Insular Region · Equatorial Guinea
Malabo travel guide
Malabo is a city in Insular Region, Equatorial Guinea, home to about 297,000 people.
- Best months
- December
- Nearest airport
- SSG7 km · Malabo International Airport
- Currency
- XAFCentral African CFA franc
- Time zone
- Africa/Malabo
- Language
- French, Portuguese, Spanish
About
About Malabo
Malabo is a city in Equatorial Guinea, located in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (Bube: Etulá, historically known as Fernando Pó by the Europeans).
The city was founded by the British in 1827, who leased the island from Spain during the colonial period. Named Port Clarence, it was used as a naval station in the effort to suppress the slave trade. Many newly freed slaves were also settled there, prior to the establishment of Sierra Leone as a colony for freed slaves. While many of them later relocated to Sierra Leone, some of their descendants, called Fernandinos, can still be found in Malabo and the surrounding area, where they constitute a distinct ethnic group, speaking their own Afro-Portuguese pidgin dialect.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Malabo
See
- Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program
- Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial
- St. Elizabeth's Cathedral
- Ilachi Waterfall
- Old Town
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Malabo
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Malabo are December. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; August is the wettest, with about 455 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Malabo: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Malabo International Airport (SSG), about 7.2 km from the city centre in a straight line; Douala International Airport (DLA, 109 km) and Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ, 144 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Malabo is quite walkable. Taxis are cheap. 500 FCFA during the day should get you anywhere within the city. 3,000 FCFA should get you from the city to the Marathon Oil compound. Be prepared to pay more at night or when the police are out enforcing traffic laws.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SSG · Malabo International Airport
DLA · Douala International Airport
CBQ · Margaret Ekpo International Airport
Questions
Malabo: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Malabo?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Malabo are December. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; August is the wettest, with about 455 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Malabo?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Malabo International Airport (SSG), about 7.2 km from the city centre in a straight line; Douala International Airport (DLA, 109 km) and Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ, 144 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Malabo?
Central African CFA franc (XAF).
Nearby
Destinations near Malabo
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.