I just read that a few travelers who went to Guinea had big problems there, people call it a very dangerous country, especially those who ONLY visited the capital Conakry. Also because of a recent Ebola outbreak.

This post is my input: Is Guinea Dangerous?

What Is Guinea?

Guinea is a West African country of 94,926 square miles of land, one of the greenest countries I’ve ever seen. The capital city of Guinea is Conakry and Conakry is also the largest city in Guinea. Guinea has a total population of 10.2 million people and the official language of Guinea is French. Other languages used in Guinea are Fula, Maninka and Susu. Guinea is also called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from Guinea-Bissau, which is right next to Guinea, but is very different, in fact they speak Portuguese in Guinea-Bissau, where they speak French in Guinea. A totally different vibe in the two countries!

Dangers in Guinea?

There was a epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) which affected Guinea in 2014 and 2015 and that’s maybe why I didn’t meet 1 tourist here. People are very scared to go to Guinea!

I’ve been to Guinea 3 times, and I’ve made some interesting observations in the country. The people is overall nice in Guinea, but there are a few things you have to be cautious of. Ebola? Yes, there’s still a small risk of an outbreak again, but Ebola is currently under control in the country. Secondly the police. Some of them, not all, but some of the police officers are definitely devils in uniforms in Guinea and will try to get money of out of you in any way possible. I was stopped many times by police or fake police in Guinea who wanted to inspect me, but I never paid any bribes, because I just took my time. I know how to handle situations like this after more than 1,5 year in Africa in total. Some travelers who are not experienced in Africa will maybe fall for the pressure and pay the money they ask for, but as long as you haven’t done anything wrong you should never pay money or bribe anyone. Keep your cool and patience, have order in all of your documents (very important!) and show them you’re tough and not an easy target.

Read my:

How To Avoid The 7 Most Common Travel Scams (Africa)

Why Are People Yelling In The Minibus?

Maybe I was unlucky, maybe it was coincident, maybe it was because of the terrible roads in the rain season, but I’ve honestly never experienced more people yelling of each other in minibuses than in Guinea, and I took a lot of these small vans/minibuses. I have been all around Guinea by minibus, by jumping on trucks, cars and motor bikes etc., and I witnessed so many aggressive discussions. Funny enough atmosphere was good outside of these minibuses. Maybe it’s because of the bad road conditions that people get frustrated. Read this to learn a bit more about the roads in Guinea

The Scariest Border Crossing – From Guinea Bissau to Guinea

Some of the roads are okay, some are terrible and some are non-existent! It’s the country I’ve been in with some of the words roads ever during rain season, but also one of the most beautiful countrysides I’ve ever seen. The contradiction is real.

Friendly People?

There are obviously some dangers in Guinea. Dangerous roads, lot of road incidents, corrupt police, but the people in Guinea is in general very friendly. Sure there are good and bad people in every country, and even though I speak limited French I had a good time with many of the Guineans.

Is Guinea A Dangerous Country?

I enjoyed eating 6-7 mangoes a day from the trees in this green and lush West African country. I remember all the good things here, the amazing landscapes, the green scenery, the waterfalls, the wild adventures. Guinea is not for the soft traveler, but it’s a country an explorer loves! I honestly wouldn’t say Guinea is a dangerous country, and I take the few bad experiences I had here with me with a smile. It was tough yes, but I’ll remember Guinea for all the good things. This country was probably my wildest, most off-the-beaten-path adventure ever!

Hope to come back to Guinea again and I’m excited to see the development in this really interesting country. I will follow the future of Guinea closely!

Gustav

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