Bijagós Islands, the last African paradise (sacred, animist and matriarchal) to experience 100% ecotourism

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A good handful of the girls in the

are called Mariana.

For her.

For the Romanian anthropologist who met a Guinean in Lisbon, married him and came to his land, the remote archipelago of the Bijagós Islands, a wild paradise (in the most beautiful and literal sense of the word: she will see if keep reading) belonging to the former Portuguese colony of

and located three and a half hours by boat from continental Africa.

It is made up

, of which only 18 are inhabited by a society of 33,000 souls of animist and matriarchal beliefs, divided into clans and that worship the elders and their own divinities.

Declared

by UNESCO, the Bijagós are full of tropical forests, mangroves,

, manatees and kilometers of beaches with crystal clear waters that are not even seen in the Caribbean.

In Orango Grande, where Eticoga is located, live Mariana and her long list of namesakes along with some 3,000 families.

View of the beach of the Orango Parque Hotel. IN SOCIAL TRANSITION FILMS

The choice of his name to call the little ones is a sign of gratitude towards him.

For helping to

, on a dog's night, of an eight-month pregnant woman who had been tumbling on the back of a Vespa between

.

For building an infirmary in a small room with two beds without mattresses lit only by the flashlight of a Pleistocene mobile.

For teaching English, Portuguese, sewing or whatever is needed to the inhabitants of the village.

Or

in Creole language.

For explaining to their women (and men) what

For building seven wells to have drinking water.

And for giving work to

and many other employees of the Orango Parque Hotel, a responsible ecotourism project within the

of the island of the same name, of which Mariana (her last name is Tandler, by the way) takes care of 200%.

"Our goal is to bring the reality of local culture closer to the traveler," she points out, on the one hand.

Social projects for the Bijagó people

On the other hand, all the

through different programs such as those mentioned, which are joined by others such as the construction of a

so that women can work or wooden docks to facilitate movement of the inter-island population.

"The essential thing is to know their

and give them training so that they don't have to emigrate," adds Ana Maroto, in charge of the development cooperation programs that she carries out in this tropical country that is somewhat smaller in size than Extremadura and has two million of inhabitants the

partner of the Associaçao Guiné Bissau Orango, responsible for the day-to-day of the accommodation.

Two locals in a canoe through the waters of the archipelago.CBD-HABITAT

The property, on the other hand, belongs to the

which handed over the management.

Not surprisingly, Maroto was the first to give Tandler the go-ahead, despite not having a tourist profile, much less a hotelier.

But this is not a hotel to use.

"It is a social and environmental project that seeks to be

," summarizes the biologist after getting off the boat that brought her from the port of

Bissau.

To get there from Spain, you must first go to Lisbon, from where there are direct flights of less than four hours with

Bungalows on the beach

The disembarkation is made on the same

very long and in a nuclear white tone.

Right in front of the row of canoes and hammocks available at any time.

A few steps are enough to run into the eight

in total spread throughout the arena.

Hence, the only soundtrack that can be heard inside, at nightfall, is that of the sound of the waves and, at most, a cricket.

Bungalow of the Orango Parque Hotel on the beach. IN SOCIAL TRANSITION FILMS

The design of the cabins is African, although it has been carried out by a Spanish architect,

, who decided to replicate the structure of the typical circular houses with adobe walls and thatched roofs in the area.

Still, Portuguese details creep into the interior, like the

, "brought from nothing less than Lisbon," says Tandler.

All decorative elements are handmade.

From the lamps to the sculptures, the vessels or the tapestries made of

with a protective character that is made on artisanal looms.

The striking paintings on the walls are the work of local artist

who has his gallery in the

.

Another fact: if seen from above, the bungalows simulate the head of a hippopotamus, a sacred animal for the Bijagós.

Welcome sign to the Orango Parque Hotel.

From the lamps to the sculptures, the vessels or the tapestries made of

with a protective character that is made on artisanal looms.

The striking wall paintings are the work of local artist

who has his gallery in the

.

Another fact: if seen from above, the bungalows simulate the head of a hippopotamus, a sacred animal for the Bijagós.

saltwater hippos

Moreover , the visit to the

where Orango Grande lives is one of the main experiences offered by the hotel, divided into

: nature, ornithological, photographic,

Each one is handled by an expert.

"In recent times we have met professionals from different fields who have visited us several times, becoming

. That is why we ask them to design their own circuits, including the most exceptional visits and activities," says Maroto.

Observatory to see the hippos. IN SOCIAL TRANSITION FILMS

Thus, while the anthropological focuses on visiting places like the old capital of the country until 1945

converted into a curious ghost town with old official buildings in ruins looming on every corner;

the

discovers one of the places with the least light pollution on the planet.

Raúl León, a biologist from Granada, is responsible for the nature and ornithology programs.

For this reason, he accompanies the groups on their one-hour walk between mangroves and savannah to meet the

(the only one of their kind and in danger of extinction) in their natural habitat.

