Guinea

My Guinea travel summary:

Visited: January 2009

Duration of visit: 12 days

Capital city: Conakry

Population: 10 million (2009)

Guinea travel blog reading time: 10 minutes

• Legendary bush taxi trip from Guinea-Bissau to Labé including river crossing.
• Trekking in Fouta Djallon: rock formations, waterfalls, and breathtaking sunset.
• Wandering around one of West Africa’s least appealing capitals – Conakry.
• Charity project with kids in Brouadou.

Guinea travel adventure was part of my three-month trip to West Africa in 2008-09, from Morocco to Ghana.

Guinea is often seen as a troubled African country. Poor roads, difficult living conditions in Conakry, and limited tourism make travel challenging. I found only with few major attractions, exciting things to do or pleasant places to visit beyond Fouta Djallon.

Upon gaining independence from France in 1958, Ahmed Sékou Touré became the first president. He ruled with violence and repressive measures until 1984, when he died unexpectedly. With a swift coup, Lansana Conté rose to power, which he successfully defended until his death in 2008.

Despite the extraordinary reserves of aluminum ore, the economic situation of this devastated country into which Touré plunged it, has not improved. A military junta led by Moussa Dadis Camara later took power, but soon lost control of the country and responded violently to peaceful protests in the capital. Ongoing instability remains a major cause of poverty.

Guinea is predominantly an Islamic country, with Muslims representing 85 percent of the urban population. In contrast, the rural areas are home to people of twenty-four different ethnic groups.

Guinea is very rich in natural resources: diamonds, gold, and 25% of the world’s bauxite reserves. Most diamonds are still smuggled out without state control. From what I can see, this wealth doesn’t really help ordinary people. The country is still very poor, and many people work in farming.

When it comes to tourism, Guinea doesn’t offer many landmarks, classic attractions or memorable things to do. Instead, it gave me unconventional and difficult adventure, demanding a lot of patience.

I quickly completed the border formalities when crossing from Guinea-Bissau. Soon after, I was seated in the next Peugeot sept-place bush taxi that would take me to the first major village in Guinea for just a few Guinean francs. On this occasion, the waiting time to fill up the vehicle was less than an hour and, apart from military checkpoints, there were no significant inconveniences.

The settlement of Saraboydi was not my ultimate destination for the day; I still had another 15 kilometers to travel to reach the village of Koundara, where I planned to spend the night. By the time we arrived, it had been dark for several hours, and the clock was approaching 9:00pm.

In total, over the past 12 hours, I only managed to travel 95 kilometers. It took a lot of patience, long hours of waiting, and driving on very rough, pothole-filled roads. Apart from a good breakfast, there was almost no food along the way.

Welcome to Guinea!!!

… but it can take some time.

Koundara was only a stopover on the way to Labe, a town for which I have to face another 250 kilometers of tough road through the mountains. I was ready for the trip early in the morning and separated my spot in a bush taxi before 7:30am. At 10:00am all places in the car were finally sold; we started the driving adventure.

Our car was in solid condition, while the experienced driver was full of confidence, smoothly avoiding numerous potholes. I had a strategic position next to the window in the front row with two passengers between the driver and myself. Everything seemed perfect.

I never expected that it would take until the next morning – 23 hours later – to reach Labé, just 250 kilometers away.

Approximately at midday, we reached a large river, which is generally crossed using a raft. A kind of primitive system that moves the raft, loaded with vehicles and people, from one bank of the river to the other solves the basic problem of crossing the river. The raft is tied to a strong steel wire and pushed or pulled with a mechanic mill. The truck in front of us unfortunately fell of the raft and sunk in the river, right on the raft line, blocking the transit to other cars.

After five hours of calm, unproductive and comical attempts to pull the truck out of the water, our driver finally decided that it would be much better if we drive our bush taxi one kilometer upriver where the river level is lower and it may be possible for us to push the car to the opposite side without relying on the dysfunctional raft.

We took our shoes off, rolled up our pants and started to push the car toward the other side through the river. With so many locals that came to help us, I focused more on my own stability and walked carefully to avoid slipping on slippery rocks.

Our car was fine and passed all obstacles in just 5 minutes. I didn’t understand why we had spent the whole afternoon waiting to take the alternative route.

When we finally arrived at the last military control 8 kilometers before Labé, it was already 1:00am. The soldiers were tired, bored and eager to sleep, the cold was creeping up even in these, usually warm places. During the routine check-up, the soldiers discovered that one passenger had no documents.

The uniformed man went nuts, closed the ramp and retired to his barrack for rest. We didn’t have any choice but wait until 6:00am, before they let us through without the undocumented passenger. We finally reached Labe at 7:00am.

I was desperate to lay down in a warm bad. It had been a long time since I appreciated so much a simple bed in a basic hotel, covered myself with fresh linens and cozy blankets.

In the northern part of Guinea, I settled down in a village of Doucki to explore Fouta Djallon – a mountainous region with some of West Africa’s greatest rivers, canyons, stepped sandstone plateaus and pleasant people. My host was Hassan, a well-known guide who owns a couple of huts where travelers can stay, eat local food, and relax.

I walked around, up and down to Guinea’s Grand Canyon – a fantastic canyon that descends 600m in depth, several kilometers in length and 3 kilometers in width.

Accompanied by a local guide, I ventured into the depths and later climbed the rocks in makeshift ladders over the waterfalls. It was hot and the water perfect for a swim and relaxation.

