Sierra Leone is found in West Africa and shares borders with Guinea to the northwest, north and northeast, in the southeast by Liberia and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.
The country lies on a vast flat plain which is 110km (70 miles) wide. Other physical features in Sierra Leone include the Freetown peninsula, Sierra Lyoa Mountains 1,000m, Loma Mountains, Tingi Hills, Guinea highlands, sand bars and a coastal plain covered in dense forests. The central parts of the country are covered in thick rain forests which are crisscrossed by rivers and small water streams. forested area, drained by eight principal rivers, which has been cleared for agriculture.

Tourism

Freetown Penninsula is the most visited part of Sierra house, a former settlement for freed slaves from European and other parts of the world. This dramatic landscape is home to Leceister Park, towering mountains, undulating hills and Creole villages such as Regent, Gloucester.

The most interesting parts of the country are the scenic islands in the Atlantic. Some of the most fascinating islands include Banana Islands, Bunce islands which can be toured on boat rides. Banana islands are renowned for exciting diving and snorkelling adventures in Sierra Leone besides the old dwarf town of Dublin.
Bunce islands tours are a peep into the early slave trade era of 1670 to1808. Men Africans were shipped from this island to West Indies and North America to slave as free labor on sugar, tea, cotton and coffee plantations.

Freetown is a beautiful green town whose attractions include a 500-year-old cotton tree, Freetown museum, Marcon’s Church built in 1820, the De Ruyter Stone, Government Wharf and ‘King’s Yard’ (where freed slaves waited to be given land) and Fourah Bay College, the oldest university in West Africa. Other famous attractions in Freetown include the City Hotel, which is written about in Graham Greene’s novel The Heart of the Matter and King Jimmy Market.

Flora and Fauna
Outamba-Kilimi National Park is the only national park in Sierra Leone located a few minutes drive from Freetown to the north. Some of the wildlife in this park includes elephants, pygmy hippos, chimpanzees, monkeys, antelopes and other small mammals.

Other places to visit for nature tours in Sierra Leone include Sakanbiarwa reserve for several orchids and plants that bloom during January and Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary which is home to 80 chimpanzees.

Travel Guide

Sierra National Airlines is the National carrier although not in service lately. Flights to Sierra Leone are by BMI, Kenya Airways, Air France and Brussels Airlines among others. Many airlines have flights to London from Freetown (8hours flights). The main airport is called Freetown International Airport (FNA) located in the capital Freetown….13km from the city centre.
Alternative transport to Sierra Leone is by road via its neighbors. Freetown has a port for sea travel and cargo ships from Liberia and Guinea. Public transport is available for getting around using a catamaran/ferry link as well as taxi and bus services to the city.

Weather
The weather is good all through the year. November to April is the hot dry season which occasional rainstorms especially for areas near the coast. The rainy season is during the months of May to November.
In December and January, the dry, dusty Harmattan wind blows from the Sahara. The coastal regions are quite cooler compared to the northern parts of the country.

Accommodation

There are a number of hotels in Sierra Leone especially in Freetown offering hotel facilities with air conditioning, restaurants, swimming pools, tours, business centre, conference and overnight accommodation. There are luxury hotels located on the peninsula at Lakka and Tokay. The YMCA in Freetown offers clean, cheap accommodation with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities at a reasonable rate. It is always advisable to make reservations in advance.

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