Conakry

Understand

The city's economy revolves largely around the port, which has modern facilities for handling and storing cargo, through which alumina and bananas are shipped. Manufactures include food products and cement, metal manufactures, and fuel products.

Get in

5place/7place go from Kindia e.g. until

Get around

Situated on a peninsula, Conakry is thin and long. Although many tourist sites are situated in the old centre on Tombo Island at the very end of the peninsula, distances can be long. Taxis are the best option for tourists.

A popular way of traveling for locals is the Conakry Express, a commuter train that runs the length of the city. Opened in 2010 to relieve traffic congestion, this service runs on the first 33 km of the old railway line to Kankan, which has been out of service since 1993. Generally not recommended for tourists it can still be an interesting way of experiencing daily life. There are two trains per day Monday-Friday.

The street-numbering scheme of Conakry labels all roads with a two-letter code for the urban district, followed by a three-digit number: odd for north-south streets and even for east-west, e.g. KA002 for a northbound street in the Kaloum district.

Do

Îles de Los (Loose Islands) have nice beaches and dense forests. Boats leave from the fish market behind the Novotel Hotel. Football: the counry's top tier for soccer is Guinée Championnat National or Ligue 1 Pro. This has 14 clubs and half of them are based in Conakry; the playing season is October to June. The national team, "The Elephants", play at General Lansana Conté Stadium (capacity 50,000) or at Stade du 28 Septembre (capacity 25,000).

Buy

There are several large markets in Conakry.

Drink

The nightlife starts quite late - just past midnight.

Stay safe

Significant growth in the city has led to overwhelming population density and infrastructure problems. Elections in 2010 led to protests and violent clashes between Guinea’s citizens and the military. According to the U.S. Department of State, the worst is over, but “there is residual potential for violence.” The State Department further warns that “While not specifically targeted, U.S. citizens have been victimized in the past. Motorists traveling outside of Conakry have encountered improvised checkpoint-barricades manned by persons in military uniforms who demand money and search through personal belongings, confiscating items of value.”

Go next

Dubreka, Kindia, Boke

Freetown, Sierra Leone

Take a taxi to Bambeto gare and plan to arrive around 06:00 to avail of the first car to Freetown. A seat costs 130,000 GFr as of 2019. Buying 2 seats automatically gives you first dibs on the front passenger seat (unless it is a minibus where you can comfortably sit in front just for paying a seat). The travel time takes about as short as 5 hours depending on military checkpoint stops and border crossing. Plan your travel dates accordingly as the border to Sierra Leone is closed until 12:00 every last Saturday of the month for clean up day in Sierra Leone. During this time, all vehicles usually stop in Pamalap, Guinea. You may notice other passengers leaving their respective taxis and riding moto taxis to cross the border to the border town of Kambia, Sierra Leone for food. Don’t be surprised if many of your fellow passengers are nowhere to be found. They are already waiting on the other side.