Sailing the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau

After visiting the Madeira archipelago and the Canary Islands, SV Nala pointed her bow towards Guinea-Bissau, and the Bijagós Archipelago.

The Bijagós Archipelago are a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve off the coast of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. Consisting of 88 islands and islets, this destination is a wild paradise of pristine beaches and lush mangroves. However, cruising here is not for the faint of heart. It requires careful pilotage and absolute self-sufficiency.

Having spent three weeks exploring the region, Anja shares her insights.

Preparations

Due to the isolated nature of this cruising ground, there are some preparations you should make before sailing to the Bijagós Archipelago.

Visas

Before leaving for Guinea-Bissau, we visited the country’s embassy in Banjul, The Gambia, to obtain our visas. We needed our original passports, two copies of each passport and one passport photo per person. As we did not have suitable photos, we went to a nearby shop who were offering an instant photo service. The visa cost 4,200 dalasi, which is approximately €50, per person.

Readying the boat

There are no boating facilities whatsoever in the Bijagós. As such, it is essential to ensure that the boat is in good condition, you carry all necessary spare parts, and know how to carry out basic repairs yourself.

Provisioning

We still had plenty of non-perishable food bought in the Canary Islands, but also stocked up on canned food and snacks at a big supermarket in Banjul (very expensive!). At a local market, we bought enough fresh fruit and veggies to last three to four weeks.

Navigational aids and warnings

We obtained useful information from West Africa: Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, published by the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation, but the most valuable assistance came from S/Y Liberté sur l’Océan, whom we contacted through Navily. They shared practical information and their Navionics tracks.

Be aware that the charts for the Bijagós Archipelago are very outdated, so great care is required around shallow areas and sandbanks as they may have changed considerably. A charted depth of 2 meters may in reality be only 0.5 meters. Conversely, a shallow section of a channel marked as 4 meters deep may actually be 20 meters deep. Satellite images (e.g. Google Earth) can sometimes be helpful, although it may not be clear whether they were taken at high or low water. A reliable depth sounder is therefore essential. Also, be aware that most of the buoys shown on the charts no longer exist. We only navigated during daylight hours and would not recommend doing otherwise.

Currents between the islands are strong (exceeding 2 kts), especially two to four hours after low or high water, and slack water lasts only a short time. The best time to maneuver through narrow channels and shallow areas is from approximately 30 minutes before high water until 30 minutes afterwards.

Approach and clearance

Coming from The Gambia, we stopped off the south-eastern side of Ilha dos Pelicanos, a small island north-east of Ilha Caravela. We spent the night there and waited for favorable tides before continuing towards Ilha de Rubane.

To get to Ilhas de Ruban we followed the Canal do Geba, turning into Canal de Pedro Álvares after passing the Baixos do Gancho. From there, we entered the Canal das Galinhas and approached the southern side of Ilha de Rubane, keeping Ilhéu de Anagaru and Baixo de Campos Franca to port. It took us approximately ten hours to complete the 62-nautical-mile passage, and at the end we anchored in front of the hotel Ponta Anchaca. We were fortunate that the tides worked particularly well for us that day.

At Ponta Anchaca, Solange, the hotel owner, welcomed us warmly. She offered to contact the authorities to arrange our check-in for the following morning and organise transport to Bubaque by motorboat, but in the end it wasn’t neccesary. Representatives of the five Bijagós authorities eventually came to the hotel and asked to inspect the boat and our documents that evening. They inspected some of our storage compartments and checked our paperwork.

We had to pay:

• 50’000 CFA (approx. €76) for the cruising permit
• 50’000 CFA (approx. €76) for the five authorities (5 entidades)
• 1’000 CFA (approx. €1.50) per person to have our passports stamped

I would recommend contacting the authorities as soon as possible after arrival; they were slightly annoyed that we had not done so immediately. Apparently, they do not have fixed office hours and may carry out formalities at any time.

For us, arriving at Solange’s place was ideal. She knows everyone, understands how everything works and helps ensure that visitors are not overcharged by the authorities. The food at the restaurant is also excellent.

Islands of the Bijagós

As mentioned, there are many islands that make up the Bijagós Archipelago. Reflecting on each of the islands we visited, here is what you need to know.

Rubane

From the hotel Ponta Anchaca, you can take short walks along the shoreline. There is also a local fishing village you could visit.

While in Rubane we went on one of Solange’s boats to visit Bubaque, the capital of the archipelago, but only had time for a quick look around.  A few vendors sell oranges and vegetables, and there is a small supermarket stocking mainly canned food, as well as a pharmacy with only basic supplies.

Roxa

Locally known as Canhabaque, we anchored in two different locations on Roxa. First, we stayed off a beautiful beach on the south-western side of the island. Then, for the next couple of days, we anchored off a beach on the southern side. From there we could take the dinghy ashore and walk to Anchaca Sul Lodge, which is also owned by Solange.

