The standout day trip is north along the coast to Diosso and Loango Bay, about 25 kilometres from the city. The Gorges of Diosso are a series of dramatic red-laterite ravines dropping from the plateau toward the sea; the small regional museum at Diosso village covers the kings of Loango; and the long sandy beach of Loango Bay, just below, has the historical weight of having been one of the great slave-trade embarkation points of the Atlantic. The three sights work together as a single half-day expedition.
Going inland, the road climbs into the Mayombe forest — the dense, hilly, rain-soaked country between the coast and the Niari valley, with patches of primary forest, small villages and the occasional wildlife sighting. The Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Sanctuary, run by the Jane Goodall Institute, is around 50 kilometres north of the city and accepts limited visitor groups by advance booking only — one of the most worthwhile half-days possible from Pointe-Noire.