Guinea

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Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Conakry

Population

9,800,000 ^[1]

Government

Republic

Religions

Islam, Christianity, Indigenous beliefs

Languages

Fuuta Jalon, French, Pular, Susu

Calling Code

+224

Currency

Guinean franc (GNF)

Time zone

GMT (UTC+0)

Nationality

Guinean

Local name

Guinée

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Introduction

Sunset at the lake

© All Rights Reserved Bevl78

Guinea is the world's second poorest country, has tourist facilities to prove it, but is a friendly destination for budget travellers looking for a West African holiday. When France offered its West African territories the option of independence or autonomy as part of a Franco-African community of nations, Guinea embarked down the road less travelled and took its independence. Alienation from France broke the country, suspending it in a downhill journey through socialism, gross human rights offences and terrible poverty. Democracy's been around for about a decade, but prospects remain dim.

Fouta Djalon is Guinea's nicest area, with rolling hills and tall peaks making for some fine Kodak moments. There's a couple of excellent beaches, though you'll probably have to make your own way there (on the plus side, that means they won't be too busy either). West Africa's largest market operates here - the market has the further distinction of being home to Guinea's only public toilet.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Guinea consists of 7 administrative regions.

• Boké Region
• Conakry Region
• Faranah Region
• Kankan Region
• Kindia Region
• Labé Region
• Mamou Region
• Nzérékoré Region

Cities

• Conakry - The capital
• Kankan
• Kindia
• Mamou
• Nzérékoré
• Kissidougou
• Faranah

Sights and Activities

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

The Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the border of Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire. The park has a wide range of animal life and plant life that are protected in the area that include Chimpanzees, several big cats, duikers and many types of viviparous toads. The reserve is labeled Strict meaning that no tourism is allowed. It is possible to see the reserve from a distance.

National Park of Upper Niger

The National Park of Upper Niger is a large park covering around 6000 square km in the north eastern area of the country. The park provides protection for forest and savannah areas. The Mafou Forest is a dry forest, which the park covers and is an interesting area. 600 square km is considered the core area and is completely protected, while the rest of the park locals can collect natural resources from, although in a sustainable way. This is one of the few dry forests left in West Africa. It is possible to spot Giant Pangolins, Chimpanzees, Gambian Mongooses, Kob and Spot-necked Otters. Lions have also been recently scene in the park.

Iles de Los

The Iles de Los are a group of islands off the coast of the capital of Conakry. These islands offer great places to explore and relax. There are several beaches to spend time on along the coast and forested interiors to explore by foot. Apparently these islands were the inspiration for the novel Treasure Island.

Other Sights and Activities

• Guinea National Museum - Brush up on the culture and history of this country at this museum.
• Conakry Grand Mosque - This amazing mosque was built by the famous architect Sekou Toure.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Guinea has a tropical climate with hot and humid weather year round, but there are some differences between the wetter coastal area and more dy border areas with Mali. From October to March, the weather is generally dry with many fine, hot, sunny days. From April to September is the rainy season. The rainfall increases to a peak in July and August and then decreases until rain has almost ceased by November. In the north of Guinea the rainy season is a little shorter, mainly from June to September, and there is less than 2000 mm of rain annually. Along the coast, however, total annual rainfall is usually between 3500 mm and 4000 mm. July is extremely wet in Conakry for example with around 1300 mm of rain during this month! Temperatures usually average around or slightly above 30 degrees Celsius during the day, and well above 20 degrees Celsius at night, with little variation. Border areas of Guinea with Mali are warmer, especially from March to May when temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius are possible.
The higher temperatures inland are to some extend a bit more bearable by the lower humidity. The harmattan, a persistent northeast wind, which blows during the dry season, is often dust-laden, which is extremely annoying as well.

Getting there

By Plane

Conakry International Airport (CKY) near the capital of Guinea, Conakry receives all departing and arriving international flights. Destinations include those to and from Bamako (Slok Air, Air Ivoire, Benin Golf Air), Dakar (Benin Golf Air, Slok Air, Afrinat International Airlines), Freetown, Paris (Air France), Brussels, Abidjan and Lagos, among a few others.

