Guinea

In Guinea you can trek through beautiful highland scenery and track wildlife in the jungles of the southeast. But the country still reels from a regime that turned its back on liberté, égalité and fraternité and embraced Maoist ideology in the 1950s.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

Coastal Guinea's postal service has their work cut out for them when the rain starts coming down in buckets between May and October. Hot and humid is a day-to-day occurrence, with temperatures mostly around 25-29°C (77-84°F). Further inland things get hotter and drier, with a moderate wet season between June and October. Rainfall along the coast averages 4300mm a year, half of which falls in July and August, while the central mountainous region receives about 2000mm, more evenly distributed between May and October.

Transport

Getting there and away

Air France (Paris) and SN Brussels Airlines fly direct to Guinea. Air Ivoire and Air Senegal International also connect to Europe through their hubs. There are no direct flights from the USA. Within west Africa, Conakry is connected by air to the capitals of all neighbouring countries plus Accra, Banjul and Praia by the aforementioned airlines plus Bellview Airlines, Slok Air and Weasua Air Transport.

Bush taxi, bus and minibus cross into all neighbouring countries, but forget about Côte d'Ivoire, and make sure you get an update on Liberia. You can also reach Mali by river boat when the Niger River is high enough, and a fast and luxurious hydrofoil service is scheduled to start operating again between Conakry and Freetown soon, but once the last stretch of road is paved in Sierra Leone, it will be quicker to take the highway. Boats also go from Kamsar to Bissau, stopping in Cacine and Kamkhonde on the way, but the schedule is erratic.

Getting around

Domestic air services come and go. When available, flights from Conakry usually go to Kankan, Siguiri, Labé and N'zérékoré. Most travel is by bush taxis, which are usually impressively overcrowded. Private buses operate between large towns and are more comfortable and cheaper than bush taxis, but are also slow and constantly breaking down. Although minibuses are cheaper than bush taxis, they are just as overcrowded and usually take longer. Post buses, which deliver the mail and passengers, run between Conakry and Dabola, Kankan, Faranah and Kissidougou, and are the most comfortable option, but seats must be reserved well in advance. Passenger trains no longer run anywhere in the country. You can, however, often find accommodation at the hotel-buffet at old stations.

Health & Legal Requirements

Visas overview

Everyone needs a visa except for citizens of Tunisia, Morocco and countries belonging to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Visas cost between 25.00 and 100.00.