Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
Mangrove and Tide
The tidal range here is five metres, and the channels between the islands change with it.
West Africa · Afrinkong
Guinea-Bissau
The Bijagos, and eighty-eight islands.
An archipelago of eighty-eight islands with saltwater hippos, nesting turtles and a matrilineal society that still chooses its own kings — and a mainland of mangrove and rice paddy behind it.
Where it is
Africa · West Africa · Guinea-Bissau
The land in brief
- Spans
- 310 km E–W, 200 km N–S
- Latitude
- 13°N to 11°N
- Borders
- 2 countries
- Sea
- Has a coast
- Best time
- November to April. Turtle nesting on Poilao peaks between July and October.
Also in West Africa
BeninWhere vodun comes from, and the palaces of DahomeyBurkina FasoThe best cinema and the best masks in West AfricaCôte d'IvoireLagoons, forest and the AtlanticThe GambiaA river with a country around itGhanaThe forts, the forest and the highlife
Compare Guinea-Bissau with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
November to April. Turtle nesting on Poilao peaks between July and October.
01Highlights
What Guinea-Bissau is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Saltwater Hippos
The hippos of Orango swim in the sea between islands, which almost no others do.
Flat Country
The highest point is three hundred metres. This is a country of water, not relief.
Island Sand
Bubaque, Rubane and Orango have empty palm-backed beaches and warm water.
Palm and Sacred Grove
Oil palm through the islands, and groves that are ceremonial ground and off limits.
Culture
Matrilineal, and Still So
Bijago women choose husbands, own the houses, and hold the religious authority.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Guinea-Bissau with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- Mangrove and TideThe tidal range here is five metres, and the channels between the islands change with it.
- Flat CountryThe highest point is three hundred metres. This is a country of water, not relief.
- None to Speak OfNo falls — the land has nowhere to fall from. The water here moves sideways with the tide.
- The Geba and the CorubalTwo rivers cutting deep estuaries into the mainland, navigable a long way up.
- Island SandBubaque, Rubane and Orango have empty palm-backed beaches and warm water.
- Palm and Sacred GroveOil palm through the islands, and groves that are ceremonial ground and off limits.
Wildlife
- Saltwater HipposThe hippos of Orango swim in the sea between islands, which almost no others do.
- Turtles at PoilaoOne of the largest green turtle nesting sites in the Atlantic, on an uninhabited island.
- Community ConservationThe island communities police the turtle beaches themselves, and it works.
- Fishing the ChannelsBarracuda and tarpon in the passes between islands, on light tackle.
People and culture
- Matrilineal, and Still SoBijago women choose husbands, own the houses, and hold the religious authority.
- The BijagosAge grades govern life, and the vaca-bruto initiation is danced in a bull mask.
- Carnival in BissauMasks, drums and neighbourhood competition, Portuguese in form and entirely local in content.
- Carving and ClothBijago bull and shark masks, and the woven pano de pente cloth used as currency.
- Rice, Cashew and BicaRice from the paddies, cashew as the whole export economy, and Portuguese coffee.
- Boats and BeachesNot for very small children — the boats are open and the tides are serious.
- Sunday at the BeachBissau goes to Bubaque and the near islands at weekends, by ferry, with a stereo.
Places
- BissauA small Portuguese-built capital with a decaying Bissau Velho quarter and very good music.
- Portuguese Colonial and Palm ThatchTiled colonial fronts in Bissau, and rectangular palm-thatch houses through the islands.
- CacheuA slaving fort of 1588 on the river, and one of the oldest European buildings in West Africa.
- The Bijagos BiosphereThe whole archipelago is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, run with the island communities.
Ways to travel
- Island Hopping by PirogueThere are no bridges. Everything is boats, tides and waiting, and that is the pleasure of it.
- Two or Three LodgesSmall fishing and eco-lodges on Rubane and Orango, and not much else anywhere.
- Tide and PalmThe channels at low water, when the mangrove roots come out and the light goes flat.
- OrangoHippos, an island king, and a lodge with no road on the island at all.
03Why go
The case for Guinea-Bissau.
Why Visit This Country
Why Guinea-Bissau
Saltwater hippos, nesting turtles, and a society run by its women.
Hidden Gems
Orango
Hippos, an island king, and a lodge with no road on the island at all.
Eco Tourism
Community Conservation
The island communities police the turtle beaches themselves, and it works.
Heritage
The Bijagos Biosphere
The whole archipelago is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, run with the island communities.
04Go deeper
All of Guinea-Bissau, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Guinea-Bissau starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.