Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Guinea-Bissau

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Guinea-Bissau.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 3: Reconsider Travel
Time Difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate: Tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Ethnic Groups: African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
National Holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Geographic Coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Airports: 28

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Modern medical facilities are virtually nonexistent in Guinea-Bissau, and travelers should not rely on them. More acceptable levels of medical care are available in Dakar, Senegal; however, as of this writing, there are extremely limited air travel options available between Dakar and Bissau. In addition, malaria, a serious and sometimes fatal disease, is a risk for travelers to Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau has a high HIV/AIDS infection rate.
Accessibility: While in Guinea-Bissau, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States.

Degree of Risk: very high
Animal-Contact Diseases: rabies
Food and Waterborne Diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
Water-Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis