Review of Equatorial Guinea

Highlights and Observations 

1. Playing with the Chimpanzee was the highlight of my trip.
2. Driving along the four lane highway for over a 160k through the middle of the jungle with virtually no other cars was absolutely bizarre.
 3. Another bizarre experience was staying at the 5 Start Grand Djibloho Hotel located in the village Olaya where the president was born. Using the oil wealth of the county, he wanted it to be the next capital of the county. Except the oil wealth that built the 5 Star Grand Djibloho Hotel and numerous surrounding, still vacant, office buildings has evaporated due to lower oil prices.
 4. Another causality of lower oil was the newly built airport in Mengomeyén. It's completely finished and fully operative, but closed due to lack of demands for flights.

Challenges and Improvements 

1. It's very difficult to tour the country. Virtually no tourist industry exists in Equatorial Guinea.
2. The tourism that exists revolves around the wealthy oil industry. Everything associated with it is very expensive.
3. There's clearly a very cheap inexpensive local non-oil economy where most of the inhabitants of Equatorial Guinea live and work, but it's difficult to gain access. The people that live and work in this economy are not familiar with tourism.
 4. Another barrier of entry to the local non-oil economy for me was the language. The official language is Spanish and my Spanish is very limited.

Malabo City Tour

I contacted Ruta47 travel agency and they quote US$375 for a full day tour of Malabo.  If I paid full price for this city tour, I would have been furious!! There's nothing to this city. I took a local taxi for the hotel to down town. It cost about $2. Then I walked around the city, but here wasn't much to see.

Equatorial Guinea has virtually no tourism. The english speaking tourist that the country receives are mostly associated with American Oil Companies. I suspect the country will have to eventually open to tourist to earn foreign currency, if oil prices continue to say low. At that point, tourism demand should increase and more competition between the tour companies should drive prices down.  Until then there isn't a lot of reasonably priced tour options within Equatorial Guinea.

Palacio Presidencial 

Cathedral of Saint-Isabel of Malabo

Local Port

Random building requiring repair 

Local Art 

Proper seasoning is always key to delicious seafood. This restaurant knew how to season properly. The cassava ribbons were excellent too!

Park National de Malabo

The National Park is located near the high end hotels, between the airport and downtown. It is not located in some obscure location. The park was completely manicured, I assume, by numerous park maintenance crew within the park and very pleasant to meander around. There was a nominal entrance fee of about $3 for non-citizens. To summaries, centrally located, well maintained, not overly priced, but there was absolutely no one except me visiting the park. It was completely empty. Another bewildering mystery of Equatorial Guinea.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Monogo

The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic basilica. It is the second largest Catholic church throughout Africa, after the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Ivory Coast.

"The basilica was begun in 2006, being consecrated on December 7, 2011 by Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. The basilica has a capacity to accommodate thousand faithful and as the name suggests is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, patroness of Equatorial Guinea. Inside the basilica a replica of the Esperanza Macarena venerates, which was brought from Seville, Spain." per Ruta47 website.

Oyala, The new planned capital city

Oyala was once a small village which still exists, but has been expanded into the designated new capital of the country as instructed by the president. Clearly significant amounts of oil revenue wealth has been channelled into building many of the new constructions. That is until lower worldwide oil prices caused the income revenue to dry up construction come to a halt. Many of the buildings are only partially constructed. And those that are complete are mostly vacant.

Dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled EG since 1979, so about 40 years, although he prefers to be referred to as President. EG has the 4th largest oil reserves in Africa (behind Nigeria, Angola, DRC) but one of the smallest populations. Based on GDP per capital, EG is the wealthiest country in Africa. The country’s annual GDP per capital is US$24k, more than any other country in Africa, and similar to Russia. But that wealth benefits a small elite among the country's 1.2 million inhabitants. More than two-thirds of Equatoguineans live below the poverty line, and 55 percent of the population aged over 15 are unemployed.

Main Road from Bata to Oyala

Probably the most surreal road I ever traveled on. I've traveled on many dirt roads in Africa that were in very poor condition. Traveling at 15k per hour or 150k over an 10 hour driving day in the back of a dusty overland vehicle. And I've traveled on many massive highways in Europe and the US filled with fast moving traffic. But I've never driven for 160+k four lane highway through the middle of the jungle with virtually no other cars on the road. I'm guessing over the hour and a half trip from Bata to Oyala, we maybe saw 20 other cars on the road.

1 hour, 34 min - 166 km

Monogo City Tour

I hired a driver from the Grand Djibloho Hotel to take me to Monogo City. The highlights were definitely the Basilica and nearby airport in Mengomeyén. But the city had some other interesting sites.

Mongo 9 Hole Golf Course

Town Clock Tower

Central Market 

President Obiang Nguema International Airport, Mengomeyén

The airport in complete and fully operational, except of the time it's closed, because there aren't enough flights. Another casualty of the decrease in world oil prices.

Chimpanzee

Chimpanzee

I made a new friend today. His name is “Ope” and he’s 3 years old. The first thing I notices, while playing with him, were his strong, extremely soft, clammy hands.

As a kid, when I was 3 or 4, during the viewing of "Toby Tyler" - a Disney movie - there was a chimpanzee in the movie named "Mr. Stubbs" that fell from a tree and kind of "dies" (it's a Disney movie after all) and I cried and cried. As a result, my dad and uncles nicknamed me "Mr. Stubbs. And I begged and begged my parents for a pet chimpanzee. They got me a collie instead, so I named him "Mr. Stubbs"!

I got to fulfill my childhood dream today, well not own a chimp, but I got to hang out and play with "Ope"!

Grand Djibloho Hotel

The hotel very felt empty and vast with 452 rooms and maybe approximately 15 guests. The majority of the 50 identical mansions in front of the hotel also appeared empty, but I had no way of verifying the vacancies.

My Suite 

Shower and a Tub

Front of Hotel

Hotel Foyer

Room Service was preferred, because the hotel restaurant was completely empty, and a bit odd, because it was huge!

Excellent Fitness Center 

Indoor Pool w/ steam and dry sauna adjacent.

Convention Center Next to Hotel

One of 50 mansions for rent. 

Outdoor Pool - as viewed from my suite.

Clay tennis courts as viewed from my room.