Good Time to Visit
Weather
The climate in Guinea is tropical and humid. There is a wet (monsoon) season from May to October, where monthly rainfall can reach up to 132 cm (52 inches) and a dry season with a north-easterly harmattan from November to April. (See Climate in Guinea for more information).
Visitors are advised to bring tropical or washable cottons throughout the year, along with waterproofs during the rainy season.
Festivals
Visitors will be most likely to find festivals when travelling between January and March. During the Tome regime (1958 - 1984) regional and non-Islamic festivals were attacked as sectarian and unproductive. This repression over a generation removed the festivals' viability and tradition. Accordingly, the main events these days follow the Islamic calendar. Tabaski, the Feast of Sacrifice, and Ramadan, the month of fasting, are key times.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Guinea:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| 15 August | Assumption |
| 2 October | Independence Day |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.