The next day we explored a few smaller canyons, climbed over spectacular rock formations, and wandered among wild, unusual structures. The highlight was reaching the edge of the canyon to watch a breathtaking sunset, completely alone and surrounded by nature.

With my legs dangling 600 meters above the canyon’s precipice, I realized that Guinea has something exceptional to offer – the most outstanding hiking in West Africa.

During the trek, I was really impressed by the older people I met. Even at a very old age, they climbed rocks and simple rope ladders in basic shoes, carrying heavy loads on their heads as if it was really easy.

The valley by the river is home to several smaller villages. The inhabitants are mainly engaged in agriculture. Due to the difficult accessibility, goods from other environments are very limited. It is almost impossible for them to transport crops that could be sold in neighboring villages.

Conakry was likely the only capital city in West Africa where I didn’t feel comfortable walking in many areas.

Close to the city center, I saw people cooking on simple, makeshift stoves using wood and charcoal. They were living in very basic conditions without running water or a proper sewage system. The atmosphere felt tense, and the political situation, including an army uprising at the time, made things worse.

I don’t remember any remarkable places to visit, attractions, or landmarks that truly caught my attention. I realized later that I had taken almost no photos.

My main goal was to get a visa for Mali and move on to the countryside.

Mission Catholique gave me cheap accommodation right in the town center, next to the main market. The rooms were simple but clean. It was a quiet place where I met many interesting people to talk with. I didn’t go out after dark because there were many police checkpoints.

I met Philip, a retired and fairly wealthy Canadian volunteer. He wanted to help a small village in the jungle near Kissidougou. He had already spent over two months in Conakry trying to import in a pickup truck and get permission to use it.

The Brouadou project, in the southern area of the country, was set up by a group of nuns, trying to improve simple lives of local population, especially kids. I knew immediately that it was going to be a perfect place to cooperate with my idea of supporting children in this part of the world.

My plan was to gather money from my friends back in Slovenia, find a needed community of kids and somehow improve the quality of their education.

This could be through books, school supplies, or simple everyday items that would motivate them to keep studying.

It takes an entire day to travel by bush taxi from Conakry to Kissidougou. I got a good seat in the front row of a bush taxi, and to my surprise, the other eight seats were filled in less than an hour. When I was already comfortable sitting and we were about to leave, a large woman in military clothes stepped in front of the car and insisted on joining us.

The driver couldn’t refuse because his taxi was the only transport available that day. My complaints didn’t change anything, and she ended up sitting next to me, partly on top of me, for the next 14 hours.

The trip was very uncomfortable, but easier than in northern Guinea. Because we had a military escort, we were not stopped at many checkpoints. When soldiers saw my young neighbor in the car, they exchanged a few polite words, and the ramp quickly opened.

We arrived late at night to Kissidougu, but the monks at the Catholic Mission were waiting for me with a warm dinner and a clean bed.

The next morning, Sister Justine, a French-Canadian who speaks excellent English, picked me up. Beyond the easy communication, her positive energy, open-minded attitude, and relaxed personality instantly connected us. She studied in Canada but later chose to return to her parents’ homeland to help the poorest.

The admiration was mutual. She could not believe I came to volunteer and donate, while I admired how she built the project in such a beautiful but difficult place.

Brouadou lies 12 kilometers from Kissidougou. With about 1,800 people, most living from simple farming, it is a typical African village surrounded by lush vegetation. Electricity and plumbing remain distant goals, while local leaders, volunteers, and charities support basic primary education.

The 20-minute drive to this beautiful village was pure joy. Passing through dense tropical forest, I felt excited about what awaited me there.

Over the next few days, I participated in the production of clay bricks and helped with other simple tasks. Most importantly, I purchased books, notebooks, and school supplies for school and preschool children.

In a class of 20 to 30 children, only the teacher had a book. With the money I raised back in Slovenia, I was able to buy more than 100 books and hand them out to the students. Together with the school principal and Sister Justine, I bargained hard in the local bookstores.

My simple message to the bookstore owners was the following:

“Discount is not for me, but for kids. My money is limited. If you can add an extra pen, pencil or book, it will be for kids, not for me!”

Vendors understood my proposal and we managed to supply even more school utensils for the same amount of resources.

When we returned to school, everyone was very happy. From now on, every student will have French books, and each classroom will have at least five books for other subjects. The kids will also have footballs, pencils, chalk, and simple writing tablets.

I managed to raise enough money to give over 200 children at the school the basic supplies they needed. I felt that my mission in Guinea was over.

FARO donation initiative in Guinea is part of FARO, a voluntary program fully funded by donors. It aims to improve life for marginalized children in developing countries. You can learn more about FARO by reading the information at this link.

Guinea was one of the most difficult countries to travel around West Africa. Political tensions, bad roads, problems in communication and arriving, or even traveling, at night, made the whole experience much harder. In the cities, the tension was even bigger, therefore I avoided them as much as possible.

The real highlight of my Guinea travel adventure was the countryside, far from the busy and noisy city. I loved the stunning nature of Fouta Djallon and the simple, meaningful activities at the Brouadou mission.

I ate simple and limited meals most days, and the waiting time for transport was often long or completely unpredictable. My best and most reliable shelter was the Catholic mission. Due to lack of comfort I appreciated every small piece of luxury: clean bed, good meal or comfortable seat in a shared vehicle.