The Bijagos Islands is an archipelago in Guinea-Bissau.
Regions
The archipelago is made up of eighteen major islands and a dozen more smaller ones.
- Bubaque — the most populated island and administrative capital of the islands
- Caravela —
- Formosa —
- Canhabaque — also known as Roxa
- Uno —
- Carache —
- Bolama — Bolama is a town of 5000 people a short pirogue trip from the mainland
- Orango Grande — famous for its salt-water hippos
- João Vieira and 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.
- Rubane — the Bijagós ethnic group consider it a sacred island; it is accessible from Bissau on a 3-hour boat trip
Understand
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
Get around
Motorised canoes or the bigger but safer boats are the best ways to move between the various islands.
See
Do
Have a glorious time at the beach.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- Les Dauphins, +33 0 1 42 89 32 64.
- Kasa Afrikana, Bubaque Island, 11.3041°, -15.8348°, +245 724 33 05, gilles@kasa-afrikana.com. Contains a sports fishing club with guides to help get you to the fishing hotspots. 2017-02-12
- Orango Park Hotel.
- Chez Claude, +245-6179577, +245-6661037.
- Decouverte.
- Le Tubaron.
- Lodge Ponta anchaca.
- Hotel 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.
- Africa Princess, Island of Canhabaque (Port of Bissau), 11.228°, -15.700°, +221 77 645 7529, +245 517 8356, africa.princess.bijagos@gmail.com. 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. 2015-09-15
- Hotel Bijagós-Kéré, Kéré Island, 11.5355°, -16.2190°, +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. 2023-01-07
Stay safe
Watch out for the Nile crocodiles and saltwater hippos in the marshes.
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