Though its people have long suffered under one of Africa’s most corrupt and complacent governments, Guinea’s stunning landscape and vibrant culture attract intrepid travellers prepared to rough it a bit.

Guinea has four distinct geological regions, all of which receive considerable rain in season. Form a narrow coastal plain the country rises into the Fouta Djalon plateau, where many peaks reach over 1000 metres, then drops to the north-eastern dry lowlands and ends in the hilly Forest Region. The once impressive biodiversity present in Guinea is now in rapid decline thanks to decades of unsustainable industry.

Guinea’s three principal tribal groups compose 90 percent of country’s population. 85 percent are Muslims, with the rest evenly split between Christianity and traditional animist beliefs.

Most visitors to Guinea are here for the Fouta Djalon, a vast area of green rolling hills punctuated by peaks and canyons in the west of the country. Largely pastoral, with only scattered mut0hut villages beyond the main road, it is a beautiful area on the macro level and downright spectacular at certain sites.