Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is one of the strangest countries on the continent - a small, oil-rich state with a mainland enclave and an island capital, Malabo, sitting on the rim of an active volcano. The money from oil has built infrastructure and concentrated wealth without distributing it, and the country remains largely closed to independent travel. Bioko Island has forests of genuine ecological importance and endemic wildlife found nowhere else. The mainland enclave of Rio Muni is almost entirely covered in rainforest that has been logged far less than its neighbours.

Travel advisory Independent travel is significantly restricted. Check current entry requirements before planning travel.

Our guide is being written from the ground up, with the time this place deserves.

We are still gathering the notes that make a guide worth keeping - and in a country this rarely written about honestly, that groundwork takes longer and matters more.