Think twice.
Guinea's risk score climbed to 54 today, and you face active health notices for diphtheria, polio, and measles. Stick to the UK's level 1 advisory if you are looking for the most optimistic take.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Guinea
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Think twice.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Unsolicited assistance
Offers of help at airports and hotels often mask attempts to steal luggage or wallets. Arrange for known contacts to meet you instead.
Checkpoint bribery
Police and soldiers frequently demand bribes at checkpoints. They may intimidate you into paying by confiscating your personal items.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Photography restrictions
Taking photographs of military bases or political buildings is considered espionage. This offense can result in jail time.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Diphtheria in Sub-Saharan Africa
- • Global Polio
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Guinea is a rather unsafe nation, due to the fact that it has a history of being one of Africa's most unstable countries; lawlessness and criminality are widespread.
- •Visitors should also avoid unsolicited offers of assistance at the airport and hotels because such offers often mask an intention to steal luggage, purses, or wallets.
- •When taking photographs, avoid military bases and political buildings, as it can be considered espionage in Guinea and can land you in jail.
- •The police are completely ineffective. Low salaries and improper training contribute to the lack of professionalism of the police. If you are the victim of a crime, consult your embassy.
- •Corruption is extremely widespread - Corrupt police and soldiers target foreigners for bribes in just about any place in the country.
- •Business trips to Guinea are strongly discouraged. Business frauds and scams are rampant, and if you are going for a business trip in Guinea, it is strongly recommended that you do not go.
Staying healthy
- •The medical system in Guinea is in a very poor condition, and is not well equipped and is very limited.
- •Tap water is unsafe for drinking.
- •If staying in the country for a long time it is advisable to bring anti-malarial drugs, and anti-diarhoea drugs (Cipro) as well as paracetamol and a medical kit with you if you are coming fr…
- •The best insider's tip for eating fresh vegetables is to soak them in a big bowl of water that has one drop of bleach in it.
- •A major outbreak of the deadly Ebola viral haemorrhagic fever erupted in Guinea in March 2014, killing more than 11,000 people in 2014-2016.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers in Papua New Guinea report that safety varies significantly by region. East New Britain, including Rabaul and Kokopo, is described as safe, while Port Moresby and Wewak carry higher risks, with locals advising against walking alone. Violent crime against tourists is considered unlikely, though bag slashing and pickpocketing occur. Road travel, particularly on routes like Maprik-Pagwi, presents risks from both potential robbery and poor infrastructure. Tribal fighting in regions like Enga can lead to sudden instability and curfews. Travelers emphasize that local, up-to-date information is essential, as security conditions change frequently. Public minibuses are generally not recommended for female travelers, and relying on private transport with experienced drivers is safer.
“East New Britain, like Kokopo and Rabaul, felt completely safe. Goroka was average, looking dodgy in some areas, but I did walk around a bit. Anything violent against tourists is very unlikely, maybe some pick-pocketing, I heard about bag slashing.
— r/travel
“Wewak looked rather unsafe. Not the worst, but locals didn’t advise walking around alone. The Maprik-Pagwi road was supposed to be dangerous. It did look very risky at night with bad road quality and loads of people lurking in the dark.
— r/travel
“The most offbeat travel I've done is backpacking in Slovakia and Bulgaria. Even in India, while systems aren't great, you can pay your way into convenience and comfort to quite some extent because options exist. Plus never been anywhere with violent crime risk.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / F / K · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 117 / ambulance: 18 / fire: 442-020
Show the receipts (10 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12