The Ogooue is Gabon's main river, and Lambarene sits in the middle of it — the town is built on an island and on the two banks that flank it, joined by causeways. The river is wide here, slow-moving and a startling reddish-brown from the iron-rich earth it has carried down from the interior. Local pirogues, motorised barges and the occasional small cargo boat make their way up and down it; you can watch the traffic from the bridges or from the riverfront in the old market quarter.
A short pirogue ride at sunset is one of the easiest things to organise in town and one of the best — the light goes red-gold and the silhouettes of the fish-traps and the forest edge sharpen against the water. Most guesthouses can put you in touch with a boatman.