Why Sierra Leone for a Honeymoon
The appeal is scenery and scale. Within an hour of Freetown you can be swimming at a river mouth with mountains behind you and nothing but palms and canoes in either direction. The water is warm year round and seafood is cheap, fresh and excellent. The best evening here is simple: paddle a canoe up the river at River Number Two as the light goes, then eat grilled lobster at a table in the sand while the mountains turn dark behind you.
There is depth beyond the beaches. Bunce Island, in the river upstream from Freetown, was a British slave trading fort that shipped captives to the rice plantations of South Carolina and Georgia. Gullah Geechee communities in those states trace ancestry to this coast, which gives the trip real meaning for many American couples.
Sierra Leoneans are proud of their religious harmony and their humor. Visitors are still rare enough to be welcomed warmly. Expect conversations with strangers, invitations to watch football and a lot of good-natured teasing.
Safety and Health
Level 2 asks you to stay alert rather than stay away. The main concerns are robbery and petty theft in Freetown, especially at night around the Lumley and Aberdeen bars, demonstrations around political events and a health system that struggles with serious cases. The US government advises against road travel outside Freetown after dark, which is sensible for visitors too.
Use a known driver or hotel transport, keep phones out of sight in traffic and avoid isolated beaches after sunset. Do not leave luggage unattended at the airport. Women may hear comments or get persistent approaches in Freetown, but this is rarely threatening and much quieter at the beach lodges.
Malaria risk is high everywhere. See a travel clinic well before you go. Get antimalarials from a travel clinic, sleep under nets where provided and drink only bottled or filtered water. If you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices for this destination. Buy insurance with medical evacuation cover.
Best Time to Visit
Come in the dry season, from about December to April. Days are hot, in the upper 80s °F, with blue skies and calm seas, though the harmattan can bring a dusty haze off the Sahara in December and January. November and early May are shoulder months with some storms.
The rainy season from May to November is among the heaviest anywhere. Freetown can get close to three feet of rain in each of July and August, with downpours nearly every day. Many beach lodges reduce services or close, boat trips are rougher and some dirt roads become impassable.
The holiday weeks around Christmas and New Year bring the diaspora home, so prices and demand peak then. February and March are often the best balance of good weather and availability.
Where to Go
Start on the Freetown Peninsula. South of the city, a string of beaches runs down the coast: Lakka, Tokeh, River Number Two, Bureh and others. River Number Two is run as a community project with a bar and fresh lobster, while Bureh is known for its surf club and wide river mouth.
At the tip of the peninsula, boats leave Kent for the Banana Islands, where there are no roads, a couple of guesthouses and good snorkeling over old wrecks. Our Banana Islands guide covers the crossing and where to stay.
In the hills above Freetown, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary cares for rescued chimps and offers morning and afternoon tours by appointment. Farther afield, Tiwai Island in the Moa River protects rainforest with pygmy hippos and many primate species. A guided day trip to Bunce Island is worth the boat fare.
Sample 10-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Land at Lungi and cross by water taxi to Freetown. Rest at a hotel in Aberdeen or Lumley.
Day 2: Morning tour at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, then the National Museum and the spot where Freetown's Cotton Tree stood until a storm brought it down in 2023.
Day 3: Boat trip to Bunce Island with a guide.
Days 4 to 6: Move to a beach lodge near River Number Two or Tokeh. Swim, eat lobster and take a canoe up the river.
Days 7 to 9: Drive to Kent and cross to the Banana Islands. Snorkel, walk between the villages of Dublin and Ricketts and enjoy evenings without traffic or noise.
Day 10: Return to Freetown, buy gara tie-dye cloth as a souvenir and cross back to Lungi for your flight.
Budget and Costs
Sierra Leone can be done on a moderate budget, but comfortable rooms cost more than you might expect. All figures here are approximate.
In Freetown, a well-run mid-range hotel usually costs $110 to $160 a night, with international-style hotels higher. Beach lodges on the peninsula typically run $50 to $150 for a cabin or chalet. Simple guesthouses on the Banana Islands are in a similar range.
The fast water taxi from Lungi to Freetown costs about $40 per person each way. A car with a driver for a day often costs around $50 to $100 plus fuel, agreed in advance. Boat charters to the Banana Islands or Bunce Island are priced per boat and can run to a few hundred dollars. Local meals are cheap. Expect $200 to $350 a day for a couple traveling comfortably.
Getting There and Around
There are no nonstop flights from the US. Common routings go via Brussels on Brussels Airlines, Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc, Addis Ababa on Ethiopian or Nairobi on Kenya Airways, sometimes with a stop in Monrovia or another West African city.
The airport sits at Lungi, across a wide estuary from Freetown. Most visitors take a fast water taxi to Aberdeen or Murray Town. The car ferry is cheap but slow and crowded. The road around takes at least four hours. Avoid private boats after dark.
In and around Freetown, a private driver is the easiest choice. Traffic is heavy and many roads to the beaches are rough and badly signposted. Shared taxis and minibuses called poda-podas are cheap but crowded. Okada motorbike taxis reach places cars cannot, but accidents are common.
Culture and Etiquette
Krio, an English-based language, is what you will hear everywhere. A few words go a long way: kushe means hello and tenki means thank you. People appreciate the effort and often answer with a laugh.
Sierra Leone is majority Muslim with a large Christian minority. Families often include both. Dress modestly in towns and at religious sites, keeping swimwear for the beach. Ask before photographing people, especially in markets and villages.
Greeting properly matters more than speed. Take the time to say hello before asking for anything. When visiting a village or island, it is good manners to greet the chief or elder first.
The food is hearty and spicy. Try cassava leaves, groundnut stew and grilled barracuda with pepper sauce. Look for homemade ginger beer or palm wine, known locally as poyo.
Quick tips
- Book your Lungi water taxi transfer ahead and keep valuables in your carry-on for the crossing.
- Carry clean US dollar bills for transfers, tips and boat fares, since airport ATMs are unreliable.
- Reserve beach lodges early for December to March, when the few good rooms fill up.
