Sierra Leone rarely features on any travel bucket list. It’s such a shame because the country offers everything an intrepid traveler could want. It is blessed with sun stained beaches, verdant rainforests home to rare wildlife, a rich heritage and warm and friendly people. Despite so much to offer, for many decades the country was off limits to travelers thanks to its troubled history of civil wars and recently because of an Ebola outbreak. There’s good news though – the civil war has ended and the WHO has declared this country Ebola-free. This West African beauty has moved on from its past and is now open to all. And here are five reasons why it must plan your holiday in Sierra Leone.
1. Wildlife
Sierra Leone is home of some of the rarest wildlife in the world. In its fantastically preserved Tiwai Island Wildlife Santuary, you’ll get to meet endangered primates like Colobus and Diana monkeys. The Outamba Kilimi National Park is a natural wonder where savannah and dense forests merge.
2. Beaches
Sierra Leone’s biggest draw are its pristine beaches. Its soft white sand beaches are bordered by thick rainforests on one side and by the vivid blue waters of the Atlantic on the other. They are undoubtedly some of the best beaches in the world. The cherry on the cake is that these beaches are almost untouched and you’ll pretty much have them for yourself!
3. Food
© eatyourworld.com
Sierra Leone’s cuisine is a result of the country’s complex past. Its food brings together the flavors of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Its Atlantic coast offers the best of seafood from juicy barracuda to lobsters. The smell of warm, freshly made bread gently drifts through the country’s vibrant, bustling markets. Sierra Leone’s favorites include groundnut stew (made with peanuts, meat, tomatoes and onions), jollof rice (rice fried with beans and served with a spicy onion sauce), cassava bread (made from starchy cassava roots), fufu (made with pounded yam, cassava root, or corn and served with stew), and coconut cakes.
4. Freetown
Adam Cohn / Flickr
Freetown, Sierra Leone’s hilly, seaside capital is one the liveliest cities in Africa. This vibrant town has lots to offer – beaches, colorful old krio-style architecture, a poignant history of slavery, and scenic landscape that would make most cities envious. If you are a shopping addict, you cannot leave Freetown without visiting Bo’s Big Market filled with vibrant West African fabrics and food. A short drive away from the city will take you to stunning white sand beaches set along the curve of beautiful hills that are perfect for hiking.
5. Turtle Islands
An archipelago of eight islands, Turtle Islands is the remotest region of Sierra Leone. Of these eight islands, seven are inhabited, home to local fishing communities who have preserved their own faith and traditions. Hoong, one of these eight islands, is off limits to visitors or women and reserved for initiated men as part of a rites of passage. These islands can only be accessed by boat. Home to shallow, pristine beaches and rustic atmosphere cut from the modern world, you’d never want to leave.
Offbeat travelers, keep your bags ready, Sierra Leone awaits you.
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