Daily travel budget for Guinea

Traveling to Guinea is a true adventure, but you need a realistic budget. A daily budget of about $90 is a good starting point. You'll find that many things are more expensive than you'd expect. hotel is limited, with guesthouses starting at around 300,000 GNF. The lack of reliable public transport means you'll spend more on taxis and negotiated rides. It's a beautiful country, but you'll want a decent budget to be comfortable and safe, especially on longer journeys.

My trip to Guinea was for work, and our company budget was at least $150 a day. We stayed at safe hotels like the Hotel Riviera in Conakry for over $100 a night. Meals at these hotels are extremely expensive. We also had private cars for all our transport, which costs a lot. The lack of reliable infrastructure makes it a very difficult country to travel in, so the costs of a simple trip can add up very quickly. This is not a country for budget travelers.

A friend of mine just got back from Guinea and he said it's an expensive country. A mid-range daily budget is probably closer to $80-100. This covers a more safe hotel and a personal driver for some trips, which is highly recommended for travel outside Conakry. You'll want to eat at places that are hygienic, which often means paying a little more. Taxis in the city are cheap, about 20,000 GNF for a short ride. I’d also budget extra for unexpected costs.

Guinea is a challenging country to travel in and it is not a cheap one. I'd recommend a minimum budget of $50-$70 per day for a backpacker. I found that basic guesthouses cost around 250,000-350,000 GNF per night. For food, street food is the way to go; a meal is about 15,000 GNF. The biggest challenge is transportation. Shared taxis (sept-places) are cheap, but they are incredibly slow and can be dangerous. A trip from Conakry to Labé can take over 12 hours and cost 100,000 GNF.