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Bijagós Archipelago: UNESCO Biosphere Reserve & Turtle Nesting

The 88-island Bijagós Archipelago is one of West Africa's last pristine wilderness areas — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve where green sea turtles nest, hippos wade the sea, and the Bijagó people maintain a matriarchal society

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1
Orango Grande Island
The largest island in the southernmost group has the extraordinary marine hippos – hippos that have adapted to swim in salt water and feed on sea vegetation
2
Green Turtle Nesting Beach
Poilão Island hosts one of the largest green turtle nesting grounds in the Atlantic — thousands of turtles come ashore during the June-October nesting season
3
Bijagó Matriarchal Society
The Bijagó people have a unique matrilineal and matriarchal social structure — women own property, choose their husbands, and lead the main initiation ceremonies
4
Canhabaque Island Mangroves
The largest mangrove forest in West Africa covers large parts of Bijagós — a labyrinth of tidal channels with manatees, dolphins and extraordinary bird diversity
5
Rubane Island Eco-Lodge
Bijagó's most established ecotourism offers stays in thatched cottages on pristine beaches — sea kayaking, bird watching and community visits to Bijagó's villages
6
Bijagó Initiation Ceremony
The male fanado initiation—a multiyear process that takes young men through stages of social transformation—is the most important ceremony in Bijagó's life, involving elaborate masks