I went to a two-week trip to Angola, São Tome and Principe, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire and Bissau Guinea. The plan was to take the following flights:
Keflavík to Lisbon, Icelandair
Lisbon to Luanda, TAAG
Luanda to São Tomé, TAAG
São Tomé to Principe, STP Airways
Principe to São Tomé, STP Airways
São Tome to Libreville, ASKY
Libreville to Cotonou to Abidjan, Air Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan to Lomé, ASKY
Lomé to Dakar to Bissau, ASKY
Bissau to Lisbon, TAP
I woke up at 04.30, was down at the hotel lobby of Pestana São Tomé at 04.59 for the airport shuttle at 05.00. There was no driver in sight. The man at the front desk called five drivers. The first four told him over the phone, very sleepy, that their had their day off. The fifth accepted to come so we could leave for the airport at 05.35. The drive took only 10 minutes accross the town.
Here's the entrance to airport.
The ASKY sign for check-in.
The check-in area.
A tropical storm started outside during my check-in.
Queuing took about 15 minutes, then I was checked in in two minutes. No questions were asked. I didn't have to show my visa or vaccination certificate.
I had actually checked in on-line the night before but I don't think it mattered.
Security was quick.
We were in the same waiting room as for the flight to Principe. A small shop was open selling high quality Säo Tomese products. The bar was also open where I had an espresso.
I'm from Iceland and, when I was in the shop, I noticed a person wearing an Icelandic football scarf. He was from Bissau-Guinea, and he had just finished his Phd at the University of Iceland in anthropology. What are the chances for such a meeting? The world is small.
Our plane in the background.
Boarding started at 06.50 and was with the cutest paxbus I've ever seen.
The plane on this flight was a B737 MAX 8, registration number ET-BAT, built in 2020.
The plane had a single-class configuration in a standard 3+3 configuration in economy. The cabin was in excellent condition.
ASKY has a fleet of 15 planes, including six Boeing 737 Max 8 and nine Boeing B737-800NG..
Seats 20ABC.
Load was very light, around 25%.
A welcome drink of water or fruit juice was offered.
An expected flight time of 40 minutes was announced.
A manual safely demonstration was done in French and English.
We started to taxi at 07.15 for a scheduled departure time of 07.00. We took off at 07.21.
Poor visibility at take-off.
The cabin seen from my seat during the flight:
The on-board magazine:
ASKY's route network and fleet:
The first views of Gabon:
We landed in Libreville at 08.59 local time and were at the gate at 09.02 for a scheduled arrival time of 09.00.
Libreville Airport.
The flight only had a stopover in Libreville and then continued to Lomé.
Visa had to be pre-arranged and was expensive. Processing time at the airport was about 20 minutes. Everybody was friendly and relaxed at the airport, including border police officials.
Exchanging money was very straightforward and required no paperwork.
The terminal landside:
My impressions of Gabon
The central African nation of Gabon has a low population density with an area of over 267,000 square kilometers and a population of around 2.4 million people. The oil-reach country has a fairly large middle-class in the cities where shopping malls and supermarkets are full of imported French products but offer only a few Gabonese ones. Libreville is a relatively safe and spacious city. It has many government buildings from the 80s and 90s but few sights for tourists. But as with many other African countries, the beauty lies outside of the cities. Gabon's tourism motto is The Last Eden. The country doesn't get many tourists as visas are expensive and difficult to get, and the few tour companies overprice their services. However, nature starts right at the edge of Libreville, and around 87% of the country is covered by natural forests that have a huge potential for eco-tourism.
Government buildings in Libreville:
A mall with expensive shops:
The Cathedral:
Going on a boat tour near the city is a great activity.
On the shore:
The beach in downtown Libreville:
The seafront boulevard:
