GUNUNG · Guinea

Mont Kakoulima

Mont Kakoulima (Kakulima, Kakulimah)

Information

Elevation: 1.011 m
Country: Guinea (GN)
Location / Range: Kakoulima Massif, Kindia Region — Coyah/Dubreka prefectures
Mountain type: Layered mafic-ultramafic intrusive massif (peridotite-pyroxenite-gabbro-norite), part of the Conakry Igneous Complex
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 9.7707, -13.4477
Difficulty: Non-technical hiking in the 2008 and 2011 accounts; heat, climbing and loose stones make it tiring. Historical timings do not establish current trail conditions.
Best Season: November–April is the regional dry season in Guinea’s PAAEG environmental assessment (2018, pp. 58–59); May–October is wet, with rainfall peaking in July–August. This supports climate planning rather than guaranteeing access or trail conditions; heat and humidity still matter in the dry season.
Permits & Rules: Wikipedia mentions a military base, and a 2011 hiking account encountered guards at the summit installation. These sources do not establish current permits, fees or public access; confirm access locally before setting out.
Hazards: Hikers report heat on the descent, fatigue, blisters from rocky ground and morning mist. An older account mentions a guarded summit installation; do not assume that the entire area is accessible. The PAAEG environmental assessment identifies heavy monsoon rainfall at the foot of Kakoulima and humidity that remains high in the dry season.

Description

Mont Kakoulima is a non-volcanic mountain rising to 1,011 m in western Guinea, near Conakry and the Coyah–Dubréka boundary. Wikidata Q24850744 classifies it as a mountain and records coordinates of 9.7707° N, 13.4477° W. Konaté and Pan describe a layered intrusion with a sequence of peridotite, pyroxenite and gabbro. The destination needs careful identification: Wikipedia uses the nickname “Chien qui Fume” for Kakoulima, whereas Miranass names its destination Mont Dixinn at Bondabon and describes views of Kakoulima from there. That package’s timetable, prices and walking times are therefore not presented as a route to Kakoulima’s summit. First-person accounts from 2008 and 2011 describe roughly 2.5–3 hours uphill and 2.5 hours down, with heat and stony ground as difficulties. These are historical experiences, not universal estimates or confirmation of access today. Le360 documented a school excursion to the upper mountain in January 2025. AGP also reported a 4.5 km Rando Verte around the slopes from Coyah in July 2024; that event was not a summit ascent. Baga Percussion’s destination sheet schedules the Kakoulima ascent on day five, with dinner back in Bentourayah. This provides day-trip context within a cultural tour but specifies neither the walking trailhead, distance nor Kakoulima hiking time. The technical section’s 3–7-hour range covers the wider programme and is not treated as this mountain’s route duration. For vegetation context, R. Schnell’s 1950 botanical study recorded secondary scrub on the northern slopes around 200–400 m, a valley forest pocket around 430 m, and forest on the upper slopes at 800–1,000 m. Mosses and lichens on ridge branches were associated with frequent mist. These field observations provide historical habitat context rather than a present-day vegetation inventory or trail assessment. Salesses’s account of the 1897–1898 mission adds an early survey ascent; the expedition’s use of rope does not establish equipment requirements for present-day routes. Petit Futé suggests walking or cycling from Manéah, before Coyah, in the valley between the two main ridges. This is a valley visit option, not evidence of reaching Kakoulima’s summit. The guide notes that a military base makes parts of the summit area inaccessible; it publishes no distance, duration or GPS track. The guide’s 1,107 m elevation differs from Wikidata; the profile retains 1,011 m. For seasonal planning, Guinea’s government PAAEG environmental assessment (2018, pp. 58–59) describes Maritime Guinea’s climate, explicitly including the foot of Kakoulima: November–April is dry and May–October wet, with the rainfall peak in July–August. This regional calendar complements the May and December trip accounts; it is neither a weather forecast, an opening schedule nor an assessment of a particular trail.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Coyah — sirkuit kaki gunung Rando Verte

Jalan kelompok di kaki gunung; grade tidak dicantumkan / Foothill group walk; grade unspecified

4.50 km Tidak dicantumkan dalam liputan / Not stated in the report

The July 2024 FEGRAPE event circuit began and ended at Coyah’s Maison des Jeunes and passed around Kakoulima’s slopes. It is not a route to the 1,011 m summit. The report provides no GPS track, junction details or elevation gain; an event held in 2024 does not establish a current service or waymarked trail.

Source

Manéah — promenade dans la vallée / jalan lembah

Jalan kaki atau sepeda; grade tidak diterbitkan / Walking or cycling; grade not published

Tidak diterbitkan / Not published

Petit Futé suggests walking or cycling from Manéah, before Coyah, in the valley between the two main ridges. This is a valley visit option, not evidence of reaching Kakoulima’s summit. The guide notes that a military base makes parts of the summit area inaccessible; it publishes no distance, duration or GPS track.

Source

Pendakian historis dari kawasan Dubréka

Pendakian berjalan kaki; tanpa grade teknis baku dalam sumber / Walking ascent; no standard technical grade in the source

+750 m Sekitar 5 jam pulang-pergi dalam catatan Mei 2008 / About 5 hours return in the May 2008 account

Emilie reports starting at 08:00 and reaching the top at 10:30, with a similar descent time, after approaching from Conakry via Dubréka. Heat and elevation gain are the main context. The blog supplies no GPX or junction instructions, so this is a historical trip outline rather than navigation guidance or confirmation of current access. The 06:30 departure from Conakry was the road approach, not the beginning of the walking time.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Six references cover two hiking accounts, video coverage of a school visit, a foothill walking event, an operator programme and guidance for the Manéah valley. Distinguish historical ascents, slope activities and the valley alternative; each has its own evidence limits. Salesses’s survey account remains a historical profile reference rather than present-day trip guidance.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.