Discover Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is an incredibly exciting destination with amazing history, beaches and wildlife, but pretty much zero tourism at present. Languishing at the bottom of the UN development league, it has almost no infrastructure or necessary skills and so everything we need to run a tour to a satisfactory level must be imported at huge expense. This goes from the concrete to build a hotel and the engineers to oversee the construction to the fuel to run its (imported) generators to every spare part for a vehicle or an air conditioning unit. The sad result of this is that operating services for tourism is very expensive in this destination - even a very basic hotel room is $150 a night in Freetown and chartering a car costs about $140 per day: when you add trained and qualified staff to this, the costs go up further.

The rewards, however, are worth it for truly intrepid travellers - genuinly being amongst the very first visitors to an incredibly warm, friendly and beautiful country is priceless and for some people will be worth the admittedly high cost. Yes, this destination is many years away from being able to compete with well touristed counties with good infrastructure for visitors, but for a few, this will be its principle attraction.

Dan Cockburn - Product Manager

Yes - mosquito nets are provided where needed (Tiwai and Banana Island). The hotel in Freetown does not provide them, but the windows are screened and they are not such a problem here during the times that we visit.

Aurelija Selvestraviciute - Africa Operations

Sierra Leone's terrible and long civil war ended in 2002 and the country's inhabitants have understandably been quick to put it out of their mind and move on. Today, the intrepid traveller will struggle to find a friendlier, happier and easier-going populace, especially one so completely unused to tourism. Visiting the country is a refreshing glimpse back to a less-jaded, pre-globe-trotting past, where locals will either be completely bewildered, shouting and laughing with joy or welcome you with open arms upon your sight.

There are a few thousand foreigners in the country (most in Freetown), but almost all can be accounted for as being an aid-worker, extraction industry employee, missionary or a relative of one of the above. There simply aren't any tourists yet - astounding considering the incredible natural beauty of the country, relative proximity to Europe, fantastic weather and the endlessly warm and genuine population.

Dan Cockburn - Product Manager

A visa is required for visiting Sierra Leone for most passport holders (including EU, US and Canadian passport holders). The price of these varies depending on nationality, but is £50 for British citizens for a single-entry visa necessary for this trip. It can be arranged via the embassy at this price but will require either two daytime and weekday visits in person (to submit and collect) or one visit to collect following a postal application. Forms and more information is available on the website of the Sierra Leone High Commission in the UK at www.slhc-uk.org.uk/consularvisapassport.htm.
Alternatively, our local representatives in Sierra Leone can arrange your visa locally with a scan of your passport information page for £90 and we can help organise this - this is the most convenient way, especially for those not living in or near to London and may be necessary for any late bookings requiring a quick turnaround.

Aurelija Selvestraviciute - Africa Operations

Food in Sierra Leone is generally quite limited in variety compared to developed countries, but is usually very good. Seafood lovers in particular will be spoilt with some of the freshest and tastiest fish and shellfish in the world with barracuda, tuna, snapper, crab and lobster often on the menu. Chicken is also generally available and Sierra Leone cuisine involves some excellent salsa-like sauces and great seasonings. The local staple is groundnut (peanut) stew (which most visitors love!) with fish, chicken or vegetables and served with boiled cassava leaves. Onions, peppers and okra are often used in local cuisine too.

In Freetown it is easy to get more Western food. We take a chef and provisions with us to Tiwai Island, but cold drinks (soft and alcoholic) can be bought for reasonable prices at the camp site. On Banana Island, the guesthouse restaurant provides our meals a la carte, but please bear in mind that the choice is reasonably limited depending on what has been caught that day!

Aurelija Selvestraviciute - Africa Operations

Please visit the Exodus page for Sierra Leone, where you can get the latest travel advice as well as a profile of the country itself.

Unfortunately we are not qualified to answer all your questions in regards to travel health, so we strongly recommend you contact your GP or a Travel Health Clinic at least 8 weeks prior to departure for up-to-date information. There will be limited information in the trip notes but you should always seek further qualified medical advice.

Nomad Travel Clinics are experts in preparing people for travel, providing advice on vaccinations, anti-malarial and staying healthy whilst overseas. We have arranged a special 10% discount for Exodus passengers on any vaccinations that you may require! Take along your Nomad discount card, sent with your confirmation pack, or call Exodus for your special discount code.
Visit www.nomadtravel.co.uk/exodus for further information.

For additional information please visit: www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk

Charlotte Taylor - Customer Operations

All the staff at Exodus share a passion for adventure travel, and are always happy to answer any questions you may have. You can find an expert for the area you are interested in here and can contact them to get further information. If you don't see your specific country listed, please email customerops@exodus.co.uk and they will get the answers you need!