Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Equatorial Guinea

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Equatorial Guinea.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Currency: 605.7
Climate: Tropical; always hot, humid
Ethnic Groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
National Holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Geographic Coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Location: Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Airports: 3

Health and Safety

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Care

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Medical facilities are very limited. Pharmacies in Malabo and Bata stock basic medicines including antibiotics, but cannot becounted on to supply advanced medications. Outside of these cities, many medicines are unavailable. You are advised to carry a supply of properly-labeled prescription drugs and other medications that you require for your entire stay; an adequate supply of prescription or over-the-counter drugs in local stores or pharmacies is generally not available. The sanitation levels in hospitals are very low, except for the new La Paz Hospitals in Bata and Malabo, which meet the medical standards of a modern hospital in a developed country. Doctors and hospitals often require immediate payment for health services, and patients are sometimes expected to supply their own bandages, linen, and toiletries. Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. The national government, along with international oil companies in the country, has taken aggressive steps to control the mosquito population and limit the impact of malaria on the population centers in Malabo and Bata. Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the type that predominates in Equatorial Guinea, is resistant to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine. Travelers to the country are at high risk for contracting malaria; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advise that you take one of the following anti-malarial drugs: mefloquine,doxycycline, or atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone™). If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while traveling in a malaria-risk area, and up to one year after returning home, you should seek prompt medical attention and tell your physician your travel history and what anti-malarials you have been taking. Visit the CDC's Travelers' Health page for additional information on malaria, including protective measures. There are periodic outbreaks of cholera in Equatorial Guinea. Yellow fever can cause serious medical problems, but the vaccine, required for entry, is very effective in preventing the disease. Tuberculosis is an increasingly serious health concern in Equatorial Guinea. For further information, please consult the CDC's information on TB. Many insect-borne illnesses are present. Insect precautions are encouraged at all times. Avoid non-chlorinated freshwater contact on the mainland to lessen the risk of Schistosomiasis.

Disease Risk

Degree of Risk: Very high
Animal-Contact Diseases: rabies
Food and Waterborne Diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: malaria and dengue fever

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