the rainforests there is an encyclopedic range of flora from the climbing palms, rubber vines, and liana of cartoon jungles to hardwood trees like purpleheart, ebony and mahogany. The hardwoods, including the okoumé (unique to central Africa) and Ozigo tree, represent cash crops of significant value.

Both the floor and the roof of the rainforests are alive with animals: snakes, vipers and pythons slither around hunting for field mice, insects and small animals that just ran out of luck; hedgehogs, porcupines and tortoises lumber around the forest floor; squirrels, monkeys, baboons, lemurs, toucans and African parrots occupy the trees; crocodiles and hippopotamuses claim the river banks; big game animals - antelopes, buffaloes and elephants roam the grasslands; and even gorillas, endangered in most other parts of Africa, are so numerous in Gabon they've become an environmental nuisance. Despite the plethora of wildlife, actually getting a glimpse of them is another thing altogether. The growth is so dense that many parts of the rainforest are inaccessible.

The climate is hot - the average daily high is 31°C (88°F) in April and rarely dips below 27°C (81°F) any other time of the year. It's also extremely muggy most of the year. The dry season extends from May to September, with a short dry spell in mid-December.

Comfortable travel in Gabon is limited to Libreville and a handful of other places. You could spend US$300 a day or more if you tried, but the top-end hotels and restaurants in Libreville are notoriously overpriced, so you'd hardly get your money's worth. Moderate travel will run closer to US$50-100 a day, though you can get by for less if you pick your accommodation with care, do some self-catering and don't crisscross the country in a 1st-class cabin. Budget travellers can squeak by for well under US$50 a day if they stick to cheap resthouses and restaurants.

The commissions for changing travellers' cheques at banks in Gabon can be punitive - make inquiries before you change. Cash has the edge. There are banks in the largest towns, but many of them refuse to change money or travellers' cheques other than those denominated in French francs or CFA francs.

Expect to tip between 10% and 15% unless the service charge has already been added to your bill.

The best time to visit Gabon is during the dry season (May to September). The rest of the year is one muggy, scorching hot day after another, with heavy rain from evening till morning.