Guinea travel guide

Very few tourists go to Guinea. “Guinea is a destination where it’s very, very hard to say ‘these are the great tourist highlights’, and that’s really synonymous with the whole of West Africa in that there’s no Serengeti, there are no pyramids...” Charlie Hopkinson, founder of Dragoman, our specialists in West African overlanding tours, explains. The unique appeal is that you are in one of the least-visited places on earth. “For many people it’s just about being in the country.”

In West Africa you’ve got this wealth of culture, art, history and music – it could be a totally different continent.

– Charlie Hopkinson, founder of our partner Dragoman

Far too often, West African countries are lumped together as a single destination – which is bizarre when you realise that West Africa is about the size of the continental United States. Although Guinea doesn’t have any of the stand-out sights or attractions that some of its neighbours do, what it does offer tourists is a more intimate insight into local village life, where very few tourists go, and where old traditions such as storytelling and music are still going strong. Keep reading our Guinea travel guide to find out more.

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Guinea is…

slow travel at its best. It’s taking a turn off the beaten track and onto a more adventurous path that most travellers don’t bother to follow.

Guinea isn’t…

the kind of destination to explore on your own. Roads are potholed and poorly maintained, while rain can make driving hazardous. Stick to travelling with experienced tour guides instead.

Things to do in Guinea

Getting around Guinea can be slow and difficult, so it’s best visited as part of a long trip alongside other West African countries. Overlanding is the best way to do that, especially in a country like Guinea where it’s less about seeing sights and more about connecting with local communities. “That slow way of travelling allows you to actually feel like you’re part of the country you go through in a way that I don’t think you can with any other method of transport,” says Charlie Hopkinson, founder of Dragoman, our specialists in overlanding tours. There aren’t many supermarkets in the jungle, so you’ll need to stock up on food when you reach the markets. “The markets are just bonkers,” Charlie laughs. “There’s all sorts of things going on, people everywhere, all sorts of pots and jars and different things. People can be quite scared to begin with because they’re massive. Until you get the gist of them and start to think: actually, this is fun.” It’s a great way to try the local food . Fried plantain, rice dishes, meat stews made with peanut sauces (sauce d’arachide) and spicy marinated chicken are all staples, as well as fresh, locally grown tropical fruit. Guinea is largely an Islamic country – 85 percent of its population is Muslim. Cultural and religious sensitivity is good to think about when visiting larger cities like Conakry, where it is better to dress a little more modestly. Islam is less established in Guinea’s forested regions, where Christianity and older animist religions are more common.

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Things not to do in Guinea

“In West Africa you’ve got this wealth of culture, art, history, music, cloth. It could be a totally different continent – but tourists just want to see the Maasai or the Samburu,” says Charlie, who feels that people tend to forget or ignore Africa’s other tribes. “It also feels more authentic in West Africa whereas, in some parts of East Africa, you feel like people are putting on a bit of a show. You don’t have so much tourism in Guinea, so when you stumble upon a local festival or a school doing an activity in a village you know it’s just happening on that day. It’s not catering to tourists.” “You’re not going to go to Guinea for the wildlife,” explains Charlie. “It is there, but you’re not going to see any of the big five or safari animals.” Guinea is a recognised global biodiversity hotspot, home to forest elephants, pygmy hippos and West African lions, but massive deforestation, mining, bushmeat hunting and illegal wildlife trade have severely diminished populations. You are more likely to spot some of its beautiful birdlife – including pelicans, spoonbills, flufftails and parrots – which should tempt birdwatching enthusiasts to visit West Africa. While we recommend trying the local cuisine, please avoid buying or eating bushmeat. While an important source of food in many West African countries, eating wild animals comes with a risk of transmitting diseases to humans, and bushmeat has been blamed for the West African Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016. Its sale is also further threatening the futures of some species that are already endangered.