GUINEA-BISSAU TRAVEL GUIDE
WELCOME
I’m glad you’re interested in coming to Guinea-Bissau. Below are some helpful suggestions and tips for preparing for your trip. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email us at info@WAVSchools.org. Thanks and safe travels!
NOTE: We are currently planning two 2-week trips to Guinea-Bissau for the winter of 2012-13. The first trip is tentatively scheduled for the first two weeks of December 2012 and the second trip is tentatively scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd weeks of January 2013. During this trip, you'll get a chance to visit a few great place in West Africa (including Dakar, the so-called "Paris of West Africa" and Cap-Skirring, a beach resort on the Senegalese coast), as well as spend eight days in Canchungo, where the WAVS school is located, and two days in the country's capital, Bissau. You'll be able to develop friendships with some of our teachers and students and help the school by encouraging its teachers and leaders -- and help out by teaching the English class for a few days.
HOW TO GET TO GUINEA-BISSAU
DAKAR ROUTE (about $1700-$2200)
1) Buy a ticket to Dakar (lots of airlines fly there). If you have a U.S. passport, you don't need a visa to get into Senegal.
2) Buy a ticket from Dakar to Ziguinchor (a town in southern Senegal that is about half an hour north of the Guinea-Bissau border) on Senegal Airlines (http://www.senegalairlines.aero/). You can't buy tickets for Senegal Airlines online, you can only reserve them. You will have to buy the tickets in-country or have someone pick them up for you (I can help arrange this if you'd like). The Dakar to Ziguinchor flights happen twice a day – once in the morning and once at night and they're only about $120 round-trip.
3) Then, in Ziguinchor, go to the Guinea-Bissau consulate in town and get a 30-day visa for about $40. I can make sure someone can meet you in Ziguinchor to help guide you through the process and translate.
4) Drive about three hours to Canchungo. I can arrange a car to bring you there.
BISSAU ROUTE (about $2500)
1) Buy a ticket to Lisbon.
2) Buy a ticket from Lisbon to Bissau on TAP Airlines. These tickets are usually $1,000+ round-trip and the flights only happen three times a week, last I checked.
[[ALTERNATIVE: Buy a ticket to Dakar and then buy a ticket from Dakar to Bissau on Senegal Airlines (the Dakar-Bissau flights are a lot more expensive than the Dakar -Ziguinchor flights). This may be the best way to go if you're looking for a flexible schedule and want to fly directly into Bissau.]]
3) Pick up your visa in Bissau for about $100. You'll need to coordinate with me ahead of time by sending me your passport and yellow-fever card so that I can arrange to have a visa available at the airport.
4) Drive about 1 1/2 hours to Canchungo. I can arrange a car to bring you there.
IMMUNIZATIONS AND MEDICATIONS
Please see the CDC site for information about traveling to Guinea-Bissau: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/guinea-bissau.htm
According to Travax, here are the diseases you should be immunized for before going to Guinea-Bissau:
- Yellow Fever vaccine (you must get this vaccination and the yellow vaccination certificate that comes with it in order to get a visa into Guinea-Bissau).
- Cholera vaccine – recommended for aid and refugee workers only (vaccine is not available in the US)
- Hepatitis A vaccine – recommended for all travelers
- Hepatitis B vaccine – recommended for prolonged stays or frequent short visits; also recommended for all health care workers
- Influenza vaccine – recommended for all travels over age 50, children under 59 months, women who will be pregnant at any time during the flu season, and any travels of any age with chronic health conditions
- Meningococcal meningitis vaccine (Quadrivalent vaccine (A, C, Y, W-135)) – recommended for travelers during the dry season (November through June) and for all children and healthcare workers throughout the year.
- Rabies vaccine – recommended for prolonged stays with priority for young children. Also recommended for shorter stays at locations more than 24 hours way from a source of rabbies treatment. All dog bites or scratches while in this country should be taken seriously.
- Typhoid – recommended for all travelers
- Routine vaccinations for adults: measles, pneumococcal, polio, tetanus/diphtheria, varicella
- Malaria – recommended for all travelers. There are several types of malarial medications you can take: mefloquine (Lariam), doxycycline, and atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone). From what I’ve been told, Lariam is a weekly pill that sometimes causes bizarre dreams, Malarone is a daily pill but is more expensive, and doxycycline is a daily pill that is inexpensive but can sometimes cause an upset stomach.
