Guide to Sierra Leone

Weather in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has a tropical climate and has distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season runs from May to November with the wettest weather in July and August. The dry season from November to May. Year round average temperatures fall between 25 – 30 degrees Celsius.

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Visa Requirements for Sierra Leone

A visa must be obtained prior to travel to Sierra Leone. A single entry visa costs £50. Applications can be processed through the Sierra Leone High Commission in London, in person or by post and take a minimum of 3 days to process. Payment of the visa fee is made at a Barclays Bank branch prior to submission of the visa application. Proof of payment is then included with the visa application.

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Health in Sierra Leone

Medical facilities in Sierra Leone are very limited, before travelling to the country you should ensure that you have comprehensive travel insurance that will cover medical evacuation in case of ill health.

A range of vaccinations are needed before travel to Sierra Leone. Travellers will not be permitted to enter the country without proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever.

Malaria is prevalent in Sierra Leone and antimalarials are necessary. It is also sensible to take precautions against mosquito bites including use of insect repellent with high levels of deet, wearing long sleeved clothing and long trousers (especially at night) and sleeping under a mosquito net. We did not stay in any accommodation where a mosquito net was not provided, but chose to carry one of our own as a precaution.

If potentially exposed to rabies through an animal bite or scratch, it is imperative to obtain treatment within 24 hours. A traveller who was bitten by a dog during her visit told us she needed to fly to Senegal for treatment. The lack of any effective preventative treatment when potentially exposed to rabies may effect your decision on whether to take a rabies vaccination before travel.

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Sierra Leone Currency

Sierra Leone is primarily a cash economy so you can not rely on being able to make card payments or withdraw cash using credit or debit cards. Some banks in Freetown will allow travellers to buy local currency using a credit card, there are also a handful of hotels and restaurants in Freetown that accept payment by credit card. If you plan to pay your hotel bill by card confirm before travel if this is possible. ATMs are found in Sierra Leone some of which accept international cards, but the FCO advises against their use due to high levels of fraud.

US dollars are the most readily changed international currency, they can be changed for leones at hotels and banks, there are also many street currency traders who will generally offer better rates. Be very wary about using the street traders unless referred by a local that you really trust. It is also possible to exchange both pounds and euros for local currency.

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Best Time to Visit Sierra Leone

As many roads in Sierra Leone are unsealed travel becomes far more difficult and time consuming during the wet season. Bad weather which may interfere with boat travel is also more likely during the wet season. The start of the dry season is a nice time to visit when the country is still very green from the rains but the roads are passable.

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Security in Sierra Leone

As with most destinations world wide the greatest risk to travellers in Sierra Leone comes from petty crime such as pickpocketing and mugging. Common sense precautions will minimise the risk. Be particularly cautious when in eastern Freetown and the city centre, avoid the groups of youths that congregate in the centre and don't openly display valuables in public. When travelling at night in Freetown it is better to travel by car rather than walking and a privately owned or rented vehicle is preferable to the shared taxis. Also avoid walking alone on Lumley beach at night.

Sierra Leone is one of the safest destinations in West Africa. Being cautious and exercising common sense should help insure an incident free trip, but avoid paranoia. As with most travel (not just in the developing world) the secret of a good trip comes in finding the right balance between cautious an over-cautious.

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What to Take to Sierra Leone

A few things to consider taking with you to Sierra Leone include:

• Anti-malarials

• Yellow fever certificate

• A torch, even if your hotel has 24 hour uninterupted electricity, there is no street lighting

• A medical kit including anti-diarrhoea medicine and pain killers

• Balloons, these go down really well with the kids and make a much better small present that sweets or money

• A mosquito net, we didn't stay anywhere where a mosquito net wasn't provided with the room, but I would continue to believe better safe than sorry with this.

• Insect repellent with high DEET

This list is far from exhaustive, please do edit and add to it!

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Trains in Sierra Leone

There are no passenger train services in Sierra Leone since the state railway was closed in the 1970s, interestingly the country does have a National Railway Museum with free entry located in the Cline Town area of Freetown. A rail link between Freetown and the mines of the Tonkalili district was competed in 2010 but the service does not carry any passengers.

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Sierra Leone Flights

Sierra Leone flights from Europe are operated by four European carriers. BMI operates a (sometimes) direct flight between London Heathrow and Freetown four times per week. If possible the aircraft flies direct but generally stops in Malaga to refuel. A stop is more likely on the outbound flight, but can happen in both directions. If you do stop in Malaga you do not need to leave the aircraft and will spend somewhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour on the ground.

