Sierra Leone travel guide
Sierra Leone is a small West African country with long, empty beaches backed by green hills, offshore islands, rainforest reserves and a capital founded by formerly enslaved people. Tourism is still small-scale and infrastructure limited, but the people are welcoming and the coastline is striking. It suits independent travellers comfortable with simple facilities.
Places worth the trip
Freetown
A busy capital built on hills above a vast natural harbour. The National Museum, the Old Fourah Bay College ruins and the market streets are worth exploring, and the site of the Cotton Tree, a historic landmark that fell in a storm in 2023, remains a symbol of the city.
The Freetown Peninsula beaches
South of the city, beaches such as River No. 2, Tokeh and Bureh lie between forested hills and the Atlantic. River No. 2 is community-run, and Bureh is known for surfing.
Banana Islands
A group of small islands off the tip of the peninsula, reached by boat from Kent, with simple guesthouses, snorkelling, fishing and quiet walks to old colonial ruins.
Bunce Island
The ruins of an eighteenth-century British slave-trading fort on an island in the Sierra Leone River, reached by boat. It is a sobering place linked to the history of the Gullah people of the United States.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
A sanctuary in the forested hills above Freetown that rescues and rehabilitates chimpanzees, with guided visits and lodges in the forest.
Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
A river island in the east, managed with local communities, with one of the highest densities of primates in the region and the elusive pygmy hippopotamus. Stays are simple and guided.
Outamba-Kilimi National Park
Savannah, forest and rivers in the north, home to chimpanzees, hippos and many birds. Visits require planning and a guide, as facilities are basic.
Interesting facts about Sierra Leone
- Freetown was founded in 1792 by formerly enslaved Africans who had fought for the British in the American War of Independence and been resettled in Nova Scotia.
- Fourah Bay College, founded in 1827, was the first Western-style university in West Africa.
- The name comes from the Portuguese Serra Leoa, 'lion mountains', given by explorers to the hills around Freetown harbour.
- Krio, an English-based creole, is the most widely spoken common language, although English is the official language.
- In 2022, Sierra Leone redenominated its currency, removing three zeros from the leone.
Best time to visit Sierra Leone
The dry season, from about November to April, is the best time to visit, with sunny days and easier road travel; December to February is the most comfortable. The Harmattan wind can bring hazy skies around December and January. The rainy season, from May to October, brings some of the heaviest rainfall in West Africa, particularly in July and August, making many roads difficult and beaches less inviting.
Getting around
The international airport at Lungi is across the estuary from Freetown, and most travellers cross by water taxi or ferry, or take the long road around. In Freetown, shared taxis, minibuses (poda-podas) and motorbike taxis (okadas) are common, but traffic is heavy. Roads to the provinces have improved but some routes remain rough, especially in the rainy season. Many visitors hire a car with a local driver. Check your government's travel advice before you travel.
Practical details
- Capital
- Freetown
- Currency
- Sierra Leonean leone (SLE)
- Languages
- English
- Plug types
- D, G
- Voltage
- 230 V, 50 Hz
- Emergency
- 117 ambulance (National Emergency Medical Service); ask your accommodation for local police and fire contacts
- Driving side
- right
- Tipping
- Not obligatory, but appreciated in restaurants and by guides, drivers and boat crews.
Staying online in Sierra Leone
4G coverage is available in Freetown and the larger towns, such as Bo, Kenema and Makeni, and along some main roads. Coverage becomes patchy or absent in rural areas, forest reserves, on islands such as the Banana Islands and in parts of the north and east. Wi-Fi is available in hotels and some cafés in Freetown, but power cuts can interrupt it. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land, and download maps offline before leaving Freetown.
Sierra Leone eSIM plans
1 GB
1GB eSIM Data for 3 Days for Sierra Leone, V2
无限流量
Unlimited eSIM Data for 1 Day for Sierra Leone, V2
无限流量
Unlimited Plus eSIM Data for 1 Day for Sierra Leone, V2
3 GB
3GB eSIM Data for 3 Days for Sierra Leone, V2
Useful apps
- Google Maps: Download the country offline; road names and directions outside Freetown can be limited.
- WhatsApp: Widely used to contact drivers, guesthouses and guides.
- XE Currency: Converts leone prices, useful after the 2022 redenomination.
Sierra Leone travel FAQs
Most travellers take a water taxi across the estuary, which is quicker than the road. Ferries also run, and the road route around the estuary takes several hours.
Yes. Cards are accepted in few places beyond some hotels in Freetown, so carry cash in leones. Mobile money is widely used by residents. Note that older notes from before the 2022 redenomination may be quoted differently.
Yes, in Freetown and the larger towns. Roaming on a home plan is usually expensive, so a travel eSIM gives you local data while keeping your own number. Expect no signal in many rural areas.
Try cassava leaf stew, groundnut stew, pepper soup, jollof rice and fresh grilled fish on the beaches, along with ginger beer and palm wine.