Country Nr 36 – Equatorial Guinea – top sights on Bioko Island

Country 36/196: Equatorial Guinea
Destinations: Malabo, Arena Blanca

Equatorial Guinea consists of an island and a mainland region. We’ve decided to visit the island.

Bioko is a cloudy tropical volcanic island south of the equator and it’s the site of the country’s capital – Malabo. We loved the island’s amazing lush nature, the colonial architecture, the beach parties, and the warm (actually it was hot) weather. 🙂 ♥

Things to see and things to do

Bioko island offers many beautiful sites, including Pico Basilé, the tallest mountain in the country, its national park, Luba, the Malabo national park, and of course the colonial capital.

Malabo

Malabo is the oldest city in the country. Colonial architecture coexists with modern buildings built since their independence from Spain in 1968. These few buildings stand out from the rest, therefore are considered the city’s top attractions:

• Presidential Palace
• Palace of Justice of Malabo
• Cathedral of Santa Isabel (a church in the neo-Gothic style, built between 1897 and 1916)
• The green house
• La Gaditana
• Casa Teodolita
• The city hall
• Independence Square

Arena Blanca 

Arena Blanca is the most popular beach on the island. It’s a lovely ‘white sand’ beach with many bars near the car park. It’s located near Luba. We decided to visit the beach on a Sunday, therefore the bars were pretty crowded and there was a big beach party going on.

To visit the beach you can take a bus to Luba and ask the driver to drop you off at the beach. The ticket costs 2000 CFA (3. 5 USD) per person.

Equatorial Guinea, thank you for the many lovely sights! Wishing you LOVE and PEACE! 😉

Where to stay

Tourism in Equatorial Guinea is very undeveloped, mostly due to the long international isolation. As such, accommodation options are limited in the country – even in Malabo. However, there are still some nice and comfortable hotels to be found.

Are you planning a trip to Malabo? Here you can get a room with a 10% discount!

Budget

For visitors, Equatorial Guinea is not a cheap destination. There are very few accommodation options to be found on the internet and most of them are very expensive. As you may need a hotel reservation prior to entering the country, make sure to book a room in advance. If you find the price too high, you can cancel your reservation and find a cheaper room in a smaller hotel or guesthouse. You can save lots of money by traveling and eating like the locals.

Best time to visit

The climate in Equatorial Guinea is tropical – the temperatures are high year-round and there is lots of rain. The best time to visit the country is from December to February, during the country’s dry season.

Environmental issues

One of the biggest environmental issues in Equatorial Guinea is deforestation. The dense tropical forests are threatened by agricultural expansion, fires, grazing, and overlogging. Water pollution is also one of the most pressing concerns, as water is not potable, and so is wildlife preservation. The country’s wildlife is mainly threatened by rapid urbanization.

During our stay, we have had the pleasure to visit a kindergarten and to talk to children about the importance of peace and sustainability. It was a very educational and rewarding experience.

Deforestation in Equatorial Guinea

Romance and adventure

Beautiful architecture, lovely beaches, great mountains, and lush forests. There is plenty of romance and adventure to be found in Equatorial Guinea.

196xLOVE

Found lots of LOVE in Equatorial Guinea. 😉 ♥

Honeymoon rating of the visited destinations: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡

* Note: This is NOT a general rating of the country, it is merely our personal opinion of the mentioned site(s) as honeymoon destinations, based on the level of tourism development, the number and quality of romantic and adventurous activities and sites it offers, and safety. We strongly believe that every country is beautiful in its own way, they may simply be more or less honeymoon oriented/friendly.

** Follow the journey on Instagram. 😉 There you can see our clean-up stories and check out our peace and sustainable tourism promo photos/videos. 😉

*** Use the form on the sidebar to subscribe to our newsletter and get a free customized e-postcard from every country! 🙂