Guinea-Bissau is a small coastal country just to the South of Senegal where the people speak a host of local languages and Creole together with Portuguese and a little bit of French.

Until recently, Guinea-Bissau was well off the tourist route. Struggles for independence and a civil war in 1998-99 devastated the economy. Tourist facilities and infrastructure remain, in general, very limited but efforts have been made to encourage visitors to this undiscovered gem of West Africa.

Although a relatively small country. Guinea-Bissau’s beaches and wildlife are exceptional while West African traditions and Portuguese colonial remains can still be seen. On the coast, one finds fishing villages surrounded by forests, whereas further inland the country is dry and dusty. The islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau (the Bijagos Archipelago) are of exceptional beauty. These islands are home to a group of indigenous people. Turtles, sharks, manatees, and a very special and very rare form of hippopotamus that lives mostly in salt-water can all be seen here.

For those willing to go off the beaten track, Guinea-Bissau has a lot going for it.

Geography
Guinea-Bissau (formerly Portuguese Guinea) is located in West Africa, and is bordered to the north by Senegal and to the south and east by the Republic of Guinea. It encompasses the adjacent Bijagós Islands and the island of Bolama. The country rises from a coastal plain broken up by numerous inlets through a transitional plateau to mountains on the border with Guinea. Thick forest and mangrove swamp cover the area nearest to the Atlantic Ocean. Savannah covers the inland areas.