Guinea Bissau

LP says G-Bissau is dangerous. Has anyone been there recently? Is it possible to go by land to Senegal? Any flights to Banjul?
What LP are you referring to (from what year) and what do they exactly say? I have been there last December (2004) and it was safe, although there has been political unrest as late as October.You can read the news on allafrica.com. Access is easy from Ziguinchor/Senegal by bush taxi. I did not ask about flights as the bush taxi was only 4 hours (120 km) and cost 5 Euros. I was there in June and had no problems (although I was quite pleased I didn't caught out in a thunder storm one evening, the Taxi's in Bissau increase their prices 400%.) I'd imagine that getting from Banjul to Bissau would be quite easy in one day by sept place although it'd be a shame to miss out on Casamance. I passed through there in March (2005). It's totally quiet. Bissau is among the safer capitals in West Africa to wander around, the people are really nice and the food is tasty (lots of garlic).

FLIGHTS: I spent an afternoon looking at the carcasses of blown-up soviet tanks in the surroundings of Bissau airport, but did not hear any incoming flights. I know there is a flight from Dakar/Senegal, but don't remember which airline. Travelling from Banjul to Bissau in bush taxis is a breeze. Why do you want to fly? Travel time: one and a half days (sleep in Ziguinchor). Cost: around 25 Euros. You may need a visa for Bissau, which can conveniently be procured at their consulate in Ziguinchor, it is issued in a few minutes and costs 10 Euros. I think to fly you would have to go through Dakar these days, though SLOK or one of the other puddle-jumpers used to stop in Bissau on the way south. Flights Banjul-Conakry are availible from Slok Air, which has its office near traffic light, Kairaba av., serrekunda. Approx 250 euro for return ticket. There are flights almost everyday dkr-bnj-oxb(bissau) and return on Air Senegal, should be very easy.

The road between Sao Domingos (at the border near Ziguinchor in Senegal) and Bissau is now finished, so there is only one ferry crossing to hold you up on the way. I left Bissau at about 2PM and made it to Banjul by 10PM counting about six changes of vehicle--mainly in sept-places, but also in a couple of the dreaded sweltering metal boxes.

The share taxis from Ziguinchor go all the way to Bissau, no need to change car in Sao Domingos.
At the gare routiere in Ziguinchor there is one row of cars that go to Bissau. There are several each day until the early afternoon. You can buy several seats if you want more space or to leave faster. You can also charter the whole car Ziguinchor-Bissau one way for around 26.000 CFA. Same setup in Bissau for the way back. Those are all senegalese cars and they have their own small area in the gare in Bissau (all cars with Senegalese number plates and French speaking drivers).

About Guinea & GB: to avoid backtracking, you probably want to go through GB only once. This 'loop' works out so that you enter GB from Senegal (Ziguinchor -> Bissau), then Guinea and after doing Guinea cross back to Senegal by the road going from Koundara towards north (I've forgot the name of the little town in Senegal where cars from Koundara go to). If you take a car going from Gabu to Boke (rather than using the eastern border crossing) you don't have to do any backtracking at all! Of course you can do this 'loop' other way around too, but I think the transportation works out slightly better this way.

It's only sleeping that will cost you very much, otherwise comparable with Senegal. And anything you spend in excess in G-B you'll save 5 times in guinea. I think the Guinea Visa is the same price in Dakar but takes longer. Bissau is expensive and upcountry is cheaper, still expensive for what you get but you really get crap :) G-Bissau visa is now 10.000 btw from Ziguinchor

I was in Bissau (it's a nice little town but very expensive to sleep in...) and Gabu, and then to Labe in Guinea.... I met some other people in Guinea who got their visa also at Karang, they have facilities to do it and they also gave me a receipt specially for it so it seems like it is a standard procedure, of course the embassy tells you it's not possible so they can get the money instead...anyway there you have it

This message is getting a bit long but a quick word about Guinea-Bissau. Again - from hearsay - I believe getting out to the islands is very worthwhile. Though apparently if you want to see the Hippos on Oranje you have to take the fuel for the transport with you - or you simply end-up stranded with basic provisions, no electricity, no water etc. with no hippos anywhere near!

When I was there in April, there was fairly frequent traffic between Gabu (in Guinea-Bissau) and Boke (say, a car or two in a day), some of it going all the way to Conakry. As I didn't take this route, I don't know exactly how the roads are, but knowing G-B and Guinea, they will be something between very bad and disastrous. Zig-Bissau and Bissau-Gabu are flat as proverbial pancakes. Gabu to Labé is mega slow and bouncy (took 16 hours for me) although apparently most cars take a different route from the one we took via Gaoual

If I'm not mistaken, I believe that the only road (in good enough condition) crossing the southern border is the one I mentioned (from Gabu to Boke). However, I've heard of people crossing the border on the coast with a boat (and I think even LP mentions this). I don't know where these boats leave from on the Guinean side (somewhere north of Kamsar, anyway) but I think they go to Cacine in G-B. From there onwards you can travel by boats and cars to Bissau. This would be a very interesting route! Good luck!

