Beyla, Guinea

This remote town in southeastern Guinea is hardly the idyllic African destination many dreamers envision. With a population just over 13,000, Beyla serves as the commercial hub for the region's natural resources like rice, livestock, and coffee. But the real money here comes from the Simandou iron ore project, run by a major British-Australian mining corporation that has invested $700 million over the past 17 years. The city's origins as a slave-trading post in the 1200s still cast a shadow, and bureaucracy is a persistent headache for outsiders. Overall, Beyla is best suited for those with a strong stomach for hardship and a high tolerance for red tape.