Guinea travel guide

Talk about transportation in West Africa and mental pictures appear of overloaded sedans, looking anything but roadworthy, bumping along on rocky and muddy tracks that barely deserve to be termed roads. This is true for most of the region, but Guinea has perfected this concept. Not only does the country have some of West Africa's worst roads, but the cars are also more packed than in neighbouring countries. The sedans, usually French built Peugeot 504's, fit seven passengers and are called Sept Places (Seven Seaters) across much of the region. In Guinea the same cars hold nine grown-ups, hence Neuf Places (Nine Seaters). Add to the adults a few kids, a toddler or two, luggage and possibly a few chickens. The roof is often loaded with more goods than are likely to fit into the car itself had it been empty in the first place. And don't be surprised if a few young guys are clinging on to the load on the roof. Privacy is non-existing, and you'll quickly make new friends. It's a fun experience, at least if the trips aren't too long, and you don't have to do them too often.

Anyone looking for adventure in Guinea, needs to look no further than the Niger River. Running for 4,180 km through five West African countries the river is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people across the region. The source of Africa's third longest river is a few days travel west of Kissidougou, heading first to the village of Kobikoro and then to the hamlet of Forokonia by a combination of mototaxis and hiking. Longer adventures can be had by canoeing downriver. The 350 km trip from Faranah to Kouroussa should take between 10 and 14 days, most of which takes visitors through Parc National du Haut Niger. Birds, monkeys and baboons, antelopes, warthogs, crocodiles, and hippos should be easy to spot. It's essential to be entirely self-sufficient and bring waterproof bags for any electronics as capsizing will be almost impossible to avoid. Guides are less important as local fishermen along way can provide advice on any challenging parts of the river. Having your own boat built will likely be cheaper than renting one from the local fishers. A small plank boat for a couple of people should take less than a week to get built.

The biggest town in Guinea's south-east is something of a dead-end for anyone not travelling to Liberia. For Guineans, however, the town is best known for its large market which reputably is the best place in the country to buy cloth. Especially sought after is the colourful prints and indigo gara cloth from Liberia and local orange-and-black "mud cloth". The market is also a place for excellent deals on cotton and other less traditional fabrics. If you are willing to wait around for a couple of days, the town's hundreds of tailors will be happy to turn your cloths into everything from suits to traditional dresses. To get the most out of the market, it's essential to time a visit with Wednesdays, which is market day. Should this fail, it's easy to spend a few days in the surrounding area, particularly around Mount Nimba.

Snaking its way through the highland of Fouta Djallon the N22 between Pita and Télimélé offers some of Guinea's best active travel. Travelling east to west the road offers fantastic views over the valleys and flat mountain plateaus, and it passes through many remote mountain villages. The 100-plus km can be completed in just around 8 hours in a 4x4, although to appreciate the journey, travellers should consider braving it by bike (two days) or hiking the road in its entirety (four to six days). Following the locals, the latter two options have plenty of hidden and exciting short-cuts. If hiking the entire road seems too ambitious, the real fun starts at the village of Donghol Touma, from where the road descend continuously for more than 30 km into a valley before the climb up to Télimélé begins.

Street food is serious business in Guinea. Upcountry, even in relatively large towns, it can be difficult to find something that can legitimately be described as a restaurant. Instead, grilled meats, called brochettes, and rice with sauce are everywhere. Brochettes comes in "town meat" and “"bush meat" variates - just make sure the bush meat isn't monkey. The sauce poured over the rice is either made from banana or cassava leaves, while a third option is "soup" - a thin meat broth. Both sauces and soups are spiced up with a healthy dose of chilli. In Fouta Djallon millet forms a welcome alternative to rice, but the east has the widest range of options. Potato salads, meatballs, fermented milk, and rice porridge are just some of the dishes on offer here. Usually sold by women carrying large plastic tubs. If desperate for "real" food, track down the classiest hotel in town, whose restaurant can usually rustle up some chicken or beef with fries.

Once a week, larger villages all around Guinea are invaded by the inhabitants of the surrounding hamlets. The invaders are welcomed, as they significantly enhance the local markets, which, for the rest of the week, can be somewhat absent of life. The best days to experience these markets seem to be Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. However, market days differ from village to village. Travelling around rural Guinea for a few days will almost guarantee that you run into one of these markets at some point. Not only does the invading villagers bring fresh produce to town from their farms, but it is also their chance to invest in more specialised items like clothing or accessories. Finally, these are markets social events. Old friends catch up. Clothes are compared. Family members living far apart reunite. Markets are usually most intense during the afternoons when most participants have arrived from their outlying villages.

Guinea might well deserve to be renamed Monde de Chutes (World of Waterfalls). The country's mountainous highlands to the north – particular the Fouta Djallon – could be explored for weeks, visiting a new spectacular waterfall every day, without running out of new falls to explore. The list of our favourites is long, so we will only mention a few. Highest is the 120 m single drop Chutes de Ditinn, where a short hike will reward you by a swim in its plunge pool. The spectacular Chutes de Kambadaga has two drops, each more than 40 m high. Adding to Kambadaga's excitement, a rickety swing bridge cross the river, just 50 metres before the first drop. At Chutes de Kinkon's 60 m drop visitors can play around on the very wet and slippery stones right next to the drop. If they dare. Here is nothing to stop daredevils from plunging dramatically to their deaths. Also worth a visit are Chutes de la Salaa, Chutes de la Soumba, Voile de Marée and many more. Avoid touring the waterfalls at the very end of the dry season.