Africa

Equatorial Guinea

Bioko island's southern beaches are among the top green and leatherback turtle nesting sites in the Gulf of Guinea.

Green turtle, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: James Thornton on Unsplash

Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: Foreign travel advice Equatorial Guinea, UK FCDO; Equatorial Guinea safety and security, UK FCDO; Challenges Confronting Sea Turtle Conservation on Bioko Island, Chelonian Conservation and Biology.

Why: The southern beaches of Bioko Island are among the most important nesting sites for green and leatherback turtles on the Atlantic coast of Africa, with nesting from about October to February and a peak in December and January. The beaches lie inside the Gran Caldera and Southern Highlands Scientific Reserve, and the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program employs around 50 local people to patrol forest and beach. We share this story and cheer on the patrol teams from afar, and our promise stays the same: we never disturb nesting turtles, and we never touch them.

TurtlesWildlife watching

Why Equatorial Guinea

The southern coast of Bioko has about 19 km of sandy beaches and is one of the most important sea turtle nesting areas in the Gulf of Guinea. Green and leatherback turtles nest here at some of the highest densities on the Atlantic coast of Africa, from late October to March. Visitors need permits to leave Malabo, visas can be hard to get, and the US advises increased caution because of crime and arbitrary enforcement of local laws.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

When to go

Oct-Mar. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check

The story

Where in Equatorial Guinea

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Southern Bioko beaches

Story only

Remote nesting beaches on the south coast of Bioko, reached with permits.

Also seen: Green and leatherback turtles (nesting)

When: Oct-Mar. Nesting runs from late October to March, with the peak in January.

Animals

Animals recorded in Equatorial Guinea

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Green turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detail

Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the sea

Leatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Olive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa Rica

Olive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral fin

Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Sperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off Dominica

Sperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Great barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teeth

Great barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Blacktip shark swimming in green water in the Galápagos

Blacktip sharkCarcharhinus limbatusSeen in 49 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Whitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in Belize

Whitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Blackchin guitarfish lying on pale sand beside rocks, with a shark-like tail and two tall dorsal fins

Blackchin guitarfishGlaucostegus cemiculusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Spiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Spiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Dusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Diver beside an Atlantic goliath grouper at Dry Tortugas National Park

Goliath grouperEpinephelus itajaraSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerable Milk sharkRhizoprionodon acutusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasVulnerable

Two spotted ragged-tooth sharks resting under a rocky overhang at Aliwal Shoal, South Africa

Ragged-tooth shark (sand tiger)Carcharias taurusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered Atlantic weasel sharkParagaleus pectoralisSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Common smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal fins

Common smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangered

Reed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reeds

Reed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

African darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flying

African darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask Rocío Back to the Ocean Atlas

For partners

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We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in Equatorial Guinea. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

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