Equatorial Guinea Sightseeing Places

By | July 5, 2020

Visa requirements

Passport: is generally required for travel in Equatorial Guinea, the passport must be valid for at least 6 months. In addition, there must be a blank page in the passport.

Visa: also generally required; only U.S. citizens are exempt for a maximum stay of 30 days.

Here you can download the visa application for Equatorial Guinea.

Documents: Tourist Visa: 3 completed original applications (no copy or fax) – 3 original passport photos (no copies or scans) – Confirmation from a travel agency about the booked and paid outward and return travel – Fee – Passport – Vaccination certificate valid vaccination against yellow fever – negative HIV -Test – hotel booking confirmed by Immigratiooffice – bank statement proving that at least € 2,000 is available for the stay in Equatorial Guinea – police certificate of good conduct.

Business visa: Company letter with the following information: name, purpose of travel, place of residence in the target country (address of the company or organization), declaration of assumption of costs by the German company / organization. A formal invitation from the business partner must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Equatorial Guinea.

When applying by post, a stamped and addressed envelope (registered mail) should be attached.

Visa fees: Tourist visa and business Visa: 100.00 euros.

Validity: 90 days from the date of issue, maximum duration of stay : 30 days. An extension can be requested on site in Equatorial Guinaea.

Processing time: one to two weeks.

Vaccinations: Information on international vaccination certificates that are required for entry to Equatorial Guinea can be found in the Equatorial Guinea – Health section.

Documents upon entry: certificate of vaccination against yellow fever and 2 passport photos.

Entry with children: Germans: Children’s ID cards are not recognized. Children need their own passport (children’s passport or electronic passport) to enter Equatorial Guinea.
Austrians: own passport.
Swiss: own passport.
The same visa requirements apply to children as to their parents.

Equatorial Guinea Sightseeing Places

Equatorial Guinea money

National currency: 1 CFA (Communauté Financiaire Africaine) franc is divided into 100 centimes.

Currency abbreviation: CFA Fr, XAF – ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG

Banknotes are in circulation worth 10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500 CFA Fr Coins are available in nominal amounts of 500, 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 CFA Fr.

The CFA is issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique Centrale (BEAC, State Bank of the Central African States) and by Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, Chad and the Central African Republic are used. The CFA Franc (XOF) issued by the Banque des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO, State Bank of the West African States) is not a legal tender in Cameroon.

Currency exchange: Cash can be exchanged in banks in larger cities. The easiest way to exchange euros and US dollars. These are often accepted as payment in hotels or restaurants. The CFA is pegged to the euro at a fixed exchange rate.

Exchange rate CFA:

Currency calculator at OANDA

Credit Cards: are not accepted anywhere in the country.

Travelers checks: can be exchanged in banks in the two largest cities, Malabo and Bata, but the exchange rates are worse than for cash.

ATMs: do not exist in Equatorial Guinea.

Foreign exchange regulations: Local and foreign currencies can be imported in unlimited amounts, there is an obligation to declare.
The export of currencies is limited to the amount of the imported and declared amount.

Bank opening times: Mon – Sat 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Health and Diseases

Vaccinations: The health service of the Foreign Ministry recommends protection against tetanus, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis A, for long-term stay over three months also hepatitis B. With special exposure (stay in the country, hunting, jogging etc.), vaccination protection against rabies (rabies), typhoid and possibly also against meningococcal meningitis can be very useful. These and other questions should be decided in a personal consultation with the tropical doctor or the vaccinator with tropical and travel medicine experience.

A valid yellow fever vaccination makes sense for the trip, it is mandatory when entering from a yellow fever area. Deviating from official regulations, proof of a valid yellow fever and cholera vaccination may be required, especially when entering the country or from an endemic area.

HIV / AIDS:is a problem in the country and a great danger for everyone who runs the risk of infection: Sexual contact, dirty syringes or cannulas and blood transfusions can pose a considerable life-threatening risk.

Prophylaxis: Through hygienic eating and drinking (only boiled, not warmed up lukewarm) and consistent mosquito protection (repellents, mosquito net, covering clothing, behavior), most of the dangerous diarrhea and many other tropical and infectious diseases can be completely avoided. This also includes malaria. One should not bathe in fresh water (danger of schistosomiasis, possibly crocodiles). There are other tropical and infectious diseases, but they pose very different threats to travelers.

Various prescription medications (e.g. malarone, doxycycline, Lariam) are available on the market for malaria prophylaxis. The selection and personal adaptation as well as side effects or intolerance to other medications should be discussed with a tropical or travel doctor before taking chemoprophylaxis.

The medical care in the country can not be compared with Europe and is often technically, in terms of apparatus and / or hygienic problem. European-trained English / French-speaking doctors are also often lacking. Adequate global health insurance coverage and reliable travel return insurance are strongly recommended. An individual first-aid kit should be taken with you and protected appropriately for the temperatures on the way. Here, too, individual advice from a tropical doctor or travel doctor makes sense.

In the two larger cities, Malabo and Bata, there are pharmacies that usually carry the most important medicines.

Transportation in Equatorial Guinea

Airplane: There are frequent flight connections between Malabo and Bata, advance bookings are recommended. A provider of flights is General Work.

Ship: Boats (pirouges) approach the smaller islands off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The island of Anoboon is more or less regularly (about once a week) connected to the mainland by cargo ships.

Cars: Many connections on the mainland consist of slopes that can be difficult to drive in the rainy season.

Bush taxis are a common form of transportation in the country. They drive to all the major places in the country. It is also possible to rent them for a certain time. You always have to expect to be waved out by the police and military at roadblocks. The documents of travelers are closely checked, fines for real or fictitious irregularities are often demanded. Minibuses run between Bata, Mbini, Acalayong and Ebebiyin. Car rental companies are only available in Bata.

Equatorial Guinea Landmarks

Tourist highlights in Equatorial Guinea

In Malabo, the Spanish colonial buildings such as the impressive Gothic-style cathedral built by Luís Segarra Llairadó in 1916 and the presidential palace are particularly worth seeing.

The city is shaped by the oil discoveries off the coast and the refineries and tankers make up a large part of the cityscape. A walk to the harbor is also worthwhile. From here you can see an unusual backdrop of oil platforms on the sea

On the island of Bioko is the 3,007 m high volcano Pico Basilé, from where you can see the Nigerian coast and Mount Cameroon in Cameroon in good conditions. The town of Batété can be used as a starting point for tours in the surrounding forests and to various crater lakes.

The Spanish town of Bata is particularly interesting on the mainland. Here, as in Malabo, you can still find old colonial buildings. It is also worth strolling through the African markets. The newly found oil is making itself felt in the city. There is construction and investment everywhere, and recently there have been modern amenities such as asphalt roads, electricity and street lighting.

Isla Corisco is 29 km from the coast. Its palm-fringed sandy beaches are ideal for swimming.

The inland rainforest is worth a visit to see numerous Central African bird species. It is also home to lowland gorillas, forest elephants and chimpanzees. You can try to find these animals in the Monte Alen National Park.