West Africa 2012 (part VII): Iles de Los

Conakry & Iles de Los, Guinea:

sunset on Ile Roume

After our days hiking through the hills of the Fouta Djalon, we took the bus to Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Our original plan was to travel across Senegal in order to reach our final destination, Dakar (for an overview of the entire trip including a map click here). However, with elections coming up, rumours spread of strikes and possible shut-downs of entire highways. Since we did not want to get stuck in Senegal’s countryside and possibly miss our departure, we booked a flight from Conakry instead. This gave us the opportunity to visit the Iles de Los, a group of tiny islands, only a short ferry ride from the city. We spent two nights on the small Ile Roume with its pleasant beach and forested interior. Some argue that this island served as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “Treasure Island” (however, it must be said that around a dozen islands claim this honor).

the harbour of Conakry

Conakry disappears in the distance

terns on a shipwreck

shipwreck near Ile Kassa

Ile Kassa

public ferry

landing at Ile Roume

Ile Roume

shipwreck on Ile Roume

the beach

forest in the centre of the island

Ile Roume

fisher boat

Ile Roume

beach on Ile Roume

baobab on Ile Roume

Ile Roume

fishing on the way back to Conakry

After two relaxed days on Ile Roume, we were picked up by the ferrymen and brought back to Conakry. The following morning, we went to the airport and took our flight to Dakar, where we would spend the last days of the journey – check out the final post of this series to see what we experienced in Senegal’s capital!