Guinea-Bissau% 245 / POP 1.7 MILLION
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Guinea-Bissau% 245 / POP 1.7 MILLION Includes ¨ Why Go? Bissau ........................233 Like a microcosm of Africa, this tiny nation contains multi- Arquipélago tudes – of landscapes, peoples, cultures and plant and ani- dos Bijagós ................236 mal life. All of it within reach of the capital, Bissau. Faded Ilha de Bubaque .........236 colonial-era houses sag, from tropical decay and the weight Ilha de Orango............ 237 of history. Decades of Portuguese colonisation were followed by a long painful liberation struggle and then cycles of civil Quinhámel .................238 war and political chaos. Parc Natural das Despite hardships and poverty, Bissau-Guineans per- Lagoas de Cufada ......238 severe. The jokes, like the music, are loud but tender. The Parque Nacional bowls of grilled oysters are served with a sauce spicy enough de Cantanhez .............239 to give a kick, but not so strong as to mask the bitterness. The jewel in the country’s crown is the labyrinth of tropical islands that make up the Arquipélago dos Bijagós. Long white-sand beaches are lapped by waters brimming Best Places with fish. Hippos, monkeys, chimps and buffaloes thrive in protected reserves and hundreds of bird species call its vast to Eat mangroves and wetlands home. ¨ Oysters on Quinhámel beach (p238) ¨ O Bistro (p234) When to Go ¨ Afrikan Ecolodge Bissau Angurman (p237) °C/°F Te mp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 20/500 16/400 30/86 Best Places 12/300 20/68 to Sleep 8/200 ¨ Ponta Anchaca (p238) 10/50 4/100 ¨ Afrikan Ecolodge 0/32 0 Angurman (p237) J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ Ecocantanhez (p239) Dec–Feb The Mar–Jul Hot, Jul–Oct The rainy ¨ Ledger Plaza Bissau coolest, driest humid and sweaty; season. (p233) months, when sea travel with plenty ¨ Africa Princess (p234) turtles emerge of water and from their nests. sunscreen. 233 Kolda Bignona SENEGAL Sédhiou Salikénié Ca samance River Pirada Parque Natural Ziguinchor dos Tarrafes de Barro Farim Burunduma Cacheu Ingore Bigene iver Cap São Domingos R Gabú Pitche Kandika a Skirring São Vicente b Cacheu Varela Bissora Gê Gêba Canchungo Bafatá iver Calequisse Bula Mansôa R Joalande Bambadinca Canjadude A T L A N T I C BISSAU Parque Natural O C E A N Quinhámel das Lagoas Ché-Ché Ilha de de Cufada IIha de IIha de Prabis Enxudé Keré Carache IIha de Xitole Mampatá Boé Caravela Bolama São Corubal Ilha Buba Reserva da de Maio João Quebo Saltinho Waterfall Biosfera Arquipélago Ilha de Bolama Empada Mampatá Bolama Bijagós Rubane Forèa River GUINEA A IIha de Bubaque rquipélago Ilha de Catió 0 40 km UnoIlha de Kogon 0 20 miles Bijagós IIha de Canhabaque Jemberém dos Unhocomo Bubaque Parque Nacional IIha de Sanconha Orango de Cantanhez Cacine Parque Nacional Parque Nacional Marinho Ilha de João Boké das Ilhas de Orango João Vieira e Poilão Vieira Guinea-Bissau Highlights 1 Ilha de Rubane (p238) of salty bacalau and red wine buffalo trails through dense Relaxing amid world-class in the capital. forests. facilities and natural 4 Parque Nacional das 6 Quinhámel (p238) splendour. Ilhas de Orango (p237) Dipping oysters in hot lime GUINEA-BISSAU 2 Ilha de Bubaque Locking eyes with hippos as sauce after a day in the (p236) Experiencing village they emerge from the warm water. life, a short walk from your saltwater lagoons. 7 Bolama (p236) island getaway. 5 Parque Nacional de Sitting on the steps of the 3 Bissau Velho (p233) Cantanhez (p239) Following abandoned town hall, with Tangoing in cobbled streets chimpanzee, elephant and its crumbling Greek-style by candlelight, after a dinner pillars. B Si I G SS ht are architectural expressions of the coun- A U BISSAU S % 20, 21 / POP 492,000 try’s hopes for order and democracy. Built on a low-lying estuary where the Gêba z River flows into the Atlantic, apart from the Festivals & Events hectic traffic, Bissau is a low-key, unassum- Carnaval CARNIVAL ing capital. In the early evening, the fading Bissau and Bubaque’s Carnaval are the coun- sunlight lends the crumbling colonial fa- try’s biggest parties. It takes place every year cades of Bissau Velho (Old Bissau) a touch in February or early March during the week of nostalgic glamour. Generators set parts of leading up to Ash Wednesday and the be- the town trembling at night, although, street ginning of Lent. Music, masks, drinking and lights or not, people get out of their homes dancing are the order of the day. and gather at ramshackle bars. 4 Sleeping 1 Sights oLedger Plaza Bissau HOTEL $$ Bissau Velho, a stretch of narrow alleyways (%245 955 577007; www.laicohotels.com; Av Com- and derelict buildings, is ‘guarded’ by the batentes Liberdade da Pátría; r from CFA60,000; Fortaleza d’Amura. The rebuilt neoclassical aiWs) Bissau’s most luxurious hotel, the presidential palace (Praça dos Heróis Nacion- Ledger (known to taxi drivers by its former ais) and brushed-up Assembleia Ministério name Lybia Hotel) is where politicians, busi- da Justiça (cnr Avs Francisco Mendes & do Brazil) nesspeople and the small expatriate com- munity congregate – the latter primarily on .