The excellent transport network in Gabon keeps the country well connected within, as well as to, the outside world. There are various modes of transport available:

Road
Driving
There is an excellent network of roads in Gabon. Traffic drives on the right. There are nearly 7,518km (4,672 miles) of road, but only 614km (382 miles) are tarred. Most of the country consists of impenetrable rainforest and the roads are generally of a poor standard. Road travel in the rainy season (October to mid December and mid February to May) is inadvisable. There is no road connection between the second-largest city of Port Gentil or any other part of the country. Check points are common in Gabon and drivers are asked to show passports, driving licence or vehicle registration documents.

Buses and Taxis
Bus is the easiest, most convenient and economical means of transport if you are travelling alone. There are some rich Gabonese entrepreneurs who have invested money in new buses for bus lines to serve the larger interior cities. Most of these buses serve the cities and have greatly extended their routes since Air Gabon closed down.
Inter-urban travel is mainly by minibus or pick-up truck. Daily minibus services run from Libreville to Lambaréné, Mouila, Oyem and Bitam (the last two usually involving night stops). Seats for these and other less frequent routes can be obtained in Libreville. However, this is not normally necessary for the main routes as seats will be readily available in the ‘bus station’ near the central market. There are also conventional buses on the Mouila route and other services out of Mouila. There are extensive share-taxis. There are bus services in Port Gentil and Masuku (Franceville), and share-taxis in other centres. Taxi rates vary.
Comically over-packed taxis-brousses, minibuses and pick-up trucks are options for travelling outside Libreville.

Car Hire
There are various car rental agencies that offer car rentals to tourists. If you are with your family then this is the best mode of transport. All you need in order to rent a car is your valid passport and an international licence. You can hire a driver if you want.
Cars may be hired from main hotels and airports, although they tend to be expensive. Cars are available for hire within the city, but not for trips on the dirt roads that lead to destinations outside of the city. Renting a 4WD is difficult without also renting a driver.
Europcar (+241) 745 845, Hertz (+241) 732 011 and Avis (+241) 724 251 have offices in Libreville.

Drivers licence
International Driving Permit and international insurance are required.

Purchasing of motor vehicles
The process to purchase a car is the same as if you were purchasing furniture. First choose a car then complete a form and submit a copy of your passport. You will need to provide your bank address and personal address. You will also need to organise a cheque for the value or the item in CFA. The dealer will then prepare all documents and deliver the car to you. One can then subscribe to your preferred insurance provider or get the car dealer to organise the insurance for you. Some recommended dealers are:
Somemaga (+241-1) 748 060
Sells Nissan/ Peugeot/ Suzuki.

CFAO Motors (+241-6) 246 477
Sells Mitsubishi.
Libreville (+241-1) 748 266
Port-Gentil (+241-2) 552 147

Toyota Gabon. Sogafric (+241-1) 761 515

Sodim TP (+241-1) 772 550/ 772 038
Sells Mazda  / Renault / Isuzu.

Travelling to neighbouring countries
Cameroon - Travellers to and from Cameroon cross at the Ntem River between Bitam (Gabon) and Ambam (Cameroon). From the town of Ebolowa in Cameroon there’s a regular bus service to Yaoundé and Douala. Visas can be purchased at the border.
Congo - Before heading out to any  crossing ask locally about the conditions and reliability of cross points and transport beyond the Gabonese border. The main crossing to Congo is between N’Dendé (Gabon) and Doussala (Congo), from where you head to Loubomo to connect with the Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville railway. The border with Congo in eastern Gabon is easily crossable; you can sometimes cross without having papers checked. But don’t get caught on the other side without a visa! Crossings are also possible in the east include Léconi (near Franceville) and Mékambo (past Makokou; visas might be purchased there). Keep in mind that the areas in western Congo can often be no-man’s-land.
Equatorial guinea - Crossings can be done at Cocobeach (Gabon) by pirogue to Cogo and Acalyong (Equatorial Guinea), and via Oyem and Bitam (Gabon) to either Mongomo or Ebebiyin (Equatorial Guinea). Taxis leave daily from all towns and the ride to Bata is around four hours with the new roads. Be prepared for corrupt and suspicious officials. Secure a visa before attempting to cross!

Safety
Note: Carjacking is uncommon but opening doors or jumping through open windows to steal valuables is not. Keep your windows closed and the doors locked. When stopped at traffic lights or parked on unattended locations, thieves have been known to steal mirrors, paneling, spare tyres, and anything that is not either engraved with the licence plate number or bolted into the vehicle’s body. Choose your parking spots carefully and don’t leave valuables in sight. You can either offer the parking attendant a small tip to watch your vehicle, or find a secured parking lot, especially if you are leaving your vehicle overnight.

Rail
The Trans-Gabon Railway is the only railway line in Gabon; it is 410km (254 miles) long and connects Libreville (Owendo station, 10km (6 miles) from the city centre) with Franceville. Stops along the way include Ndjole and Moanda. Plans proposing an extension of the railway to Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo regularly surface. Taking the Transgabonaise train line that crosses the country is a cheaper, faster and far more comfortable option than taking a taxi-brousse.

Air
Recently due to the influx of tourists to the country there has been an increase in the number of flights which serve Gabon. Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com) flies from Paris (France) to Libreville with a stop in Casablanca (Morocco). Air France (www.airfrance.com) flies straight from Paris to Libreville.
Libreville is also linked to most major cities in West and Central Africa by a rotating cast of regional airlines. Libreville’s Léon M’Ba Airport has flights to and from Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Brazzaville (Congo), Douala (Cameroon), Lagos (Nigeria), São Tomé town (São Tomé & Príncipe), Johannesburg (South Africa) and sometimes Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), among others. Air Gabon (GN) operates regular flights from Lambaréné, Libreville, Mitzic, Oyem and other cities. Gabon has a total of nearly 200 airstrips.

Regional flight operators include:
Air Service (241 747 092)
La Nationale (241 666 9077, 241 31903)
SCD Aviation (241 564 100, 241 885 666; scd-aviation@inet.ga)
Some of the airports in Gabon are:
Franceville - M’Vengue airport. This Gabon airport is located 18 km west of Masuku.
Lambarene Airport is situated 4 km from Lamberebe.
Libreville-Leon M’Ba International Airport is situated 9km northwest of the city.
Other airports in Gabon are Oyem Airport, Ndende Airport, Moanda Airport, and Yengzi-Gamba Airport.
The Air Service has scheduled flights to cities like Oyem, Makouko and Franceville/ Mvengue. The Air Nationale flies to Franceville/ Mvengue and there are also many other airlines that operate flights to Franceville/ Mvengue every day of the week except Tuesdays and Thursdays.
You can hire cars to take you to your destinations at most of the airports.

Sea
There are occasional boats to and from Cotonou (Benin), São Tomé & Príncipe and Cameroon. Expect long, uncomfortable journeys. There are passenger boats between Lambaréné and Port-Gentil (about ten hours) and between Port-Gentil and Libreville (about four hours). Ask for details at the Maritime Express office on Port Môle in Libreville.

 

Taken from Relocation Africa's African Relocation Guide to Gabon.

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