Report of the Trip to Bioko Island, in Equatorial Guinea, through the following locations: Malabo, Ela Nguema, Rebola, Basakato del Este, Bacake Grande, Bantabare, Riaba, Moca Bioko, Reserva Cientifica Gran Caldera de Luba, Musola, Fortune, Batete, Luba, Arena Blanca, Long Street, Basacato del Oeste, Basapù.

  

Flight of the Ethiopians Airlines Company from Malpensa to Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), with a stopover in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and a technical stop in Douala (Cameroon). Return ticket price, taxes included: Euro 653.88.

 

Having done the online check - in (to obtain which I had to enter the visa number) and having only hand luggage, only at the Malpensa Gate, before boarding the plane I was asked to show my passport and Visa for Equatorial Guinea.

 

Therefore, once you reach Terminal 2 of Bole Airport (Addis Ababa), you must go through the hand baggage security check before arriving in the transit area. At the gate, before boarding, no one checked me if I had an Equatorial Guinea Visa.

 

Equatorial Guinea time zone: same time as Italy; - 1 hour when daylight saving time is in force in Italy;

Entry visa: required, to be requested at the Embassy of Equatorial Guinea in Rome (Via Bruxelles, 59 - 00198 Rome - tel. 06/8555428. It is open from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 14.00.

 

Keep in mind that the kind and efficient employee of the Embassy always answers the phone.

 

Keep in mind that the Equatorial Guinea Embassy in Rome issues tourist visas in about 10 working days by presenting the following documentation, presenting yourself personally at the Embassy (Agencies are not allowed)

 

1. Passport;

2. The last 3 payslips;

3. Employment contract;

4. Two passport photos;

5. General Certificate of the Criminal Records;

6. Certificate of Pending Loads;

7. Flight Booking;

8. Hotel booking through Booking;

9. Completed and signed form;

10. Original and copy of the yellow fever certificate;

11. Copy of Identity Card;

12. Copy of the passport;

13. One hundred Euros to be paid by bank transfer when you are in Rome. (Since I don't have a bank in Rome, I gave the 100 Euro plus a 3 Euro commission to the kind employee who made the bank transfer for me)

 

Keep in mind that if you have a serious motivation, you can obtain the visa in just about 2 hours, paying 50 Euros more for the urgency (150 Euros instead of 100 Euros). My motivation was that living in the Province of Brescia it was quite burdensome for me to return to Rome a second time to get a Visa.

 

Please note that the aforementioned visa is valid for 60 days from the date of issue of the Equatorial Guinea Embassy in Rome and allows you to stay in the country for 30 days.

 

Keep in mind that the Equatorial Guinea Visa can also be obtained at the Embassy of Libreville in Gabon, in the day, but there the certainty is not guaranteed and also as described on the Lonely Planet Forum, there is no fixed rate on the amount to pay to get it but it depends a little on your bargaining spirit. There are also those who have also paid 600 USD.

 

Language: Spanish (official language)

 

Religion: 87% of the population is of the Catholic Christian faith; 5% are Protestant Christians and another 5% are animists. There is a small minority of Muslims in the country.

 

 

Currency: Central African CFA franc.

 

Once I arrived, at Malabo International Airport, located 5 km west of the center of the capital, after checking my entry visa, the yellow fever booklet, I had to fill out the entry form to the country where you have to write the Hotel where you stay. I delivered it to the desk where the clerk, without asking me any questions, stamped my entry into the country on my passport.

Then you have to go through the baggage check, both with the scanner and by hand.

I had CFA currency with me, but if you need to change at the airport there is the possibility to do so, by contacting a taxi driver who will take you to a newsstand or something like that.

Keep in mind that in Malabo on Avenida de la Libertà, between Calle de Nigeria and Avenida del 3 Agosto, there are several improvised money changers.

Keep in mind that tourists visiting Equatorial Guinea are required to obtain an Authorization for tourist visit, at the Ministerio de Cultura, Turismo Y Promoción Artesanal, located in Malabo II, adjacent to the Autopista de Malabo and a few tens of meters from the Palacio de Justicia and from the Palacio di GEPETROL, just 3 km southwest of the center of Malabo.

 

once I left the airport, I took a shared taxi which, at the price of 2,000 CFA, took me to the Ministerio de Cultura, Turismo Y Promoción Artesanal open from 8.00 to 18.00 from Monday to Friday and perhaps also on Saturday morning. Then I went to the second floor, in the office to the right of the flight of stairs where I asked for the tourist permit, presenting the following documentation to the very kind employee who speaks only Spanish:

• Completed form, downloaded from the internet where you have to write all the places you want to visit and the total duration of your stay in Equatorial Guinea;

• 15,000 CFA in cash;

• Copy of the passport;

 

The tourist permit was issued to me only after 1 hour.

 

From the Ministry of Tourism I took a shared taxi at the price of 1,000 CFA which took me to the Internet Hostal.

 

In Malabo, I slept at the Internet Hostal, run by Chinese, located in Avenida de las Naciones Unidas, in the center, Tel: +240222097817, at the price of 20,000 CFA per night, for a room in with air conditioning, shared bathroom , Fully functional WIFI, television. The reception staff speak Spanish and not English.

