When to go · Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau in May
Mixed month. Humid; last month for most island lodges.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Mixed
- Crowds
- Low
- Guinea-Bissau
- Prices
- Low
- Guinea-Bissau
Verdict
Humid; last month for most island lodges.
Is another month better than May?
May is rated mixed. These months rate higher:
Weather in May
- Coast and Bissau · Bissau, Cacheu, Varelahot
Dry and pleasant Dec–Mar with Harmattan haze; very wet Jul–Sep (Bissau gets about 2,000 mm a year).
- Bijagós islands · Bubaque, Orango, João Vieira, Rubanefine
Sea breezes; rough crossings in the rains; turtle nesting Aug–Nov.
- Interior east · Bafatá, Gabúhot
Hotter and drier; Harmattan dust Jan–Mar.
- Bissau32 °C (90 °F) / 24 °C (75 °F), 4 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 75 °F (24 °C), 4 rain days
- Bafatá36 °C (97 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 5 rain days97 °F (36 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 5 rain days
- Bolama33 °C (91 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 3 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 3 rain days
- Buba33 °C (91 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 5 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 5 rain days
- Cacheu32 °C (90 °F) / 25 °C (77 °F), 6 rain days90 °F (32 °C) / 77 °F (25 °C), 6 rain days
- Gabú34 °C (93 °F) / 22 °C (72 °F), 5 rain days93 °F (34 °C) / 72 °F (22 °C), 5 rain days
- Varela33 °C (91 °F) / 23 °C (73 °F), 4 rain days91 °F (33 °C) / 73 °F (23 °C), 4 rain days
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Labour Day
1 May
Public holiday.
Tabaski (Eid al-Adha)
May 2026 (lunar — check)
Holiday.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · Guinea-Bissau
- Low
- Prices · Guinea-Bissau
- Low
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Guinea-Bissau, side by side.
Verdict
May: Mixed
Jan: Great (better)
Crowds
May: Low
Jan: Medium
Prices
May: Low
Jan: Medium
Festivals listed
May: 2
Jan: 2
May: Humid; last month for most island lodges.
January: Dry and warm; calm seas for the Bijagós.
Guinea-Bissau: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
- Light, breathable clothes, a sun hat and sunscreen