By Car

You can travel along most of the border crossings mentioned below and at least a dozen more if you have your own transport (traffic is scarce at some roads). A 4wd car is recommended for many of that latter roads. Be sure to have your papers and documentation (insurance etc.) in order and expect some hassling: this is Africa!

By Bus

There is transport to and from Cote d'Ivoire, but safety situations in that country remain unstable at the moment. The main route is between Lola and Man either via Gbakoré and Danané or via Sipilou and Biankouma but there are other routes with less trafic though. If coming from Kankan, it's better via Bamako as roads directly to Cote d'Ivoire are bad.
To Guinea Bissau, public transport goes to Bissau via Labe and Gabu, but transport is infrequent and roads between the two countries are in a very bad condition still.
To Liberia, the main route is south from N’zérékoré and shared taxis go frequently to the border town of Diéké. From here you can get a motorcycle taxi or walk the remaining 2 kilometers to Ganta to get a taxi to Monrovia. It takes most of the day to get there. There are more routes but with bad roads and little traffic and thus reliable transport.
To Mali, the best route to Bamako goes from Kankan via Siguiri and the border at Kourémalé along very good roads most of the journey. From Conakry it's also possible but it takes 24 hours, better to break it up in stages.
To Senegal, there are several shared taxis a day for Diaoubé from Conakry but it takes up to two days!
Finally, to Sierra Leone there is transport betweeen Conakry and Freetown which is quite easy actually and roads are generally ok. It takes around 7 hours by shared taxi. A bus also goes to Freetown and you can break up the trip in stages if you like though it's not too long. All other routes are not recommended because of bad roads, little traffic and sometimes a lot of hassling at the borders.

By Boat

Boats travel between Kamsar and Bissau in Guinee Bissau. The boat stops in Cacine and Kamkhonde in Guinea Bissau as well. There is no set schedule so check in the port of Conakry.
There are also boats between Conakry and Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
During the rainy season there are also boats along the river between Siguiri and Bamako, the capital of Mali. It takes a day in that directions, but two days coming from Bamako upstream.

Getting Around

By Plane

Guinee Airlines is supposed to operate domestic services to between the capital Conakry and cities like Boké, Conakry, Labé, Kankan, Kissidougou, Koundarg and Siguiri. Schedules are erratic though and many airlines come and go.

By Train

Although there are in fact railtracks and even plans to upgrade them, there are currently no rail services in Guinea.

By Car

The roads between Conakry and Kissidougou and from Boké to Kamsar are both paved and in a reasonable condition. Some others are paved but in bad shape and many roads are unpaved and impassable after heavy rains. Few people rent cars but there are several companies offering cars in Conakry. They can be accompanied with a driver, which is recommended. Traffic drives on the right and you will need an international driving permit.

By Bus

Large coach buses operate between a few main cities, but buses are slow and break down often. Still, they are relatively comfortable and not overcrowded. They are cheaper than the smaller minibuses, which in turn are cheaper again than bush-taxis. Still, minibuses and bush-taxis can be overcrowded and only the bush-taxis compensate this with faster services, minibuses are almost as slow as regular buses. To add, there are also post buses between Conakry and Dabola, Kankan, Faranah and Kissidougou. They are the most comfortable option but require you to book seats well in advance.

By Boat

Few services exist, but you might be able to travel along the coast with locals or check the local port authorities if services do exist at all.

Red Tape

Almost every national needs a visa before arrival in Guinea. Single-entry visas are around $65 and are valid for one month. Multiple-entry visas are twice the amount and are the only ones available for US citizens! For more information check the Guinea Visa website.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Since September 2009, the safety situation has been getting worse after demonstrations in the capital Conakry. Hundreds of people were killed by the military. These demonstrations were the result of the fact that the leader of the military, Moussa Dadis Camara, anounced to join the presidential elections, despite the fact that he declared not to. Although things have become considerably more quite since then, the situation still is tensed, especially in Conakry. The risk of sudden outbreaks of violence, also against westerners, is relatively high.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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