Guinea

Understand

Guinea is a remarkable country with very warm, genuine people but little infrastructure. While they have tremendous natural resources (which include around one half of the world's reserves of bauxite, and many major deposits of jewels, as well as gold and other metals), they rate very poorly in the UN's quality of life index. Guinea is roughly the size of the United Kingdom.

History Guinea belonged to a series of empires until France colonized it in the 1890s, and made it part of French West Africa. Guinea declared its independence from France on 2 October 1958. The first president, socialist Ahmed Sékou Touré, faced a lot of criticism from the West for alleged human rights violations and suppression of opposition parties. He believed in building a powerful, self-sufficient nation, without reliance on foreign powers. When Touré died in 1984, General Lansana Conté took over. Under Conté's rule, things did not improve and the ideals of Touré were soon left behind. Conté made too many political promises and most of them were never fulfilled. In 1993, the first elections were held, though their results were disputed - as have those in all subsequent elections. Conté died in December 2008 without appointing a successor, leaving chaos in his wake. Immediately following Conté's death, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara took power by a coup d'état. Even though Camara came in as a popular figure, this has proved to be another political blow for Guinea and Guineans. In December 2009, Camara was shot in an assassination attempt. In 2010, opposition leader Alpha Condé was elected as president. In 2021, Condé's attempt to run for a third term, considered by many to be unconstitutional, led to more protests, and a military coup that brought Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya to power

See

In Conakry, there is the National Museum which highlights the distinct ethnic tribes in Guinea and various traditional instruments, masks, etc. The main port is located at the tip of the peninsula in Conakry, near the President's Palace. You can take a boat from there to the islands of Loos for a day or overnight trip. It's a bustling place where fishermen offload their daily catch. Cape Verga has some of the best beaches in Guinea for exploration. Mount Nimba is the highest mountain peak in Guinea for trekking.

Do

In Conakry, one of the best places to grab a beer and hangout is the beach bar in Taouyah, an area with a large market and mostly residential with some night clubs and restaurants. Many expats, including the Peace Corps headquarters, live here and meet up at the beach around sunset for great pizza or fish or chicken dishes. There is a great breeze, live music, and lots of locals playing soccer games until the sunsets, especially on the weekends. Music in Guinea is one of the best cultural activities the country has to offer. Some of the best Kora players in the world are from Guinea. There are many bars that offer live music. The French-Guinean Cultural Centre has some great musical shows, movies, plays, and ballets (i.e. traditional West-African dance), and hosts exhibitions and conferences. It also has a library and multi-media centre. Members can take out books and use the computers and internet. This is a great place to meet expats, and local musicians, and artists. Most people there will know the best places to go see a show tha

Getting there

Visa Visa inquiries must be made at Guinea embassies, and are not available at the borders or airport. Also a yellow fever vaccination certificate is needed to enter.

Guinea now has E-visa which cost USD$80.

By plane Royal Air Maroc (RAM) flies from numerous European cities to Conakry (CKY) via Casablanca. RAM supplies the only direct flight from Montréal to Africa (Casablanca, with a stopover in New York) and many connections from Casablanca to Conakry (also called Kry) and elsewhere. Air France flies from Paris and SN Brussels flies from (you guessed it) Brussels. Expect to be asked for a "gift" by airport security.

By train Although cargo trains still run the old line between Conakry and Kankan, there are no passenger trains still operational in Guinea. The old station in downtown Conakry is worth a visit.

By car In 2008 travel between Guinea and Liberia was safe, though time consuming. Hiring a motorcycle is one of the best options. Crossing the Guinean border with Senegal is possible but very uncomfortable and requires patience. Inside Guinea, the road between Koundara to Labe is paved except for a ~30km section starting in Komba (2023), and it takes 4-5 hours. There are some decent and very cheap places to stay in Koundara. Between Koundara and Diaoube (Senegal) is a similar journey. The border is relatively hassle free. There's a 20 km no man's land between border posts where you only know you've entered Senegal because the dirt road gets better. It's possible to change your currency at any hour of the night at the border towns on either side of the no man's land. Local transport from Diaoube to Tambacounda and on to Dakar is relatively easy. Koundara is also the main jump off point for a trip to Guinea-Bissau. The Guinea (Kopoto)/Sierra Leone (Ka

Getting around

There are no buses. Traffic in Conakry can be very heavy. The local transport vans in Conakry seem to be the most congested in all of West Africa. Taxis are very inexpensive, even if you want to rent one for a half or whole day. Expect to have to stop for gas almost immediately after you get in the car. The Government and business centre of the city is unfortunately located at the tip of a long and narrow peninsula which is only connected to the rest of Conakry, which sprawls onto the mainland, by two roads. This can be particularly frustrating at rush hour. Queues at gas stations in Conakry can be quite long and disorganized at certain times. Much of the infrastructure around the airport is being rebuilt, so trips to downtown or to la miniere might take unusual detours.

Bush Taxis ("504", for the common Peugeot 504 model) are used for transport from city to city. Keep in mind that there is a curfew at night, and if you try to drive into Conakry you will have to wait outside the city until morning. Local transport is usually able to leave Conakry after dark. Departure times are never set for local transport. In the early morning you might be told that a taxi will be leaving "toute suite" (right away) but will not get out of Conakry until well after dark. Intercity travel in Guinea requires a great deal of patience and a loose schedule. It is also possible to fly from city to city, but get to the airport early and bring cash for your tickets. MotorTaxi/TaxiBike a much faster, and more comfortable way of travel is by motorcycle, which often serve as taxis.