Guinea-Bissau

A small country on West Africa's Atlantic coast, known for the island ecology of the Bijagós Archipelago and Portuguese colonial heritage, with little tourism development.

Guinea-Bissau lies on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, bordered by Senegal to the north and Guinea to the southeast, and its official language is Portuguese. The land is low and flat, crisscrossed by estuaries and widely covered in mangroves; the offshore Bijagós Archipelago is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where you can see sea turtles, seabirds and saltwater hippos. The capital, Bissau, preserves an old quarter and a fortress from the Portuguese colonial period, and historic towns such as Cacheu and Bolama also have historic buildings. The best time to travel is the dry season from November to May. The international gateway is Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Bissau, and you can also enter overland from Senegal.

Destinations

• Bissau

Itineraries

• West Africa Six-Country Overland – An epic overland journey heading south from Dakar through six countries to Monrovia, including the Bijagós Archipelago.