In recent years, Bissau has come into the public eye due to the rapid passport programs in the investment immigration industry. Bissau is the capital and port of Guinea-Bissau, located on the Atlantic Ocean. Starting in 1446, it became a Portuguese colonial outpost and a slave trade market. Bissau experiences high temperatures year-round and has a tropical maritime monsoon climate. The city boasts a charming tropical flair, with lush tropical forests, winding rivers, and numerous lakes. The streets are clean, with quaint and unique residential buildings on either side, brightly colored walls, and small flowerbeds on either side of the gates, planted with flowers and trees such as trumpet vine, canna lily, and oleander, making this small city exceptionally tranquil and leisurely.
Starting from the mouth of the Ribáuè River at the Bissau port, a wide street leads directly to the presidential palace. Along the main street, there are numerous buildings such as Catholic churches, foreign companies, banks, and post offices. The castles and forts built during the Portuguese colonial period scattered throughout the city serve as irrefutable evidence of the colonizers' crimes. The suburbs feature multi-ethnic style thatched-roof houses and low mosques, presenting a unique landscape. Bissau port is the largest seaport in the country, capable of accommodating 10,000-ton vessels. A large international airport is located 8 kilometers from the city.
Attractions in Bissau: Saltinho Waterfall
The small "waterfall" is the name given to this attraction by the local Chinese community, while it is locally known as Saltinho Waterfall. It is located about two hundred kilometers from Bissau and requires approximately three hours of driving. This waterfall is actually upstream of the mouth of the largest river in Guinea-Bissau, the Rio Corubal. You need to head east, navigating around a large river section near Bissau, and then south, almost reaching the border with Guinea in southern Guinea-Bissau. During the dry season, due to the river's conditions, there is almost no waterfall phenomenon. When we visited, it was just the beginning of the rainy season, and everyone said it exceeded our "expectations." There is a bridge crossing the Corubal River and a resort run by the Portuguese, offering accommodation and dining services. In fact, you could drive three hours to have a Western-style lunch here and then head back, of course, you can also enjoy the scenery along the way—mainly the large cashew trees on both sides of the road, with bright red fruits hanging among the lush green foliage, which is quite appealing. Along the way, we also passed through several villages that might have been bustling with market activity (we visited on a Sunday), and our car slowly navigated through the crowd dressed in vibrant clothing, allowing us to observe the local people's lives up close, which was quite nice.
Transportation: Traveling from Beijing to Guinea generally requires a transfer, for example, Hainan Airlines operates flights on Tuesdays or Saturdays, departing from Beijing at 1:00 AM, then arriving in Brussels, Belgium at around 5:30 AM (no need for a Schengen visa). The flight from Brussels, operated by Brussels Airlines, arrives in the capital of Guinea, Conakry, at around 6:45 PM. After that, the journey within Guinea begins. The main airport in Bissau is Osvaldo Vieira International Airport, with flights from four airlines including ASKY, connecting to major routes to the capital of Senegal, Dakar, the capital of Togo, Lomé, the port city of Casablanca in Morocco, and the capital of Portugal, Lisbon.