Mangroves, tidal flats, lakes, river arms and islands shape Guinea-Bissau’s natural environment. This diversity takes different forms in its protected areas: Parque Natural dos Tarrafes do Rio Cacheu includes part of the Rio Cacheu and protects West Africa’s largest contiguous mangrove block. Elsewhere, freshwater and wetlands take center stage, while the Bijagós Archipelago is known for its islands and wildlife.
Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands
Lagoa de Cufada Natural Park covers about 880 km². It includes Lagoa de Cufada, two smaller lakes, parts of the Rio Corubal and Rio Grande de Buba, as well as mangroves, gallery forests and dense woodland. Lagoa de Cufada is Guinea-Bissau’s largest freshwater lake. The park thus encompasses both the lake and other bodies of water, along with a variety of habitats.
These habitats are home to 54 mammal species and 337 bird species, particularly waterbirds. The nature park is also classified as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. For visitors interested in birds and wetlands, Lagoa de Cufada therefore combines a specific natural setting with designated protected status.
Cantanhez National Park also brings together different habitats: covering 1,057 km², it includes sea inlets, mangroves, dry forests and savannas. Mangroves can therefore be found not only around the Rio Cacheu but also in other protected areas; in Cantanhez, they sit alongside drier forest and savanna landscapes.
Island Worlds and Sea Turtles
The Bolama-BijagĂłs Biosphere Reserve is an archipelago of 88 islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. Its habitats include mangroves and tidal flats as well as palm groves, coastal woodland savannas and semi-arid forests. This range makes the archipelago a diverse natural environment where coastal and forest landscapes exist side by side.
The Bijagós Archipelago is considered Africa’s most important nesting site for the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas); nearly 10,000 adult females live there. Nearly 800,000 Palearctic waders visit the archipelago each year, and bird species also come there to breed. These figures refer to different groups and time frames: adult female turtles, on the one hand, and the annual visitation by waders, on the other.
Parque Nacional Marinha João Vieira e Poilão covers 500 km² and protects, among other things, the Atlantic’s third-largest colony of green sea turtles. Another park is the João Vieira and Poilão Islands Marine National Park. It encompasses a group of sacred islands and is home to the largest colony on the African continent. Orango National Park adds another dimension to the archipelago: it includes Orango, Menegue, Canogo, Imbone and Orangozinho and covers 1,582 km². Its conservation purpose is to protect the archipelago’s richest biodiversity and its unique landscape.
Concentrations of waterbirds and manatees are characteristic of the Urok Islands Community Marine Protected Area. Together with the Bijagós Archipelago’s varied habitats, these protected areas show the diversity of Guinea-Bissau’s natural attractions: from mangroves and tidal flats to islands, birdlife and marine mammals.
Cacheu: History and Experiences
The southern part of Parque Natural dos Tarrafes do Rio Cacheu includes the historic town of Cacheu. It was a former slave port and the first capital of Portuguese Guinea. A guided tour of historic Cacheu includes the fort built by the Portuguese in 1588 to control the regional slave trade, the slavery museum and the chapel. The tour thus connects several places that form part of the town’s history.
A canoe trip near Cacheu follows the Rio Blimbom through mangroves, past birdlife and by a sacred forest. A pirogue trip between Cacheu and SĂŁo Domingos passes through mangrove and rice-field landscapes rich in birdlife. Check the current arrangements locally for both trips and the guided tour.
Cobiana is associated with a sacred forest, cultural heritage and a Manjako pilgrimage. The Felup villages also represent a connection between landscape and culture: their described features include rice fields, mangroves, cultural heritage and a rice harvest festival. These places and themes add further cultural dimensions of Guinea-Bissau to Cacheu’s history.
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