Getting There: Fly from New York City to Libreville, Gabon, for about $2,000 round-trip on Air France (airfrance.us).

Prime Time: June to September is the dry season, when temperatures range from 71 to 77 degrees, but Gabon can be visited year-round, since the rain that comes from October to May falls mainly at night.

Where to Go: Currently you can tour seven of Gabon's 13 national parks: Ivindo, Lopé, Loango, Pongara, Akanda, Monts de Cristal, and Plateaux Batéké. Mistral Voyages (011-241-76-0421, ecotourisme-gabon.com) can arrange guided tours that include the forests, wetlands, and savannas of two or three parks—where you'll likely see elephants, gorillas, crocodiles, and other wildlife. For more information, go to gabonnationalparks.com. Where to Stay: Loango Lodge offers seven bungalows and three suites (from $376 per person; operation-loango.com). The Lopé Hotel has 24 rooms on the banks of the Ogooué River ($112 per person; book both lodges through Mistral Voyages).