Guinea Travel Guide

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.

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.

The currency of the country is the Guinean franc (French: franc guinéen), denoted by the symbol "FG" or "Fr" or "GFr" (ISO currency code: GNF). Banknotes circulate in denominations of FG500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 and inflation is rampant.

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 c…

The official language is French. There are numerous indigenous languages, and the three most prevalent are Susu, Pular (Foulah, Peuhl) and Malinke. These are predominantly spoken in the coastal region, Guinee Moyenne/Fouta Djallon, and Haute Guinee respectively. Toma, Guerzé, Kissi and others are spoken in the interior (Sacred Forest) region bordering on Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia. There are a lot of people who cannot speak any English at all, even in the capital city.

Guinea is a rather unsafe nation, due to the fact that it has a history of being one of Africa's most unstable countries; lawlessness and criminality are widespread. Most of the crime is done by officials in military uniforms, and usually targets foreigners. Most non-violent crime involves acts of pick-pocketing and purse-snatching, while armed robbery, muggings, and assaults are the most common violent crimes. Criminals particularly target visitors at the airport, in the traditional markets, and near hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners. Stay vigilant, and apply common sense if stu…

The medical system in Guinea is in a very poor condition, and is not well equipped and is very limited. Some private medical facilities (e.g. Clinique Pasteur in Conakry) provide a better range of treatment options than public facilities, but are still well below western standards. There are no ambulance or emergency rescue services in Guinea and trauma care is extremely limited.

As with most of West Africa, greetings are very much a part of daily life in Guinea. A simple, "ça va?" will often suffice. However, Guineans appreciate if you ask about their family, health and job/studies: "et la famille, la sante, le boulot/les etudes." Before getting to the point in a conversation, e-mail, etc., it is common and expected to greet somehow and ask how they are doing.