Its creation was announced in August 2002 by then-President Omar Bongo at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, along with Gabon's 12 other terrestrial national parks.

[2] Average temperature is 23.9 °C (measured at Makokou a few kilometres from the northern park border), with seasonal variation of around 3.3 °C.

The old-growth forests in the south contain a geographically unique population of Caesalpinioideae (peacock flower), which in turn provides habitat for a very wide diversity of butterflies, birds, and mammals.

[6] These species include the western lowland gorilla, common chimpanzee, African forest buffalo, red river hog, sitatunga, and African golden cat, as well as one of the last relativity intact populations of forest elephants.

[7] The Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale (IRET), a tropical research institute under the authority of the Centre national de la recherche scientifique et technologique (CENAREST), is found in the north of the park, 12 km from the closest city, Makokou,[8] while Langoué Research Station, run by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is found in the south a few kilometers from Langoué Baï.