Bafatá
An interior river town with a decaying Portuguese colonial centre.
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Bafatá sits on the Geba river in Guinea-Bissau's interior and was the country's second city under Portuguese rule, a trading centre with a grid of colonial buildings, arcaded streets and warehouses along the river, most of which are now empty and weathering. Amílcar Cabral was born here. The market still works and the town serves the surrounding farming country. The town was laid out by the Portuguese as a river port and grew on the trade in rubber and groundnuts before the river silted and the road took over. Its population is a fraction of what it was.
What you actually see
- The colonial centre - the arcaded streets and warehouses of the old town.
- The Geba river - the water the town was built to trade on.
- The market - the working trading centre for the region.
- The Cabral birthplace - the house of the independence leader.
When to go
November to May is the dry season and the roads are best. The rains from June make travel difficult. Market days are busiest.
Honest expectations
Most of the colonial fabric is derelict and some is unsafe. Facilities are basic. The town is quiet outside market days.
Nearby
Gabú is east, and Bissau is west.
What to pack for Bafatá
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.