Alternative options include Royal Air Maroc, who fly to Freetown via Casablanca with a layover of around two and half hours and Brussels Airlines who have a change of aircraft in Brussels with a two hour layover and then have a further stop in Banjul, Gambia.

Air France has also just launched a Freetown service, their entry into the market will hopefully see fares on the route reduce. Air France flights to Freetown involve a change of aircraft in Paris and a further stop in Conakry, Guinea.

A final Sierra Leone flight option is to consider flying with Kenya Airways. This is a massive detour, so you would not want to do this is you were flying straight through, but this is a very interesting opportunity to get both West and East Africa on the same itinerary at around the same price as a flight straight to Sierra Leone. Fly Kenya to Nairobi from London Heathrow, the onward flight from Nairobi to Freetown also stops in Accra, Ghana.

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Sierra Leone Tours

Currently the only international tour company operating in Sierra Leone is the Africa specialist Rainbow Tours who offer four different Sierra Leone holidays. Rainbow Tours range of holidays last from 8 to 13 days, starting with the Sierra Leone Made Simple holiday which involves a short visit to Freetown and some time enjoying the gorgeous beaches of the Freetown Peninsula. The more comprehensive Sierra Leone Beaches and Wildlife holiday though takes in the remarkable Tiwai Island wildlife reserve which is one of the best place in the world to see wild primates, as well as including a more in-depth visit to Freetown and more time on the beaches of the peninsula and Banana Island.

In October 2011 a second international operator arrives in Sierra Leone. Adventure tour company Exodus will be running 4 departures in 2011/12 on their Discover Sierra Leone trip which visits Tiwai Island, Banana Island and the Freetown Peninsula.

With extremely limited public transport in Sierra Leone seeing the country's highlights without doing a tour of some kind can be very challenging. It is possible to get all around the country in chartered cars and motorbikes (okada) but this necessitates some heavy duty negotiation.

A traveller who wants to see as much as possible with the minimum amount of hassle, but wants more flexibility than a traditional tour operator can offer would be well advised to consider using the services of a local guide. Agree your own tailor made itinerary, and with two or more travellers you can actually save some money too. There are a limited number of licensed tour guides in Sierra Leone. One great local guide is Daniel McCauley who can be contacted through Tribe Wanted in John Obey. McCauley can give you lots of inspiration for your trip, including tours to Bonthe and Turtle Islands, unspoiled destinations that the international operators dont go to.

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Buses in Sierra Leone

There are a limited number of intercity buses in Sierra Leone, operating from the bus station on Wallace Johnson Street. Most services cant be booked in advance so you need to turn up early (from 5am onwards), buses themselves depart when full. SLRTC run buses domestically to major cities such as Bo, Makeni, Kenama and Kabala among others. International buses also run from Freetown to Conarky in Guinea.

An alternative, and more pleasant option, is to consider chartering a vehicle.

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Driving in Sierra Leone

International tourists are very unlikely to drive in Sierra Leone, instead hire a vehicle with driver. There arent really any set prices for chartering a vehicle and there tends to be some fairly heavy negotiation involved. This is a time when using a local guide can come into its own as they are likely to get a better price than you will even when making a profit themselves on the transaction. A days hire of a 4x4 vehicle with driver can range from around $60-$100. A normal car is cheaper, a very good price for a normal vehicle for the day is around 120,000 leones (or $30.)

If you are happy to dive in with the locals, shared taxis are the most popular and cheapest form of transport in Sierra Leone. 

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Boats in Sierra Leone

Due to the inconvenient location of Sierra Leones airport at Lungi, across the Sierra Leone river from Freetown, most visitors to Sierra Leone will travel by boat to and from the airport. You should be aware that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travelling by boat at night due to a lack of lights and navigational equipment. The FCO also advises against travel by sea during bad weather. The main alternative to sea travel from Lungi to Freetown is the helicopter service.

A car ferry operates from Tagrin, which is around a 15 minute drive from the airport at Lungi to Kissy Wharf in the east end of Freetown. Pelican water taxis operate from just outside Lungi to Aberdeen. The cost of a 1^st class foot passengers on the ferry is 7000 leones (just over £1) while the Pelican water taxi costs $40. Incidents of foot passengers being mugged on the ferry have been reported.

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Crossing Boarders in Sierra Leone

 Regular buses travel from Freetown to Conarky in Guinea.

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