Guinea-Bissau's little known archipelago
Bijagós means serious business. This hidden archipelago, three hours from the West African coast, is an untouched idyll of pristine beaches and old-growth forests. Spend each day at a new island, picking between one of the 68 uninhabited options for rare, al-fresco dining and uninterrupted water sports. Cookson’s crew will do the rest.
Look beyond the white sands and you’ll see scene-stealing wildlife, from playful chimpanzees and riotously colourful birdlife to roaring hippo and tortoises. This is also a matriarchal society, where women choose their menfolk. Fascinatingly, most of them are also animists, believing that places, objects and creatures possess spiritual essence.
There’s also a glimpse of Bijagós’s past to be seen in its crumbling colonial facades and traditional thatched villages. Faded, overgrown streets of neoclassical buildings tell a story of Bolama’s colonised past. Explore the former 19th-century capital with a leading historian and head to the almost-inaccessible harbour where Guineans used to hide from colonisers.
Also, sitting in the heart of the Bijagós Islands, Kere’s unspoiled wilderness has been compared to the Garden of Eden. Take a moment along its beaches to fish for prize-worthy tarpon, which can weigh over a hundred kilos A seasoned French fisherman will show you the ropes.
Cruise through lively mangroves
Keep eyes and ears peeled for African grey hornbills and kingfishers (to name a few) as they cruise through twisting mangroves. This country is the second most important site for migratory birds in West Africa.
Heli-sightseeing
Be set for an extraordinary welcome with a heli flight over the country’s stretching coastline and dense rainforests.
Chimpanzees at Cantanhez Forest
There are between 600–1,000 western chimpanzees living in the humid and towering heights of Cantanhez. Much work is needed to manage this country’s dwindling population, so meet with a leading conservationists whose new project aims to turn their fate around.
Arrive by helicopter, flying over the stretching coastline
Spot saltwater crocodiles
A blue spotted stingray
A boat passes the Bijagós Islands
Most inhabitants are animists, believing that places, objects and creatures possess spiritual essence.
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