Backpacking in Guinea🇬🇳: Touring Conakry The Week Of The Oil Explosion

Backpacking in Guinea🇬🇳: Touring Conakry The Week Of The Explosion

“It’s just a dropped stitch; in life’s tapestry” – Joanie Trotter.

Monday morning 18th December 2023, two things happened that would influence and impact my entire next week, changing the title of this very blog post. It was supposed to be “Backpacking in Guinea 🇬🇳 : Top 17 Sights In Capital Conakry”.

Rock’n’roll backpacking didn’t prepare for spontans. But it should have done. I grew up in Northern Ireland for f**k sake. The height of madness. In the 1980s we qualified for 2 World Cups, won the Brtitish Championships twice, beat the West Germans twice and were cheated out of Euro 84, plus 2 world snooker champions. Despite all that, media told you we killed each other, you know “the troubles” of Northern Ireland.

“One day we’ll return here, when the Belfast child sings again” – Simple Minds.

When I finally arrived in Guinea, the visa lady was asleep. I had to waken her up to get my visa. I buzz off that type of mayhem.

So when I heard that Guinea had an explosion on the Monday morning, I was due to fly into that city on the Tuesday. Great timing for this wannabe blogging backpacker. I earned my backpacking spurs getting lost in Taidong a brace of decades ago, just after the typhoon. Guinea, after an explosion should be easy, right?

Well no. As that explosion shocked Conakry,  I was sat in my flat in Warszawa, Poland still without my visa for Guinea. Now, with the country on its knees, surely my visa was a cert to be declined. Bear in mind, I had sent them everything they needed to get that visa. Scans of flights in and out, yellow fever vaccinations, COVID vax hattricks. Then, Guinea did what Northern Ireland does best. They proved that life goes on in a crisis. Bomb in Belfast one day. Half price “bomb damaged” sale the next. Shooting in a pub one night, showing the match as usual the next day. Remember the aged old one?

“One man’s freedom fighter is another’s terrorist ” – Primal Scream.

My visa was approved! Here is a full guide to getting a Guinea Visa online.

“Standard Liege, Lokomotive Leipzig, CSKA Sofia and Spartak Mosvow came to the Oval in the 1980s. But they couldn’t beat Glentoran in their Belfast home” – Mark Robson.

I boarded my flight in Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina at 5.15 am on the Tuesday, bound for Guinea’s Conakry. I was warned about Conakry. I was told to fear the worst. Dangerous, unfriendly, gunloyal, economic turmoil are all rife here. Avoid. In a crisis, it would be avoid even more. You can see evidence of the explosion in the below photo I took during my boat cruise to Kassa Island.

They got it wrong. As usual. Guinea is actually Africa’s pearl and nobody will ever know it. Well, you will now. I’m spoiling it. Guinea fires Botswana, Namibia and Malawi into touch. In the middle of the explosion, everything runs like clockwork. This is Africa’s Northern Ireland. Evidently!

So what about backpacking the sights in a crisis? Make the best of what you can. Some of the streets and zones near the explosion were closed off. Of course they were. People died. Hospitals were important. My flight to Africa was also delayed by 8 hours in Rome, during which time I was convinced I wouldn’t make it and that my 2023 West African Christmas hat-trick would be cancelled. Luckily, I made it, checked into the Hotel Du Golfe in Miniere, Conakry, and here is what I saw. Any port in a storm…

1.Beaches – Tidem Beach

Guinea does well for beaches and I visited them in Conakry and also on Kassa Island. However, this post is only abut Conakry. I enjoyed the bar at Tidem Beach. It features in my bars in Guinea post. I was also at two other beaches, but this one at Tidem Beach had a bar and flag and cool music.

2.Boulbinet Harbour

In order to get to Kassa Island, I was told to go to the port and harbour at Boulbinet. Sadly, this was near the explosion and most drivers refused to take me there. I got lucky and found one. At Boulbinet I toured the harbour, and fish market. But also tellingly stared back at the sky which was scarred by the explosion earlier that week. It was a mad time to be there and my heart went out to the locals, getting on with their lives despite the madness.

3.Boulbinet Fish Market

While at Boulbinet, I had some time to check out the fish market. In West Africa, I have eaten lots of seafood including fish at Plage D’Gor Senegal and Oysters at Bissau. This fish market is as typical as you’ll see.

4.Football Stadium – 28th September Stadium

I always like to do a bit of ground hopping and we headed to the 28th September Stadium. Due to the explosion, it was cordoned off but they kindly let me in to watch a training session in what they called “The Annexe”, bascially the pitch beside the main stadium. There is another national stadium here which I didn’t get to.

5.Santa Maria Church

Guinea has a mix of religion and I visited Mosques and churches here. The Santa Maria Church was near where I stayed and I had a quick look. There are of course bigger churches here, but as it was the week of the explosion, I really did take more caution and didn’t backpack hardcore like glory days gone by! This actually meant more random less known backpacking sights such as this wee church.

6.Atlantic Ocean

One of my motorbike drivers took me to some random rock place near Kipe district to enjoy the calmness of the Atlantic Ocean. You could also buy beer and snacks here at the entrance, though I didn’t. Just hung out and got some photos taken.

7.Kipe District

I was staying in the Miniere District which was a cool place, I toured some bars there and enjoyed the street food and my hotel. However, we also headed to Kipe, this is a trendy district just a bit south and is more affluent and quirky.

8.Art Roundabouts

There was some interesting art at various roundabouts in the city including footballers and elephants.

9.Mosques

I visited two nearby mosques only. I was told the central mosque had some issues inthe aftermath of the explosion and that it was best to leave it to the locals for now, rather than go backpacking there to take photos. I just respected that and didn’t argue.

Here are a few more photos from my bad timing visit to Conakry. I really loved it despite my bad timing and was happy to at least see some of the sights, enjoy the bars, some football and of course the backpacking adventure out on the Atlantic Ocean to Kassa Island.

Here are some videos from my time backpacking in Conakry, Guinea: