What to see in Guinea-Bissau: My 4-day tour

Guinea-Bissau is a small country without any well know tourist attractions, but has many beautiful places and it is worth the visit.

I visited Guinea-Bissau when I was working as a financial auditor in a consulting company. We had some projects there, so I was lucky enough to visit the country on weekends.

However, to do so, first we need a car. There is a car rental at the airport we can use, or you can just rent a taxi for the day. 

I went rogue here and my colleagues and I asked in the hotel we were staying how we could rent a car. The result? we ended up renting the car of one of the hotel employees!

This is how I discovered the country and ended having an opinion on which places to visit.

This post aims to answer the following question: I'm going to Guinea-Bissau, what places do you recommend I should visit?

I'm glad you asked!

This is my very own 4-day circuit to Guinea-Bissau.

 

Day 1

On the first day, I would recommend spending the morning in the capital Bissau. Drive through the capital (carefully, because traffic is intense!) and check the city out. See the National Palace, which is the main political building, see the old Portuguese-style buildings from the 1950's through 1970's, and experience the confusion of the local markets. 

The most well known market, where they say you can buy or sell anything is "Bandim's" market. I would recommend you to buy some cashews, Peri-peri, mango, or even some of the traditional wooden sculptures. All these are traditional items from Guinea-Bissau.

The port of Bissau and it's fortress are also worth the visit.

Visiting the city, either by car or walking (or both) is an amazing experience, especially for someone that has never been to Africa (which was my case the first time I visited Bissau).

I never had any problems even when walking around the city of Bissau, however, I would advise to be very careful and always be in main areas.

People are, in general, very friendly and helpful, but it doesn't hurt to pay extra attention.

If you wake up early (let's say 8 a.m., you can easily see the main attractions of the city during the morning. Around noon (12 p.m.) you will be ready for lunch.

For lunch, the option I would prefer is to go to the province of "Quinhamel", which is close to a river and oysters are traditional in this area.

If you leave around 12 p.m., you can do the 38 kilometers that separate Bissau from "Quinhamel", calmly, in approximately 45 minutes.

If you're like me and you don't really like oyster, there are other options, such as their traditional meat skewers, which are excellent as well.

All in all, it is worth spending lunch time in "Quinhamel" admiring the landscape and the calmness of the region.

Having lunch just by the river and freshly caught oysters or fish is an incredible experience. 

These are the pictures of my lunch at the local restaurant.

 

The weather is incredibly hot, so wear hat and sunscreen.

By the end of day 1, you can return to Bissau and enjoy the hotel swimming pool or just relax a litle. 

Before the night is over, you can visit one of the local restaurants and enjoy a good meal. I always liked having dinner at the local restaurant "Padeira Africana", which is an interesting blend of Portuguese cuisine with the flavor of Guinea-Bissau. Totally worth the visit.

Day 2

For the second day my recommendation is to visit what, to me, is the best beach I've been to: Varela beach. There are several incredible beaches, but this is my favorite.

The beach seems infinite and the sun glowing in the sand is just magical.

Clear waters and wild trees growing by the beach just make this a very special place.

Prepare some sandwiches and spend the day at this beach. 

it is not easy to find restaurants nearby - I did find one though, but it wasn't easy. So be prepared and bring food and beverages.

One of the important tips for going to Varela Beach is to leave very early, because not only it is far from Bissau (175 kilometers), but there are a few kilometers that are done in sand roads, so it takes some time to get there.

 If possible, try to find a hotel in the region, just because driving back to Bissau might be challenging, since you'll need to drive through the sand roads again and the roads do not have electrical lighting, so it is very tiring to drive.

There is a website that has a significant amount of information regarding Varela (and other regions as well). Totally worth the visit, even if just browsing for beautiful photos: https://kalmasoul.com/turismo/praias/varela/

 

Day 3

On day 3, I would propose a visit to the Saltinho waterfalls.

It is an amazing place approximately 140 kilometers east of the capital Bissau.

 It will take you around 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete this trip. Similarly to the trip in day 2 to Varela, driving around Guinea-Bissau takes a while, although the roads are much better in this area than the northern region.

 The waterfalls are crossed by a bridge where you can stop and take some pictures. There is also a restaurant nearby where you can have a very relaxed lunch with the view of the waterfalls (we can even stay there for the night).

Having lunch at this location with the waterfall view is invigorating. It did remove all stress from my body - I even think it made me work better!

  

The Saltinho waterfalls are close to the city of Bafatá which is also worth the visit.

For further information check out the link: https://kalmasoul.com/turismo/praias/saltinho/

Guinea-Bissau was once a Portuguese colony, and the city of Bafatá is a live example of this. You can experience the old Portuguese buildings and see how time has slightly faded their presence.

If you stay in a hotel in this region, you may even visit the city of Gabu, also a point of interest. such as an incredible national park.

Day 4

I probably saved the best for last.

One of the most well known places in Guinea-Bissau is the archipelago islands of Bijagós. These are beautiful and not mainstream tourism, for sure.

To visit the Islands you must catch a boat from Bissau harbor. There are 2 options here: you can either catch the ferry or negotiate with a boat owner at the harbor to take you there and then back.

It's possible to go and return in the same day, but to truly enjoy this region, you should stay the night. Also, because the trip takes about 3 hours. There are hotels in the islands, but do not expect something cheap, so my tip is, try to book in advance. A simple google search can show you results on these hotels. However, things can still work well old-school style in Guinea: just ask around in the hotel you're in and they will recommend something good quality and safe.

In conclusion...

My main tip for traveling the country is to wake up early and start visiting. Things take time and driving takes time, even if you're traveling to somewhere close, like what I described above.

Also, always take money with you - Franc CFA (XOF), not anything else.

Guinea-Bissau doesn't have a lot of well know places to visit, but I can guarantee that whoever travels to the country will not stay indifferent. 

Within a few days the stress that we all have due to our work environments and life, in general, will disappear. It will be like traveling in time to a place where time does not fly.

People are very welcoming and you'll feel at home.

If you want to see more of my trips to Guinea-Bissau, I have a quick video on YouTube showing images I gathered between 2009 and 2010.

To know more about the country a few more online searches can help you.

There aren't a ton of websites about Guinea-Bissau, but there a few very interesting ones than can help anyone traveling to the country.

The one I prefer is Kalmasoul.com (https://www.kalmasoul.com/en/) and it is worth the visit.