Equatorial Guinea is a country and Bioko Island is the seat of it’s government. The whole country is made up of six islands and a very small piece of Africa’s mainland. It’s a strange place of contrasts, between what seem to be relatively wealthy, modern cities to villages without roads, running water or electricity. Oil is a major resource and has brought in a lot of foreigners from Israeli security forces and doctors to contractors and construction workers from China and the middle east to American oil field workers.
If you can get into the forests though, you’ll find a largely unspoiled utopia. Equatorial Guinea has Africa’s second largest density of primates, including Chimpanzees on the mainland and several monkeys on Bioko. It’s also a good place to view Leatherback Sea turtles. Unfortunately for would be tourists, tourism is all but non-existent, if you want to visit, a good place to start is contacting Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program which takes seasonal volunteers and workers for sea turtle and drill monkey research. They also have facilities and programs for tourists wishing to see wildlife.
Language: Spanish (although some native languages and French are also not uncommon)
Currency: Central African Franc (CAF) Exchange rate
Capital City: Malabo
When to go: September-February is the dry season and the best time to visit.
Concerns: Yellow fever (get vaccinated), Malaria, talk to your doctor about other risks.
