Guinea Bissau

The azure seas of the African coast are very much the dominant feature of a journey into this beautiful region. As flocks of roseate flamingos dip their heads in the bountiful shores and critically endangered manatees breach beside the mangrove-fringed river banks, you can be forgiven for imagining the outside world has simply faded away.

So, it is in this world of timeless tribal cultures and exotic wildlife. This is a place whose splendour drew the first Portuguese settlers seeking gold, ivory, and land for plantations. As you sit beside a gilded sunset, sampling the seafood cuisine and seductive palm wine, the same attractions will work their abiding charm on you.