Best Time to Visit Bissau

Dry season: December to February

This is the best time to come. December and January score highest. Days are warm and sunny, nights are cooler, and there's no rain at all. February is a touch hotter but still easy.

It's good weather for walking around the old centre, the Pidjiguiti port area and the Mercado de Bandim, the big market. The harmattan, a dry wind off the Sahara, can leave a haze in the air, so don't expect crisp skies every day. Boats to the Bijagós islands run most reliably now, and the beaches there are at their best.

This is also the busiest stretch, though "busy" is relative. Bissau gets few tourists. Flights and the better hotels still fill up around Christmas and New Year, when many people return home to visit family.

Carnival, and the hot months of March to May

Carnival is the big event, usually in February or early March. Bissau's version is lively, with masks, drums and street parades. Dates move each year, so check them before you book.

After that it gets hot. April is the hottest month, with highs of 37°C and almost no rain. Afternoons are heavy, so plan your sightseeing for the morning and rest in the shade after lunch. May brings the first storms, and the air turns sticky. These months suit you if you want quiet streets and lower prices, and don't mind the heat.

The rainy season: June to October

Be honest with yourself here. July, August and September are very wet. Rain falls on nearly every day, and August is the wettest month with 545 mm. Roads flood, boat trips to the islands get rough or are cancelled, and the sky stays grey. Humidity sits close to 90%.

Few visitors come now, so you'll have the place to yourself. But that mostly means closed lodges and muddy travel. If you want to see the rainy season, June and October are the gentler months, with a few sunny gaps.

Which month for which trip?

For beaches and the Bijagós, pick December or January. For Carnival and local culture, aim for February. Travelling on a budget and happy with heat? Try March. November is a good shoulder month. The rain has stopped, the countryside is green, and the crowds haven't arrived yet.