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Guinea-Bissau travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Bijagós Archipelago
Bijagós Archipelago. Photo: European Space Agency / CNES, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
6hflight from London
West African CFA franccurrency
Visa neededfor UK passports
Type Cplugs

The Bijagós islands: hippos, turtles and matriarchal culture

Don't miss

  1. Bijagós islands
  2. Bissau
  3. Orango
Good forIslandsWildlife & safari

Best time to visit Guinea-Bissau from the UK

Best value: Apr, Nov. Dec–Apr. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Mar.

22.9 C23°J25 C25°F27.3 C27°M28.8 C29°A29.3 C29°M28.2 C28°J26.7 C27°J26.2 C26°A26.4 C26°S27.1 C27°O26.3 C26°N23.7 C24°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Bissau, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Bissau for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: April and NovemberThe warmest of the best-value months (26–29°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–MarUsually 23–27°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: May–OctAround 26–29°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: May (29°C) · coolest: January (23°C)A 6°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
22.92527.328.829.328.226.726.226.427.126.323.7

Festivals and events

  • Bissau Carnival Feb · Bissau

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 6h
Distance
4,611 km
Main airport
OXB

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Guinea-Bissau to your bucket list Search flights to OXB

Practical info and travel guidance

West African CFA francCapital: Bissau
Type C · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
117
EmergencyAmbulance 1313
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • VisaVisa needed in advanceApply through the embassy
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Guinea-Bissau, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 10 December 2025. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Guinea-Bissau before you book and again before you go.

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