Conakry Ile Tombo Tour (Self Guided), Conakry

Conakry National Museum or Guinea National Museum is the national museum of Guinea, situated in Conakry. It was established shortly after independence in 1960. It contains displays of the ethnography and prehistory of Guinea, and has a considerable collection of masks and fetishes and a range of art. The museum is located beside the Ignace Deen Hospital.

Located on the shore of Tombo Island, School Sandervalia is one of Guinea’s most famous schools. Several notable Guinean artists and politicians studied here. It is considered one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Guinea.

Palais des Nations was built in 1978 for a conference of the Organization of African Unity in 1984, with 50 luxurious villas that were meant to be quarters for the conference participants. Nowadays it is used as residences for dignitaries and offices for international organizations. The conference it was to house never took place, it was canceled due to the death of President Sekou Toure. During the military mutiny of 1996 the building was bombed, burnt and looted. Today it stands in ruins, a witness to the former days of violence.

The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie is an important place of Christian worship in Conakry. The yellow and red building is of considerable architectural interest. Monseigneur Raymond René Lérouge laid the foundation stone of the Cathedral in 1928. The Cathedral was built in the 1930s, and has impressive architecture, with Orthodox design elements. The Palais Presidentiel is behind the cathedral. Opposite is the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The cathedral is the primary place of worship for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry, established on 18 October 1897 as the Apostolic Prefecture of French Guinea, and promoted to its present rank on 14 September 1959. From May 2003 the Archbishop was Vincent Coulibaly. Since the people of Guinea are mainly Muslim, the cathedral does not have a large congregation.

The Autonomous Port of Conakry, Guinea’s largest and main port, was used by the French to transport resources mined in the country during its occupation. Today it is one of the most important sources of income for Guinea, which is why it has been recently modernized to compete with other ports on Africa's Atlantic coast.

One of Conakry’s remaining colonial buildings, it is located at the entrance of the Autonomous Port of Conakry. Restored in 1992, during the military mutiny of 1996 it was partially burned, but is still used today by Direction Nationale des Douanes (National Customs Department).

Marche du Niger is a great market where you can find local agricultural products, animals, fabric and clothing. One of the largest markets in West Africa, it is an interesting place that is always crowded and should not be missed.

Built in 1897, this colonial building originally served as the Apostolic Prefecture of French Guinea, then the Apostolic Vicariate of French Guinea in 1920, and renamed the Apostolic Vicariate of Conakry in 1949. After Guinea proclaimed its independence it became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Conakry.