Camera in hand, during the march you can see colobus monkeys,

curlews, pelicans, purple herons... "It's an ornithological paradise with

," says León.

Be careful, snakes and crocodiles can also appear.

Said remains.

The local saltwater hippos. IN SOCIAL TRANSITION FILMS

There are even

explains the researcher.

In fact, one of his jobs in the archipelago is registering them.

Some of his findings are even part of the videos being recorded by the Spanish production company

for the Orango Parque Hotel and CBD-Hábitat.

Upon reaching the Ancanacube lagoon, the heads of a herd of

They can be seen from a wooden observatory ("let's not forget that it is the most dangerous animal in Africa," explains León) while they frolic with their young.

There is no exact census of their number on

but they can be around 150, a high figure considering that their favorite delicacy is rice, one of the main livelihoods of the Bijagós along with

An employee of the Orango Parque Hotel in the dining room.CBD-HABITAT

"It is a herbivorous animal that ingests about 60 kilos of plants a day, which is why it is a problem for the community," says Maroto.

To solve it, they created

Or what is the same: "A device that works with a small solar battery connected to a

which scares hippopotamuses away from rice fields, allowing them to eat other herbs," she adds.

Back at the

's time to discover its

, the dining room, with its bamboo armchairs, its tables with cheerful tablecloths and its thatched-roof bar where you can still order a beer (Cristal and Super Bock are the more popular) than

(tropical plant with scarlet flowers) or a Guinean caipirinha with lots of local rum and sugar cane.

It is the specialty of the friendly

, waiter as well as guide.

Mangrove oysters, one of the delicacies of the islands.

Next door is the ethnographic museum that reviews

with explanatory panels and all kinds of utensils:

baskets to carry babies on the back, ropes to climb palm trees,

... moreover, clients can practice sport fishing or go shellfishing with the women and get mangrove oysters (grilled, as they are served at dinner, they couldn't be tastier) or

They can also be tried in the dining room along with other dishes such as ceviche, chickpea

(peanut) broth or monkfish meatballs.

Raised

(albeit roofed and supported by wooden beams) above the rest of the eco-complex, this room is reached via a path of shells carved into the earth between

Here you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner (all three meals are included), plan the activities for the next day or attend an impromptu class on

.

Lesson number one: its first references date back to 1456, when European settlers described the islanders as a brave and warlike seafaring people who gave in to slave trading and piracy.

Walk among mangroves in the Bijagós.CBD-HABITAT

Much has happened since then, although many things remain the same.

Such as

the making of knots in a palm tree as a secret means of communication ("only the person to whom it is addressed knows its meaning," says Lopes) or the need to celebrate an initiation ritual called

to achieve

.

In fact, once done, even the person's name is changed, which achieves a new status.

What does it consist of?

"In spending six months isolated in a sacred forest surviving alone," says the guide.

Lopes lives in Eticoga, the

closest

Sometimes he goes to work by motocarro, the only vehicle that is used around here except for a bike or scooter.

He sees them swarming among unpaved streets, pigs, chickens, goats and the characteristic adobe buildings that hide houses as well as the school, a grocery store or a

the sacred temple led by priestesses.

Yes, in feminine.

We already said that this is a matriarchal society.

At least, it was in the past.

The arrival of the settlers and subsequent globalization made it lose strength, but

(the signal they send to the future husband is a fisheye plate placed on the door of his house) and those that end a relationship.

They also have economic independence and are responsible for public ceremonies.

Hence the

, which connect the town with the spiritual world.

To do this, they have to receive a "mystical signal" that only they know, as Nené confesses, one of the "chosen ones",

at the entrance to her sanctuary.

"When you get the call, you have to drop everything," she continues, narrating herself in Creole while Tandler translates.

That "everything" implies a husband and children, since she has to move to live in the temple with other companions.

This is how they commemorate the figure of

, the queen (not king),

who negotiated peace with the Portuguese during the colonial era.

In the town is his mausoleum, which can be visited.

One of the green turtles that nest in Poilao.RAÚL LEÓN

A tour of the archipelago is not complete without

one of the five places in the world -and the most important in Africa- where the coveted green sea turtles nest.

A unique stamp to bid farewell to a unique universe, the bijagó, the last African paradise.

PRACTICAL GUIDE

HOW TO GET

The Portuguese airline

(www.flytap.com) flies from Spain to the country's capital, Bissau, with a previous stopover in Lisbon three times a week from 400 euros.

The journey from the Portuguese city takes less than four hours.

Once in Bissau, you have to get to the port of Quinhamel, 30 kilometers away, to take a boat to Orango Grande in a three and a half hour journey.

WHERE TO SLEEP

The

offers packages of 8 days/7 nights (adaptable) with accommodation (both in Orango Grande and upon arrival or end of the trip in the capital), full board, transportation from Bissau, visits according to the itinerary and guide.

From 1,200 euros.

Easter Special: eight days/seven nights, from 1,290 euros (departure: April 9).

MORE INFORMATION

On the website of www.orangohotel.com

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