Mini Boa Festa! 7 Day Trip to Guinea-Bissau
Crumbling colonial buildings, sacred forests, priestesses and matriarchs, cerulean blue water — if there was ever a use for the phrase “hidden gem,” Guinea-Bissau is it.
Itinerary
7 days in the tropics like you have never known them
Day 1
Arrive in Bissau by Friday evening. We will have dinner and drinks before digging into carnival festivities. Have you ever had a streetside caipirinha?
Day 2
We will dust off the cobwebs and have a local breakfast before heading out to the old town of Bissau with its unexpectedly beautiful decaying buildings of a time past. We will also visit the main market area, where we can see local artisans at work.
The afternoon and evening is all about carnival. We will soak up the ambience and catch a few traditional dance performances by some of the many troupes that descend upon the capital for the festa.
The Bijagos Islands
Days 3-6 offer an exploration of untouched beaches, sacred forests and matriarchal societies
We will take a speed boat from Bissau to Bubaque, the largest island in the Bijagos archipelago. This will be our home base for the next several days as we explore the neighboring islands.
We will visit the island of Canhabaque, where we will meet the local king and queen and get a glimpse into what life is like with no infrastructure and no modern amenities.
We will ride bicycles across Bubaque to the untouched beach at the Dakosta Eco Lodge, where we can swim, eat fresh seafood and take an optional kickboxing lesson with legend Adelino da Costa.
Finishing up with a bit of luxury, we will hop over to Rubane where we will have a five star meal and enjoy la belle vie on yet another pristine beach.
In between, we will enjoy local dance performances, live music and all the ambience that carnival on the islands has to offer
Optional activities
The Bijagos Islands will offer plenty of optional activities, including world class fishing, boating, bird-watching and discovery of the wildlife on the island of Orango.
Returning to the mainland
Visiting Mandjak country and exploring rural Guinea-Bissau
Day 7
We will head inland and visit the lively town of Canchungo. Heavily forested and still surrounded by mangroves, this part of the country is largely inhabited by the Mandjak ethnic group, which has remained largely independent and maintains unique cultural practices. We will visit several villages and spend time with traditional weavers, healers and palm-wine tappers.
We will then return to Bissau where we will have one more local dining experience before hitting the town for our final festa.
What to Expect
Carnival takes place before the hot season really picks up. You can expect lots of sun and a dry heat with daytime highs around 34°C (94 °F), and evenings and mornings that can be quite cool. There is no rain at this time of year and very little humidity.
Please have a look at the What to Pack page for tips on clothing and sun protection.
The official language is Portuguese, but a local creole is more commonly spoken. The creole blends Portoguese words with local languages, like Mandinka, Balanta, Fulani, Diola and others. It is a fun language and you will have plenty of chances to pick up a few words. In any case, we will always have English speaking guides with us.
Wherever possible, we will stay at hotels and guesthouse that introduce us to the local community. We will always choose a family run place over a chain hotel. This trip will have a mix of eco-lodges and hotels/guesthouses. At the eco-lodges, facilities will be limited but the lodging still clean and comfortable. The hotels will have regular toilets, showers, fans and air-conditioning where possible. All accommodation is included in the trip price, but there is a single supplement if you need your own room (100 euro).
There will be a fair amount of walking on the trip. For example, when we visit Canhabaque, we will walk for nearly two hours through the forest on flat terrain to get to the first village.
There are a number of optional activities, including swimming, fishing and cycling. You may also be happy just lazing on the beach (there will be plenty of opportunities for this).
Western style food will often be available, but we will encourage you to try as much of the local cuisine as possible. Everywhere we eat, the food is prepared to order and with local ingredients. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided daily, but if you want to go out and eat on your own, it will be at your expense. Vegetarian and vegan options are limited, but we can make a plan provided you notify us in advance of the trip.
The Bissau international airport is served by multiple international carriers. You need to arrive in the city by Friday, February 17th in the evening. For your departing flight, plan to book it no earlier than the evening of Friday, February 24th.
As far as the trip itself: if you are expecting a by-the-minute schedule that will be respected to the letter, this is not the trip for you. West Africa is a great place for honing your patience and learning how to improvise. It’s important to keep an open mind and be ready for anything. If you have the right attitude, you will learn to love the different challenges that may arise. For more on this, please read about us and our philosophy on itineraries.
Available Dates
Cost and Booking Information
The trip cost is €1650. To secure your spot on the trip, we take a non-refundable deposit of €250. If you are unable to make it on the trip, you can use this deposit towards a future trip at a later date. If you need your own private room, there is a €100 single supplement.
As stated above, the trip cost includes all lodging, transport, and food (unless otherwise specified) during the trip. It does not include airfare, visas, optional activities, drinks, and food outside of the group meal.