Iles de Los, Conakry Region, Guinea

5gilly6beans 5:00 PM Apr 4, 2014

Tranquil paradise
Less than an hour from the bustle and madness of Conakry (which I love but it's nice to get away sometimes!) I've only been to Room and Sorro but each visit has been perfect. We've usually met friends there and they have looked after us but there is a bar or two that do fantastic fresh fish, beers aplenty, and the most amazing deserted white sanded palm treed beaches.

4celestial_magpie 5:00 PM Aug 19, 2019

Three islands, three different experiences
Iles de Los encompass the three primary islands off the Conakry peninsula - Kassa, Roume, and Tamara. You can reach any of them via pirogue from Conakry for around 100,000gnf, and each island is going to offer a different experience. Kassa: Ile Kassa has the calmest beaches for swimming. There is also cliff jumping on the southeast side of the island (I have not been yet). There is a main dropoff point near the restaurant/villa area on the northern beaches where you can swim and get a meal. The downside to the Kassa beach is that it faces inward toward the city, which means that you're more likely to get trash in the water. They do work to keep the beach clean. I found that Kassa can also get crowded, but it is the closest in terms of commute and if you're on a pirogue you have to watch the tide anyway. The restaurant has good prices and food, and you can rent one of the little villas, which would make for a nice weekend escape from the city. Roume: Roume is my favorite of the three islands. The standard drop off point is at the narrow middle point of the island on the north shore. Cross the narrow strip to the south where the water is cleaner. There are also some strong waves and currents here. I'm a decently strong swimmer and been knocked against some underwater rocks while traversing the shore - wear water shoes and be careful. My traveling companion went snorkeling far out on the sandbar, which looked really intimidating. He said he did not see much in terms of sea life, which makes sense since the waters are currently over-fished. I've seen one giant jellyfish, but that's about it. The restaurant on the beach is good, if pricey (island prices). Order when you arrive in the morning so they have time to prepare your food, otherwise you will wait a while, especially if it's crowded. Also, be prepared to pay for the umbrellas and blankets if you have not brought your own. Vendors are common but aren't too pushy. I've had friends stay in the villas - they're spartan but comfortable. You'll be on the beach most of the time. Tamara: I've been to Tamara island only once.This is the largest island, and it has several small villages. I am not in favor of touring through people's living spaces, so I was not that keen on the village tour on the north side / Fotoba. From Fotoba, we walked to the old colonial prison, now abandoned and overgrown. It was...ok. The lighthouse is on the southern portion of the island - you can take a pirogue to the southern dock (on a map, it looks like a giant nail sticking out of the island), or you can walk from Fotoba. It's a small, steep hike up to the lighthouse. It had good views from the top, and the historical log goes back over a hundred years (it's not in good condition, but the men working the lighthouse will let you look through the yellowing pages). I thought it was pretty cool. We also hiked down from the lighthouse on the west coast - we needed guides, since there were no clear paths down. The water here was tumultuous and the rocks were very slippery, but some of our group braved the waves on the red sand beach. From the red sand beach, you can hike up and over the narrower part of the island back to the docks. *** All in all, if you have a day in the dry season to spare, Iles de Los are the closest thing to an island escape Conakry has to offer. I have been three or four times when the city starts to grind on me, and I'm almost always calmer when I come back. Note: You can travel to the islands during the rainy season, but if the waters turn bad you might not get a return trip. Travel during the rainy season slows considerably due to choppy seas.