Ciudad de la Paz, previously known as Djibloho or Oyala, is the new capital of Equatorial Guinea, on the mainland in Río Muni, having replaced Malabo on 2 January 2026.
Understand
[edit]Memorably described by the Wall Street Journal as a "luxury ghost town", Ciudad de la Paz is one of dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema's pet projects. Fueled by oil money, he has built a modern city sized for 200,000 in the middle of the jungle — which has, at best, around 2,000 residents as of 2022.
Climate
[edit]Ciudad de la Paz has a tropical climate that borders between a tropical monsoon climate and a tropical savannah climate. It has high overall rainfall, which supports the lush rainforests in the region. There is an extensive wet season, spanning 10 months of the year from September to June, and a brief and slightly cooler dry season covering the remaining two months, July and August. There is also a noticeably drier, though still wet, stretch in December and January. Temperatures remain very warm throughout the course of the year, albeit lower than you might expect in other places with the same climate, especially considering its proximity to the equator.
Get in
[edit]Ciudad de la Paz is served by President Obiang Nguema International Airport (GEM IATA), some 35 km away in Mengomeyén (Mongomeyen). There are flights from Malabo and Bata.
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Grand Hotel Djibloho (about 5 km from the city centre), ☏ +240 3500 70 300. Rattlingly empty 5-star hotel with 380 rooms and 50 villas, 3 restaurants, 3 bars, a business centre, bank, boutiques, a golf course, wellness centre and facilities for conferences. WhatsApp: +240551694844. From €113.
Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]- Mongomo, the President's birthplace and home to the second largest basilica in Africa, is 70 km east of Ciudad de la Paz