Money in Guinea

Bring the cash for the whole trip

Guinea runs on cash, and hard currency is very difficult to obtain inside the country, so arrive with what the trip needs. Euros and US dollars are the currencies changed into Guinean francs; bring them as clean, undamaged notes, since worn or torn ones may be refused. Even a modest sum changed into francs comes back as a thick bundle of notes.

Change money only at a bank or licensed exchange office

Changing money on the street is illegal in Guinea, at the airport as much as in town, and foreigners have been detained for it. Change at a bank or a licensed exchange office in Conakry, count the notes before leaving the counter and keep the receipt. Change enough in the capital before heading upcountry, and go to and from the bank in a pre-arranged car, one of the safety precautions in Guinea.

Few cash machines, almost all in Conakry

Cash machines that take foreign cards are few, almost all of them in central Conakry, and they often run out of notes or go offline. Outside the capital there are practically none that a foreign card can use. A machine is a fallback for an emergency, not the way to fund the trip.

Cards at a few Conakry hotels, cash everywhere else

Foreign cards are taken only by a few large hotels in Conakry. Markets, restaurants, taxis, buses, smaller hotels and everything outside the capital take Guinean francs in cash. When booking a room, ask whether the bill can be paid by card or is settled in cash.