Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
The Loma Mountains
Cloud forest and montane grassland in the northeast, hardly walked at all.
West Africa · Afrinkong
Sierra Leone
Beaches under forested mountains.
A peninsula where rainforest mountains come down to white sand, Tiwai island with eleven primate species, and the Banana and Turtle Islands offshore — the best beaches in West Africa with almost nobody on them.
Where it is
Africa · West Africa · Sierra Leone
The land in brief
- Spans
- 310 km E–W, 350 km N–S
- Latitude
- 10°N to 7°N
- Borders
- 2 countries
- Sea
- Has a coast
- Best time
- November to April. The rains here are among the heaviest in Africa.
Also in West Africa
BeninWhere vodun comes from, and the palaces of DahomeyBurkina FasoThe best cinema and the best masks in West AfricaCôte d'IvoireLagoons, forest and the AtlanticThe GambiaA river with a country around itGhanaThe forts, the forest and the highlife
Compare Sierra Leone with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
November to April. The rains here are among the heaviest in Africa.
01Highlights
What Sierra Leone is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Wildlife
Eleven Primates at Tiwai
An island in the Moa river with one of the highest primate densities anywhere.
Mountains
Bintumani
1,945 metres in the Loma range, the highest point in West Africa west of Cameroon.
Beaches & Coast
River No. 2 and the Banana Islands
White sand, forest behind, and two small islands an hour offshore with reef around them.
Forests & Rainforest
Gola Rainforest
The largest remaining block of Upper Guinean forest, now a transboundary park with Liberia.
Culture
Krio, and Sixteen Others
Freetown was founded by freed slaves, and Krio is the language and the culture that came of it.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Sierra Leone with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- The Loma MountainsCloud forest and montane grassland in the northeast, hardly walked at all.
- Bintumani1,945 metres in the Loma range, the highest point in West Africa west of Cameroon.
- Charlotte and BumbunaCharlotte falls in the peninsula forest, and Bumbuna on the Rokel in the interior.
- The Moa and the RokelThe Moa runs past Tiwai, and the Rokel comes down to the estuary at Freetown.
- River No. 2 and the Banana IslandsWhite sand, forest behind, and two small islands an hour offshore with reef around them.
- Gola RainforestThe largest remaining block of Upper Guinean forest, now a transboundary park with Liberia.
Wildlife
- Eleven Primates at TiwaiAn island in the Moa river with one of the highest primate densities anywhere.
- Forest, Not PlainPygmy hippo, forest elephant and bongo in Gola — a forest circuit, not a savanna one.
- Tiwai, Community-RunEight villages own the island reserve and have done since before the war.
- Climbing BintumaniFour days from Sinekoro, through forest and out onto grassland above the cloud.
People and culture
- Krio, and Sixteen OthersFreetown was founded by freed slaves, and Krio is the language and the culture that came of it.
- Mende, Temne and KrioMende in the south, Temne in the north, and the Krio of the peninsula.
- Lantern ParadeIlluminated floats through Freetown on the night of Independence Day.
- Country Cloth and GaraHand-woven country cloth strips, and gara tie-dye in indigo and kola.
- Cassava Leaf and Country RiceCassava leaf with palm oil, groundnut stew, and fish straight off the beach.
- Beaches With ShadeRiver No. 2 and Tokeh have forest behind the sand and calm water in the dry season.
- Sunday at LumleyThe whole city goes to the beach, and the bars along it play until late.
Places
- FreetownKrio board houses on the hills, the estuary below, and mountains directly behind.
- Krio Board HousesTimber-framed, shuttered, verandahed — an architecture that came back across the Atlantic.
- Bunce IslandA slaving fort in the estuary, ruined and overgrown, and among the most affecting in Africa.
- The Cotton Tree, and What FollowedFreetown grew around one tree where freed slaves gave thanks in 1792.
Ways to travel
- Surfing and Forest WalkingBureh has a surf club run by the village, and Tiwai has night walks for pottos.
- GrowingGood beach lodges on the peninsula, and Tiwai's community camp inland.
- Forest Meeting SandThe peninsula beaches in the late afternoon, when the hills behind them go blue.
- The Turtle IslandsEight sand islands in the far south, reachable only by boat, with no electricity.
03Why go
The case for Sierra Leone.
Why Visit This Country
Why Sierra Leone
The best beaches in West Africa, with rainforest mountains standing behind them.
Hidden Gems
The Turtle Islands
Eight sand islands in the far south, reachable only by boat, with no electricity.
Eco Tourism
Tiwai, Community-Run
Eight villages own the island reserve and have done since before the war.
Heritage
The Cotton Tree, and What Followed
Freetown grew around one tree where freed slaves gave thanks in 1792.
04Go deeper
All of Sierra Leone, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Sierra Leone starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.