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October 25th, 2010 
biom Question by tbgman15: Trip to Equatorial Guinea?
My girlfriend invited me on a trip to Bioko in Equatorial Guinea. She said we would stay in Malabo. We are going for nature tours. What is it like there? Does anyone know of any hotels to stay at? Do you need shots/ malaria pills? Is Spanish their official language?
Best answer:
Answer by Eliz
I've been to Equatorial Guinea twice in the past few years. Both times i stayed in Malabo for at least part of the visit. You do need shots, go to a travel medicine doctor to confirm which, but I know you need Yellow Fever and i believe you need hep a. I think they also recommend tetanus. Most but not all of the roads are paved or in the process of being paved. There is construction everywhere. The island of Bioko is largely free of Malaria thanks to a malaria eradication program done in partnership between the Government of Equatorial Guinea and Marathon Oil. I took malaria pills the first time i went and did not the second time. While Oil workers in the country by contract must take malaria pills, a number have admitted to me that they do not because of the side effects. However, since you are taking nature tours and presumably will be in the forests, you may want to. The nicest hotel there is the Sofitel, but it is very expensive, i believe about 500 dollars per night. Even if you do not stay there, it may be worth a visit for dinner one night. There is a hilton going up near the airport, but i don't believe it has opened yet. The next nicest hotel after the sofitel is the Bahia. Go to http://www.guinea-equatorial.com/visit/?PageID=87 for a full list of hotels. Other information about the country on the site www.guinea-equatorial.com may also be helpful. Restaurants there aren't great on the whole, but you won't go hungry. (if you have an opportunity to try home cooked food, its much better) Try Pizza place in Malabo for american food. The Spanish Cultural center also has a restaurant, but i dind't think it was very good. From the sofitel, if you head down the main street that runs along the water there is a restaurant overlooking the port that is pretty nice - i'm sorry i can't remember the name. Ask the locals, they are friendly and will tell you where best to eat. The people are friendly but very formal. You will see Government officials and office workers in full suites even in 90-100 degree weather. There's a fairly large group of expats from the oil companies, but they are mostly all men. The U.S. embassy there is very helpful and friendly. The Ambassador retired recently and a new ambassador has not been named yet, so they are a bitt under staffed and very busy. The official language is Spanish, although in a bid to improve relations with nearby portuguese speaking languages they joined the Community of Portuguese Speaking Languages (CPLP for its name in protuguese) and even though virtually no one speaks the language, they declared portuguese an official language. French is also an official language and most government officials speak it. Many people eople also speak tribal languages - there are about 8 but Fang and Bubi are the most common.
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