Libreville

Libreville needs 1 day: the Mont-Bouët Market, one of the largest in Central Africa, and its urban beaches along the Gabon Estuary, are the main reason to visit, though almost every traveler uses it as a stopover before heading into the rainforest. June-September is best (dry season). It's mid-to-high priced for the region's standard. It was founded in 1849 by enslaved people freed from a French slave ship, hence its name («free city»), and it serves as the essential gateway to Loango National Park, where it's possible to see elephants and hippos walking along the Atlantic beach itself.