TRAVEL
TIPS
| Driving |
TBA |
| Currency |
(XOF)
Africaine Franc |
| Electrical |
220 Volts |
| Telephones |
Country
Code 245, City Code, Oio Province 3+5D, Bafata 4+5D, Gabu
5+5D |
Clothing:
Lightweight, loose-fitting, washable clothing is recommended.
Dress is casual.
Currency: The Guinea-Bissau
peso is not convertible outside the country. Dollars and travelers
checks can be exchanged at banks. Some hotels and stores accept
only hard currency or international credit cards.
Health: Sanitation
is poor, and tap water is not potable. Hospitals are inadequately
staffed, and medicines often are in short supply. Although the
Guinea-Bissau Government only requires immunization for yellow
fever, immunization against typhus, typhoid, cholera, rabies,
hepatitis, and tetanus is strongly recommended. Malaria is prevalent,
and visitors should begin a regimen of malaria prophylaxis prior
to arrival. Gastrointestinal infections, bilharzia, HIV infection,
and tuberculosis are endemic. Medical air evacuation insurance
coverage is highly recommended for all visitors.
Transportation: There
are weekly flights between Bissau, Lisbon, and Paris. Regular
air service also links Bissau with Dakar, Banjul, and Praia. Unreliable
ferry service in northern areas makes travel by road between Guinea-Bissau
and Senegal difficult. Land transportation between Bissau and
Conakry is very difficult and usually takes at least two days
in the dry season (longer in the rainy season).
Telecommunications:
International telephone calls can be dialed direct, and connections
with the U.S. are good. Internal telephone service is adequate.
Telegraphic communications generally are reliable. Bissau is five
time zones ahead of eastern standard time, in the Greenwich mean
zone.
