Bijagos Islands
The Bijagos Islands is an archipelago in Guinea-Bissau.
Regions[edit]
The archipelago is made up of eighteen major islands and a dozen more smaller ones.
- 1 Bubaque — the most populated island and administrative capital of the islands
- 2 Caravela —
- 3 Formosa —
- 4 Canhabaque — also known as Roxa
- 5 Uno —
- 6 Carache —
- 7 Bolama — Bolama is a town of 5000 people a short pirogue trip from the mainland
- 8 Orango Grande — famous for its salt-water hippos
- 9 João Vieira and 10 Poilão — best islands for turtle-spotting
- Keré — a tiny island between Caravela and Carache. No people live on the island, there is only a single hotel. Fishing trips and visits to villages in Caravela and Carache can be arranged. To go there, contact the hotel, which will be able to arrange transport from Bissau.
- 11 Rubane — the Bijagós ethnic group consider it a sacred island; it is accessible from Bissau on a 3-hour boat trip
Understand[edit]
The Bijagos Islands have been affected less by Western cultural influence than the mainland. Many of the smaller remote islands remain unspoilt paradises.
Get in[edit]
Get around[edit]
Motorised canoes or the bigger but safer boats are the best ways to move between the various islands.
See[edit]
Do[edit]
- Boating is a popular activity in the Bijagos Islands.
- There are plenty of beaches on Bubaque Island, many of which are largely untouched by mass tourism.
Eat[edit]
- 1 Saldo Mar Restaurant, Bubaque, ☏ +245 955 496 826.
Drink[edit]
Sleep[edit]
- Les Dauphins (Bubaque), ☏ +33 1 42 89 32 64.
- 1 Africa Princess, Island of Canhabaque (Port of Bissau), ☏ +221 77 645 7529, +245 517 8356, [email protected]. Check-in: synchronized with the flights arrivals, check-out: synchronized with the flights departures. This is a motorized catamaran with 4 cabins with independent WC and air conditioning that tours the two Bijagos National Parks every week in the dry season. With a set of 5 boats and good skippers, is ideal for itinerant fishing, nature and ethnic tours.
- 2 Hotel Bijagós-Kéré, Kéré Island, ☏ +245 96 679 49 65. This hotel sits on its own islet, and offers fishing and eco-tourism. African-style bungalows with quality beds, mosquito nets and toilets in the majority of the bedrooms. You can also enjoy a big terrace with a living room and sea view. Restaurants and bar.
- Orango Park Hotel (Orango Grande).
- Chez Claude (João Vieira), ☏ +245-6179577, +245-6661037.
- Decouverte (Keŕe).
- Le Tubaron (Rubane).
- Lodge Ponta anchaca (Rubane).
- Hotel Acunda (Acunda). There is a fishing lodge at Acunda. Basic facilities, good fishing boats and skippers. Is an excellent base for fishing the outermost islands and marks.
Bubaque[edit]
- 3 Hôtel Kasa Afrikana, Bubaque, ☏ +245 956 289 868, +245 724 33 05, [email protected]. It has a sports fishing club with guides to help get you to the fishing hotspots.
- 4 Bubaque Island Hotel (at Bruce beach on the southern side of the island, a 35-minute drive from central Bubaque), ☏ +245 966 927 421.
- Hotel do Carlos Ar Petyt, Bubaque +245 966 447 875.
- Hotel Calypso Rue de Paris, Bubaque +245 955 949 207.
Stay safe[edit]
Watch out for the Nile crocodiles and saltwater hippos in the marshes.
Go next[edit]