Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program

The Gran Caldera Volcanica de Luba is Bioko's crown jewel in biological terms. A hollowed out volcanic crater sheltering animals from hunting or other human influence, it is accessible only by scientific expeditions and only after much planning. Its wildlife was featured in the National Geographic documentary Creatures of the Caldera. All of Bioko's ten species of primates can be found there, many in great abundance. The Caldera and the southern half of the island receive nearly 36 feet of rainfall a year, twice as much as the wettest place in the United States, Washington's Olympic Mountains.

BBPP accepts adult volunteers on its annual expedition to the Gran Caldera to conduct a census the diurnal primates.

The Rio Tudela drains the Caldera to the southern beaches where marine turtles nest at night. There is a guest house not far away at Moraka Beach. To the east of the Tudela, crossing several other rivers and scaling a steep cliff is Ureka, a village of only 100 people and the only settlement on Bioko's southern coast. There are no roads to Ureka, but it can be accessed by an 8 to 10 hour downhill hike from Moka, a 10-hour downhill hike from Belebu-Balacha or by an open boat ride from Luba and then a 1 to 2 hour walk along the beach.

An hour's hike from Ureka brings you to the spectacular Rio Eola waterfalls where you may swim in the clear cool pool beneath the falls. The beaches all along the southern coast are black sand. The ocean water is warm and the waves may reach as high as 10 ft.

For more information on visiting Bioko, contact a tour operator or contact us. We'd be happy to discuss your trip with you.