Tourist claims African city smells worse than anywhere in world - 'I'll never visit again'
The largest city in Guinea is plagued by violent crimes and is considered "unsafe" for many tourists.
A tourist has lashed out at an African city and called it the “worst” after he vowed “never to visit it again”. Drew Binsky shared a video on his YouTube channel about his least favourite countries, and Conakry from West Africa topped the list.
Conakry is the capital city of Guinea and is situated on the Kaloum Peninsula, an area extending into the Atlantic Ocean, and includes Tombo Island, where the historical center is located. However, the largest city in Guinea is plagued by violent crimes and is considered “unsafe” for many tourists. Mr Binsky, who has an impressive 5.4 million subscribers on YouTube, called the city “insane”. The social media influencer has been to 197 countries in the world and was left highly disappointed after visiting Conakry.
In the video, he said: “The whole city is insane. This is by far my least favourite city in the whole world. Not only because when I arrived there, there was a coup, there were policemen lined up on the streets with big shields and bulletproof vests, like war was about to break out.”
Mr Binsky claimed that whole of the city smelled foul as he saw sewage in almost every part of the city. He said: “The entire city smelled like trash. It was sewage everywhere. I have a high tolerance for dirty places because I have seen a lot of things around the world, but Conakry was noticeably the worst.
“People there were not very friendly at all, in fact I tried to sit down at a restaurant and someone kicked me out for reasons I don’t know. It feels like it just one of the most unsafe places.”
However, the only thing he liked about Conakry was the Grand Mosque of Conakry. Opened in 1982, it is the fourth largest mosque in Africa and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He concluded: "The only pleasant thing to see in Conakry was this mosque, which was actually quite nice. Other than that, there was nothing in the capital of Guinea, and it’s probably one of the places I will never visit again."
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The UK Foreign Office has issued an advisory for all those travelling to Guinea. According to the Foreign Office, police in Conakry have been extorting cash from foreign tourists.
It stated: “The British Embassy in Conakry is aware of police extorting cash from foreigners and Guineans.
“Take particular care if you trade gold and diamonds. This trade attracts criminal gangs and can involve kidnapping and extortion. There are reports of trading scams involving diamonds, gold export and gold certification.
“There are a few ATMs in Conakry that accept foreign cards, but they give only small amounts of currency. They are also unreliable. Banks in Conakry accept international credit cards and exchange money.”
However, the city does have several beautiful tourist attractions. The city is known for its National Museum, diverse architectural styles, and vibrant markets like Madina Market, one of the largest in West Africa. It is also home to the Palais du Peuple, a symbol of national pride.
The vibrant city hosts several cultural festivals throughout the year, including the Conakry Film Festival, typically held in October, which celebrates African cinema and arts.
The National Cultural Festival, occurring biennially, showcases traditional music, dance, and crafts from various ethnic groups across the country.
Tourists can explore the bustling markets like Madina Market, which provides a perfect opportunity to experience the local culture and purchase traditional crafts.