Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program

Far larger than any mountain in the Eastern United States, the dormant volcano of Pico Basile towers over Malabo at 3011 m. Its virgin rainforest is home to hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants. Rising directly from the ocean, it offers visitors the chance to explore four different ecosystems. Lowland rainforest runs from sea level to 800m, giving way to montane rainforest to 1400m, then Schefflera forest and finally heath and grassland from 2600m to the top. Temperatures at the top can fall as low as 4 degrees C (39 F).

Bioko Island's endemic bird species, the Fernando Po Speirops (Speirops brunneus) can be seen here, as can the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata). Also present are the rare Mountain Saw-wing (Psalidoprocne fuliginosa), Fernando Po Oliveback (Nesocharis shelleyi) and Ursula’s Sunbird (Cinnyris ursulae). Due to its proximity to the capital, monkeys have been largely hunted out of this area, although it is still possible to see an endangered Preuss's Guenon near the summit or the common Red-Eared Guenon on the way up. Thanks to a fairly well-paved road to the summit, Pico Basile can be explored as a day trip from the capital.

From "El Pico," as it is known, you can often see its mainland sister Mt. Cameroon (4100m), an active volcano. These two mountains are part of volcanic chain that extends diagonally across the Atlantic from the British island of St. Helena (Napoleon's final exile) to Lake Chad in Cameroon. Pico Basile and Mt. Cameroon form the only habitat for many threatened species.