WHAT TO BRING
REQUIRED
- Malaria pills
- Money: Bring enough cash to cover all your estimated expenses during the entire trip, including travel expenses, hotel stays, food, souvenirs, etc. It is unlikely that you will have access to an ATM machine while in Guinea-Bissau. It is also recommended that you bring 100-dollar bills since you will get a better exchange rate with 100s than with 20s or other denominations.
- Yellow fever form
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray and/or Deet
- Durable water bottle such as Nalgene, at least one liter (highly recommended!)
- Money belt
- Passport
- Wallet
- Airplane tickets
- Ear plugs
- Sunglasses
- Toiletries
- Snacks for while traveling, such as breakfast bars (highly recommended!)
- Rain jacket (if traveling anytime mid-May to end of October)
- Outlet converters from American electronics to European outlets
OPTIONAL
- Camera
- Swim suit
- Anti-mosquito spray for clothes
- Nail clippers
- Pain killers
- Hat
- Sweater (for during air travel)
- Imodium
- Books
- Cell phone and charger
- Extra batteries if needed
CLOTHES
Guinea-Bissau is HOT and a little humid. Bring lightweight travel pants if you have them. Also bring basketball or running shorts (though I don’t recommend wearing the shorts outside unless there aren’t many mosquitoes around). I would NOT recommend jeans. If you don’t have travel pants, you could also bring some lightweight dress pants that you don’t mind getting dirty. I also recommend light-weight shirts that are at least 40% polyester. Also worth bringing:
- Sandals
- Sneakers
- Swim suit
- Sunglasses
- Socks
- Hat
- Rain jacket (if traveling anytime mid-May to end of October)
- Sweater (for during air travel)
November 2012 to February 2013 Guinea-Bissau trip itinerary and costs:
EXAMPLE ONLY
SAT (April 21) to SUN (April 22): Leave Fresno on Sat morning (April 21) and arrive before noon in Dakar on Sunday
SUN (April 22) to MON (April 23): Leave Dakar at 5:30 p.m. to Ziguinchor (southern Senegal; one hour flight) and arrive by 7:30 p.m. on Sunday; Stay the night in Ziguinchor at a hotel // or stay the night in Dakar (at a missionary guest house) if the flight arrives late Sunday and travel to Ziguinchor on the Monday morning flight.
MON (April 23): Get Guinea-Bissau visa in Ziguinchor; travel to Canchungo in the morning (three hour drive), arrive shortly after noon
MON (April 23) to MON (April 30): Stay in Canchungo 8 days visiting students and teachers; helping out at the school; meeting with local community leaders; visiting nearby towns; learning the culture and shopping at the local market
MON (April 30): Travel to Bissau in the morning, stay at Youth For Christ vocational center
MON (April 30) to WED (May 2): Visit government officials and pastors in Bissau for 2 days; explore the city
WED (May 2): Leave in the morning to Cap Skirring (the coast of Senegal) and arrive in early afternoon (about four-hour drive)
WED (May 2) to FRI (May 4): Relax in Cap Skirring, a coastal town, for 2 days (stay at hotel); explore the beach; enjoy the restaurants; debrief on the trip so far and discuss what we’ve learned
FRI (May 4): Leave in the morning to Ziguinchor and catch the 8:15 a.m. or 5:25 p.m. flight to Dakar, stay the night in Dakar at a missions guest house
SAT (May 5): Fly back to Fresno and arrive late Saturday or early Sunday
COSTS
Round-trip airfare from Fresno to Dakar: $1,100 to $2,200 depending on when you are flying and when you buy the ticket (most likely will be about $1,500 or $2,000). This includes taxes and fees.
Round-trip airfare from Dakar to Ziguinchor: $220
Taxis and overland transportation: $100 to $150
Food and restaurants: $150 to $200
Visa: $40
Other costs / souvenirs / incidentals: $100 to $200
Total hotel costs: $200 to $250
Guest house in Dakar: $15/night
Hotel in Ziguinchor: $60-$80/night
Room at YFC in Bissau: $10/night
Hotel at Cap Skirring: $30-$60/night
Note: You can stay at the mission house in Canchungo for free
TOTAL: $2,300 to $3,050
