Guinea-Bissau is not a country of famous landmarks, but it has experiences you will not find anywhere else in West Africa.
The Bijagos Archipelago. This is the main reason to come. Eighty-eight islands, most of them uninhabited, with white-sand beaches, mangrove channels, and an extraordinary concentration of wildlife. The saltwater hippos of Orango Island are unique in the world -- hippos that wade into the ocean. The Bijago people maintain matriarchal traditions and initiation rites that are centuries old. A few days on the islands feel like stepping into a different world entirely.
Carnival in Bissau. Every February, Bissau hosts one of Africa's most vibrant carnivals. Different ethnic groups parade through the streets in elaborate masks and traditional costumes, accompanied by thunderous drumming and dancing. It has the energy of a Brazilian carnival but the soul of West Africa. This alone is worth timing a trip around.
Bandim Market. The sprawling central market in Bissau is the best place to experience everyday life in the capital. Fresh fish, tropical fruit, traditional textiles, and a chaotic energy that is quintessentially West African.
Cantanhez Forest Reserve. In the south of the country, this is one of the last patches of sub-humid forest in West Africa. It shelters chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and an impressive diversity of birdlife. Access is rough but rewarding.
The sheer remoteness of it all. Guinea-Bissau receives almost no tourists. If you are the kind of traveler who values going somewhere genuinely off the beaten track, where you will not see another tourist for days at a time, this is your place.