Guinea-Bissau

Understand

A former Portuguese colony, Guinea-Bissau, independent since 1974, has had an arduous history of coups and political crises. This small nation has a variety of tropical forests and vibrant Afro-Latin culture.

History

Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Gabu, part of the Mali Empire; parts of this kingdom persisted until the eighteenth century. Early reports of Europeans reaching this area come from 1456 CE. The rivers and coast of this area were among the first places colonized by the Portuguese from 1588 onward, but the interior was not explored by Europeans until the 19th century. The Portuguese tried desperately to hang on to their colony much longer than other European countries. An armed independence rebellion began in 1956, but it was not until 1974 that the Portuguese finally accepted independence for Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau's post-independence history has been chequered. A civil war in 1998, followed by the imposition of a military junta in 1999 has been replaced with a multi-party democracy. The economy remains fragile, however hopes are high.

Climate Guinea-Bissau is warm all year around and there is little temperature fluctuation; it averages 26.3°C (79.3°F). The average rainfall for Bissau is 2,024 mm although this is almost entirely accounted for during the rainy season which falls between June and September/October. From December to April, the country experiences drought.

People The ethnic groups in Guinea-Bissau include Fula and Mandinka in the north and northeast, the Balanta and Papel in the southern coastal regions, and the Manjaco and Mancanha in the northern and central coastal areas.

Economy Guinea-Bissau's GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world, and its Human Development Index is also one of the lowest on earth

See

Forests of Jemberem - Cantanhez Natural Park, where, with a bit of luck, you can see chimpanzees. Varela Beach - one of the few nice beaches in Guinea Bissau. Bijagos Islands - stunningly beautiful group of islands, some with resorts. Find, among others, turtles and hippos here.

Buy

Money

The West African CFA franc (XOF) is used by Guinea-Bissau. It is also used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. While it is a separate currency from the Central African CFA franc (XAF), the two currencies are used interchangeably at par throughout all countries that use the CFA franc (XAF & XOF). Both CFA francs are guaranteed by the French treasury and are pegged to the euro at 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs. The West African CFA franc is to be renamed the "eco" by the end of 2027. It would continue to be fixed to the euro. There are ATMs in the BAO (Banco da Africa Occidental) branches of Bissau and Gabú, and in the Hotel Malaika in Bissau. These ATMs only functi

Getting there

Visa No Guinea-Bissau embassies have websites to obtain entry info. To complicate matters more, there are no Guinea-Bissau embassies in the US or UK. Visa-seekers are advised to visit the GB Embassies in either Dakar, Senegal; Lisbon, Portugal; or Paris, France (tel: +33 1 48 74 36 39) for visa information. As of 2024, visa on arrival is possible, though the lack of official information on a website makes it difficult to know the rules around this. It appears that at least EU and US citizens are able to do this on arrival at the Bissau airport, and possibly also at some land borders. The fee charged seems a bit variable and speaking creole can help make it lower. Expect to pay somewhere between €60 and US$120. Visas are required for citizens of most non-ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) countries. If coming from a country where Guinea-Bissau does not have diplomatic representation, there are 2 options. The first is to obtain a visa at the Bissau Guinean embassy in Lisbon. The embassy processes tourist visas same-day, within 2-3 hours. Call ahead to confirm this though before making travel plans for Portugal and Bissau. The second option is to obtain a letter of invitation and arrange for a visa on arrival in Bissau. Whichever individual or organization that is hosting you will need to make these arrangements and there is not a clear, well-defined policy regarding this. This second option is also more expensive than getting the visa in Lisbon.

If you are going overland, a good place to get a 30-day visa is from the Guinea-Bissau Consulate in Ziguinchor, Senegal which costs CFA20,000 and takes only 30 minutes. The consulate is open Monday-Friday from 08:30-14:00. For German (and perhaps other EEA) citizens there is an easy way to obtain a visa for Guin

Getting around

In Bissau minibuses called toca-toca work for transports within the city. There are also regular taxis. For inter-city travel there are sept-places, (seven-seat Peugeot) and candongas, big commercial vehicles carrying ten to twenty passengers. Prefer sept-place or at least try to get the front seats. It is also possible to rent taxis to other towns and cities. The main bus-station "paragem" of Bissau is behind the BCEAO (Banco Central dos Estados de África Ocidental) on the Airport Road. Are you heading for Biombo or Prabis, you need to go to another bus-station in Estrada de Bor. There are no time-schedules; cars leave when they are full. As most locals travel in the early morning (07:00-ish), cars fill up quicker in the morning. It might be hard to get transport in late afternoon and evening. To go to the islands, there's a choice between cheap, but rather unsafe, canoas (pirogues) leaving from Porto Pidjiguiti or Porto de Bandim, and expensive modern boats owned by French fishing lodges on the Bijagos islands. Consulmar Guinea Bissau operates a more orderly ferry service between Bissau and several other ports. The ferries are still quite basic however. Schedules depend on tides and weather conditions, so check in advance. As Guinea Bissau is very flat and there is virtually no traffic on the roads outside Bissau, it's a good country for cycling. Bikes can be bought in the country, which will probably (as in most parts of the world) be Chinese-made.