 

Part of the Internet Hostal is Cibermax, where I made 10 copies of my Tourist Permit, to be given to the Police in case of an inspection. I paid 100 CFA per copy.

 

Malabo is a very nice and clean city, in typical colonial style.

 

In Malabo, I almost always traveled on foot, except on 3 occasions (in addition to the 2 illustrated above), where I took a taxi:

 

• From Paseo Maritimo to Hilton Hotel: 1,000 CFA;

• From the Parque Nacional to Finca de Sampaka: Free

• From the Internet Hostal al Complejo Deportivo: 500 CFA;

• From Complejo Deportivo to Malabo International Airport: 2,000 CFA;

 

During my stay in Equatorial Guinea, the locals were very friendly with me and the Police didn't stop me only 2 times while I was in a taxi, checking my passport with kindness.

 

In Malabo I visited:

 

• Assemblies of God Church;

• The Green House (under renovation);

• Plaza de Indipendencia;

• Catedral de Santa Isabel;

• Centro Cultural Ecuatoguineano;

• Plaza de la Mujer;

• Centro Cultural de Espana;

• Paseo Maritimo: being located just 1 km west of the center, it appeared almost deserted;

• Hilton Hotel: from the outside it looks like a prison;

• Parque Nacional de Malabo, located 1 km east of the International Airport: it is a pharaonic work created by the Chinese, with Plaza de Africa, Lomb Lake, 3 Islands, Nvet Theater, Jardin de la Amistad, Area de las Ciencias, Galeria Cultural, Plaza de Las Etnias, Plaza de Los Artesanos, Area de Jegos de ninos, Torre Risila. You can rent bicycles at the main entrance, there are pedal boats and even a small train. The admission price is 500 CFA.

• Finca de Sampaka;

• Claret Sanctuary;

• Mercado Central;

• Estadio de La Paz;

• Iglesia Bautista;

• Cubanos Deportados Monument;

• Plaza Ewaiso;

• Institut Culturel Francais;

• Complejo Deportivo;

 

 

To climb to the top of Pico Basilè mt 3011, the highest mountain in Equatorial Guinea, despite the road being paved, it is necessary to have an off-road vehicle whose rental was offered to me at the price of 120,000 CFA, including fuel to go to the Pico Basilè and tour Bioko Island.

In the end I opted to rent a small car, hailing a normal taxi on the street which offered me an hourly price of 5,000 CFA per hour, including fuel to go around Bioko Island, without going to the Cima del Pico. Basilè mt 3011.

In the end, it took us 12 hours, thus spending 60,000 CFA, over 5,000 CFA tip, to go around the Island of Bioko, visiting the following locations:

• Ela Nguema fraz of Malabo: Plaza and Iglesia S Fernando;

• Rebola: Iglesia Ns Senora de Montserrat and Estadio de Rebola (with a splendid view of Malabo);

• Basakato del Este: Sagrada Familia Church and Biteo Bori Mausoleum;

• Bacake Pequeno;

• Bacake Grande;

• Bao Pequeno: Puente Cope;

• Bantabar;

• Riaba: the Playa and Iglesia;

• Moca Bioko: the Iglesia and Nature Center, where I asked for information to be able to visit the Waterfalls, Lake Mova and Lake Loreto. They told me that it is mandatory to have a guide and pay it for 10,000 to 15,000 CFA and to walk from 2 to 4 hours except for Lake Loreto, which only takes half an hour to walk. Having noticed on the GPS, that Lake Loreto is right next to the road to Luba, I tried to go and see it by myself but due to the dense vegetation I could not find it.

• Reserva Cientifica Gran Caldera de Luba;

• Musola: the Iglesia;

• Fortune;

• Batete: Iglesia de Madera, Palacio La Puerta del Sol;

• Luba: Nascimento Rio Magazine, Iglesia Claret, Claret College and Conde Arguelejos Monument;

• Arena Blanca;

• Long Street;

• Basacato del Oeste: the Iglesia, Casa Cultural and Collegio;

• Basapù fraz of Malabo: the Iglesia;

 

During this long day of mine, I was accompanied by Emiliano, whom I met at the Finca de Sampaka, the day before and who guided me throughout the day, illustrating all the places described above with wisdom and intelligence. In the end, he didn't ask me for any compensation for it and so I left him 5,000 CFA as a tip. I was very happy to meet Emiliano, a really nice, intelligent and honest person. Moreover, having lived for several years in England, he speaks excellent English.

During the tour of Bioko Island, I had to pass some checkpoints, but I never had any problems with the police. They have always been kind to me and only once checked the Authorization for tourist visits.

 

At the airport, after check in, you have to show the yellow fever certificate, then you have to fill out the form to be delivered to the desk where you get the exit stamp from the country, then there is the security check where they asked me for a tip . I gave him 1,500 CFA. I then exchanged the remaining CFAs for USD Dollars in the waiting room Bar.

 

Flight of the Ethiopians Airlines Company from Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) to Malpensa, with a stopover in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and a technical stop in Douala (Cameroon). Return ticket price, taxes included: Euro 653.88.

 

My complete travel report with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:

https://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2020/02/viaggio-bioko-island-in-guinea.html