As far as crossing into Guinea by coast...you mean from Guinea Bissau to Guinea Conakry by water? I don't think we looked into it because we wanted to go to the Fouta Djalon in upper guinea, and the road isn't too bad up to the border with guinea. It also seemed that everyone we talked to that wanted to go to Conakry went by land. But there are a lot of boats and docks and what not in Bissau and I’m sure if they are going they would be happy to take you...just ask around. I did remember seeing an official ticket stand at one of the docks (across from the big monument, the one that doesn't go to the Bijagos) and they were selling tickets to somewhere, but I don't think i found out where. A little warning though, the boats are sometimes really leaky, and probably less than sea worthy for long journeys. It was okay going to the Bijagos because you are sheltered from the open sea by the islands...but when we went to Orango there wasn't any shelter out that far and it was REALLY rough. People were vomiting and holding on super tight. I don't think it would have been really pleasant for a long journey. If you meant from Senegal to guinea Bissau by boat, we heard from the locals in Varela that you could come by pirogue...but I don't know where you would get your passport stamped. The name of the resort town in the south of Casamance is escaping me at the moment, but we could see it and could have walked to it in a few hours from Varela.

As for the boat, I’m sure you could ask the Guinean consul in Bissau (sekou touré's nephew who I had some drinks with at a party, really nice guy...)

The hotel in Varela was really great...it is run by Fatima and Franco and is called Chez Helena ...anyway, the room was 10,000 cfa a night, breakfast included. I think it was the only open hotel when we were there, and we were the only tourists in the town...there is one that looked a bit more run down by the water that wasn't open at that time, but may be while you are there. Franco is a great cook...i think all our meals for both of us was about 10,000 a day....really gourmet food though. There wasn't really any other restaurants there...though we had a lot of invites from locals...and plenty of fruit. Check to see if the bridge got fixed, or plan on a 12km walk if you go to Varela.

On the Bijagos we stayed at Chez Titi, which is really quaint, maybe not as nice looking as some of the other places, but really Titi made our stay there. I highly recommend it if you can get one of his two rooms. (4000 cfa/ night includes breakfast). If you can't stay there, go and chat with him at least because he has great info and can arrange any kind of trip you might want.

Bissau if you're looking to stay on the cheap - not sure if it would still be ok but worth a try cos hotels in bissau are pretty expensive generally I met a Norwegian guy at a bar (the night we squashed the Portuguese, hurrah !!!) who put me in touch with some guys who were looking after the house of a Swedish diplomat who'd gone back home because of bad health. So if he's still away these guys put people up apparently to make a bit of extra cash, very nice guys. The main guy is called Luizinho, another one is called Samory - the house has some antelopes in the garden. Can’t give you any more details than that but may be worth asking around. Another possibility is finding a guy called "kiss" who hangs around in the casafrique in Ziguinchor, he has contact details for a reporter for RFI in Bissau who puts up travellers as well. I couldn't get in touch with him cos the telephone lines were down at the time but he said this guy charges 3000cfa a night. Can’t remember his name for sure (i think it was something along the lines of allan yeye embalo) but he's very well known in Bissau. good luck !!

Bissau was expensive...I recommend Casa Creola (I may have the name a little off, but you can see it from the Che Guavara Circle and is next to the fancy white espresso place and the cafe by the same name.) The cheaper room was 15000 cfa a night, she only has three rooms, (one is 20000 and the other has a long term German renter who is working on his PhD). If it is available though it is probably the nicest place for the money, and it doesn't really get cheaper than that except way out in the suburbs. The Lonely Planet was wrong about the prices of all the supposedly cheap places in Bissau, 15000 was as cheap as we saw in the center. I don't really have any recommendations for hotels in guinea...there wasn't anything special that I can remember. A lot of the places in the guidebook have moved location or shut down...but we did find the book useful in a few situations. Personally, I found Guinea-Bissau expensive. 20,000 CFA for a hotel in Bissau. I met some travellers who found a much cheaper place but this was attached to a bar & had all the night-time noise you might associate with such a place in Africa! Mamou was in the book and was pretty nice and cheap, but I unfortunately can't remember much about it because I was decently sick. It was one block down and one block over from the gare though....

Unnamed hotel: LP West Africa guidebook, 5th edition, page 517... walk two blocks west from Praca Che Guevara, look for a two-storey yellow building on the right side, with rounded balconies on the 2nd floor. Enter the building and ring the door at the 2nd floor, right side. The lady speaks no French, only Portuguese... 10,000CFA

INFO FROM LATE OCT 2006: In Bissau I stayed at the Hotel Galeon which is being renovated but negotiated with the man in charge (builder, manager??) named Francis (Corsican I believe but a nice guy) for 5000 cfa a night on a mattress on the floor in one of the rooms and used an ensuite that was intact to shower and toilet (bucket only but they have a well downstairs). There was even a mosquito net set up but didn't see many about. There was a key in the door to lock it and I had no troubles with security at all. It is on the placa Che Guevera roundabout. Meals and cold beer across the road.