The National Park Batéké Plateau, also known as the Batéké National Plateau Park is a wildlife reserve park which is located in the Province of Upper Ogowe in Mpassa, close to the Congolese border in Gabon.

Due to its universal cultural and natural significance, it was added onto the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Tentative List on October 20, 2005.

The site became a wildlife national park in 2002 under the authority of the Head of State to the forests of Gabon areas of protection of flora and fauna under the Gabonese central powers.

The park is believe to cover an area of 2,034 km2 (785 sq mi) and is located in the extreme south eastern part of Gabon stretching as far as to the Congolese border.

The park was believed to have been reserved initially as a sanctuary orphaned for gorillas and duikers in the early days of the history of the park until when it was given a legal backing with a decree of 604/PR/MEFEPEPN on August 30, 2002.

The vegetation of the park is a mosaic of grassy savannas and shrublands, forests interspersed wet galleries consisting of various species ranging from elephants, lions, tigers, birds, monkeys , gorillas among others.

The climate condition in the region of the park is equatorial transition, hot and humid, with an average temperature believed to be about 23-24 °.

One of the most interesting scenes about the park is its series of plateaus and rolling hills incised by valleys and intermittent streams with altitudes ranging from 350 m to 930 m and when view from afar, makes it one of the beauty nature has given to mankind.

The presence of rivers and streams in the park make it possible for different species to survive significantly thereby promoting biodiversity of species and ecosystems.

At the Upstream of the park, there are canyons where many rivers go making the touring of the park interesting as one can use a cannon or a speed boat to go round the park or better still, go by foot.

History has it that the area including the park was and still inhabited by the homogeneous Batéké people who were believed to have migrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo dating back to the fifteenth century during the time of the early European explorers.

Former President Omar Bongo who ruled Gabon from 2 December 1967 to 8 June 2009 until he died in Barcelona, Spain, was a Batéké and has his hometown in the area contributing to the historical records of the park.

The area of the park also has been noted as a strong metallurgical activity that dates back over two thousand years and which lasted until the early twentieth century making the area one of the strategic areas for Gabon.

The trays in the park offer a pictorial landscape with beautiful outlook including the canyons that have the spectacle of a desert with dunes spread in the tropical forest or woodland shrub, wavy hills with moderate slopes that offer under an exciting canopy.

Geological studies carried in the revealed that the park contains Fossil dunes p-nitrophenyl butyrate (PNPB) which was believed to have occurred around 20 to 30 million years back in history.

Due to the low population density in the area, which is as low as 2 inhabitant / km2, the Fossil dunes -p-nitrophenyl butyrate (PNPB) is believed to be in good condition and can add up to Gabon’s fortunes in the oil and gas industry in Africa.

The Sands in the park represents the western margin of the continental deposits of the Congo Basin linking the wind and river-lake origin.These tertiary sands are highly permeable and do not cause erosion.

According to UNESCO, the park can be compared to the steppes of Mongolia in Central Asia and the Kalahari Desert in southern part of Africa.

Visiting Gabon is very easy and convenient due to the stable and peaceful nature of the country’s political system and a massive development in the tourism industry.

Local flights are available from the capital Libreville to the Provincial capital Franceville and the rest of the journey which is few kilometers away can be continued in a luxury bus to the park.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Tourism News

 

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