Cantanhez Forest National Park

Cantanhez in Guinea-Bissau's far southwest protects the northernmost block of Guinean rainforest, patches of tall forest between village land and rice paddy, and it holds the country's main chimpanzee population along with red colobus and a long bird list. Community-run camps take visitors and guides from the villages do the tracking. The forest survives because local practice protected sacred groves. The park covers around a thousand square kilometres, though the forest itself is a mosaic of patches rather than a continuous block. Rice paddy and village land run between them.

What you'll find

• The chimpanzees - the country's main population, tracked with village guides.
• The forest patches - the northernmost Guinean rainforest.
• The red colobus - the monkeys sharing the forest with the chimpanzees.
• The sacred groves - the local practice that kept the forest standing.

When to go

November to May is the dry season and the practical window. The rains from June make roads impassable. Tracking starts early in the morning.

Things to know

Chimpanzee tracking is not habituated and sightings are far from guaranteed. Accommodation is very basic community camps. The road in is rough and slow.

Nearby

Quebo is north, and Buba is northeast.

Key facts