Libreville (Owendo) to Franceville

Trains link Libreville with Franceville several nights a week, either the faster Train Express Trans-Ogooue (formerly Ntsa Express) or the all-stations Train Omnibus l'Equateur.  The station at Libreville is Owendo, which is about 4 or 5 miles south of Libreville itself.  Although most trains run overnight, there are no sleeping berths, only seats.  Feedback would be appreciated if you use these trains.  You can check these times at www.setrag.ga.

Express:  VIP class, 1st class, 2nd class, restaurant car, in cars built in Germany in 2017.

Omnibus:  VIP class, 1st class & 2nd class in some cars built in Korea in 2011, and some 2nd hand 1960s cars from France.

How much does it cost?

Infants under 4 free.  Children 4-11 half price.  You can check these fares at www.setrag.ga.

How to buy tickets...

• You can buy tickets at the station, but make sure you bring the passports (or photocopies of the passports) of all passengers.

• To arrange tickets in advance, try the following travel agency:

  NgondeTour
  Galeries Maxime Montee de Louis

  Infoline: (+241) 06 57 39 66
  www.ngondetour.com

• Feedback would be appreciated.

Luggage...

Up to 10Kg of hand luggage can be taken onto the train with you.  Up to 30Kg can be checked before departure for a CFA 1300 registration fee and CFA 500 wrapping fee per item.  You need to check your bags in at the station at least an hour or two before departure.  If you have a 1st class or VIP class ticket there is a 1st class lounge you can use at Owendo to wait for your train.  Feedback would be appreciated.

What are the trains like?

The express train was re-equipped in 2017 with modern air-conditioned German-built cars.  1st & 2nd class is provided, both are comfortable although only seats are provided, no sleeping berths.  There is currently no sign of VIP class cars on the express train even though VIP fares are still quoted, it's possible the VIP cars are still to be delivered.  New restaurant cars should be delivered by the end of 2017.  The train omnibus uses older cars, mainly French-built, but they are still comfortable.  No alcohol is allowed on board these trains.

The air-conditioned Train Express, newly-delivered in 2017.  Photo courtesy of Rémi Favre...

Train Express, new 2017 1st class... Photo courtesy of Rémi Favre		Another shot of the new 1st class on the express.  Courtesy of Stuart Jarvis.

The view along the track at Lope station.  Photo courtesy of Stuart Jarvis...

1st class on the Train Omnibus... Photo courtesy of Stuart Jarvis		SETRAG locomotive... Photo courtesy of Clive Leatherdale

The Train Omnibus, using older cars.  Photo courtesy of Melinda Barry...

Owendo station, some 4 miles from Libreville... Photo courtesy of Ann Johnson		Owendo station... Photo courtesy of Ann Johnson

Traveller's reports...

Traveller Clive Leatherdale reports, "Previous guidebooks have suggested the train is decrepit and prone to breakdown and delay.  To my untrained eye, the train looked modern and reliable. On the day I visited the station it arrived on schedule to the minute.  Owendo station struck me by its cleanliness and efficiency, and Gabon seems proud of its railway."

More information...

If anyone has any more information. photos or travel reports that would be useful for this page, please e-mail me!

Useful country information

Hotels in Gabon...

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & VPN...

Always take out travel insurance...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

In the UK, reliable insurers include Columbus Direct.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.

You can use Confused.com to compare prices & policies from many different insurers.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

A Curve card saves on foreign transaction fees...

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.