At the lodge, we enjoyed several delicious meals and arranged an excursion to visit one of the local villages. The following day, a few men took us there by motorbike. When we arrived, we were quickly surrounded by children, all eager to hold our hands and walk us through the village. The village is affected by severe poverty and the school lacks even basic supplies. I would therefore recommend bringing useful items such as chalk, pencils or notebooks. Not all the children in this village attend school, as many help their families with construction work or gardening.

João Vieira and Poilão

João Vieira and Poilão forms part of a national park.

On João Vieira we anchored on the northern side of the island between the island and the sandbank, which gives good protection from the swell, especially at low tide. Visitors must go to the rangers’ office to pay the national park fees, located near the lodge Chez Claude. We paid a one-off fee of CFA 10,000 for the boat, plus CFA 5,000 per person per day.

You need permission from a ranger to visit the island of Poilão, and visits must be made as part of a guided tour. Poilão is the most important nesting site for sea turtles in Africa.

Orango Islands

The Orango Islands are a tight group of islands with a river system running through the center. To enter the river system we anchored off Ponta Canapa for the night so that we could time the tide correctly.

After lifting anchor we passed to the south of Baixo de Camaleão, timing our passage so that we would reach the shallow entrance between Imbone Island and the sandbanks at high water. At the shallowest point along our route, the depth was approximately 4 metres, with a tidal height of around 4 metres. If you decide to sail there, keep a very close eye on the depth sounder, be aware of the strong currents and stay well clear of the sandbank to the south.

Next, we spent one night anchored off the south-eastern coast of Meneque and enjoyed a walk along the beach. In the morning the coastline is particularly beautiful, with rising mist.

Imbone

The best-protected anchorage we found around Imbone was at the entrance to the uncharted river between Imbone and Orango. However, the currents there were strong. According to a local ranger the water is deep enough to enter safely, so more adventurous sailors may choose to enter the river where the anchorage is likely to be calmer.

On the beach, we found numerous hippopotamus tracks in the sand. The ranger we met offered to show us a place where hippos are sometimes seen. We enjoyed a beautiful walk through the bush and reached a lagoon full of birds and crocodiles. We then continued to a small branch of the river where hippopotamuses are occasionally spotted, but unfortunately we did not see any that day.

Orango

We anchored off the long beach on the western side of the island. From there, you can walk to the famous hippopotamus pool. However, you must go with a guide, as visiting without one is prohibited and can be dangerous.

Bring plenty of drinking water, as it is a fairly long walk and there is very little shade. Unfortunately, once again, we did not see any hippopotamuses. The official ranger station, where you can pay the national park fees, is located near Hotel Orango Parque.

Uno

In Uno, we anchored approximately one and a half nautical miles from the jetty because of the shallow water. We then asked some fishermen passing by in a pirogue whether they could take us ashore so that we could go for a walk and buy some food.

As they had originally intended to visit another island, we agreed to pay them €30 to take us to the jetty, wait for us for one or two hours and return us to our boat. The captain, who knew the island and several of its inhabitants well, accompanied us. He showed us a few shops where we could buy bread, onions and passion fruit, and guided us through two villages. The villages felt very authentic, and the people were friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed this short excursion.

Sailing from Uno to Rubane

The most challenging section of our transit back to Rubane was the shallow passage south of the small island of Angurman. We used a GPS track from SY Liberté sur l’Océan and passed through very slowly at high water, keeping a close eye on the depth sounder. We then anchored near Soga to take a break and wait for high water the following day, before continuing back to Rubane, where we had begun our round trip.

When sailing from Soga towards Bubaque at high water we encountered a current of approximately 2 knots against us, so it might have been better to make the passage one or two hours before high water. With so many islands and channels, predicting and interpreting the currents can be very difficult when navigating in the area for the first time.

Preparing the Atlantic crossing and check-out

After exploring the Bijagós we anchored once again in front of Hotel Ponta Anchaca, where Solange helped us obtain diesel, fresh provisions and arrange our laundry (A large bag of laundry cost €15). We were also allowed to fill our water tank from the hotel’s tap at no extra charge; the water is safe to drink.

On our final day, we travelled to Bubaque Airport with some hotel guests who were flying out from there and had our passports stamped. We asked the boat driver to wait for us for about half an hour and then take us back to the hotel. The whole process was very quick and did not cost us anything. Bear in mind that the airport is very small, and the police officer responsible for stamping passports is only present when a flight is scheduled. It is therefore not advisable to go there independently, as nobody may be there. In that case, you would need to go to the immigration office in Bubaque town to obtain the stamp.

Would we cruise it the same?

We spent approximately three weeks exploring the Bijagós before crossing towards to Caribbean. On reflection, I would follow exactly the same route again, with the caveat that I recommend spending more time around Imbone, Meneque and Orango. If you are planning to visit Guinea-Bissau, we’re happy to share more detailed information and our GPS tracks with anyone who is interested.