7 Days in Sierra Leone
Trip Overview
This seven-day loop starts and ends in Freetown, spiraling out to rainforest-covered hills, sand-blanketed offshore islands and a 400-year-old slave fort. You'll wake to the hoot of rescued chimps, catch sizzling lobster on Banana Island, ride technicolor poda-podas through tin-roofed neighborhoods and toast blood-orange sunsets over the Atlantic. The pace mixes half-day wildlife encounters with barefoot downtime on empty beaches, all threaded together by short boat hops and mountain roads that smell of wet earth after afternoon squalls.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$120, 170 per day
Best Seasons
December, April dry season
Ideal For
First-time visitors, Wildlife enthusiasts, Beach seekers, History explorers
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Freetown Arrival & Cotton-Tree Stories
Freetown
Touch down, feel the humid blast of Lungi air, then cross the bay to a city where 200-year-old cotton trees still shade lively markets.
Morning
Water-taxi from Lungi to Freetown
The speedboat skims caramel-brown water, salt spray tickling your cheeks as fishing canoes painted Rastafarian red, green and gold bob past. Dock at Murray Town jetty and hear the first honk of poda-poda horns echoing off tin roofs.
Buy ticket inside airport terminal to skip touts
Lunch
Tessa's on Lumley Beach
Afternoon
National Museum & Cotton Tree
Inside a butter-yellow colonial building, see Mende sowei masks feathered with raffia and the faded 1961 independence flag. Outside, the 200-year-old cotton tree's trunk is as wide as a Freetown alley. Its bark feels like ridged elephant skin.
Evening
Sunset beers at Country Lodge terrace
Watch city lights flicker on while listening to afropop drifting from beach bars below
Where to Stay Tonight
Lumley Beach (Family-run guesthouse with sea-view balcony)
Easy airport access and walking distance to nightspots
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Change money at the bank opposite Cotton Tree, rates beat airport counters by 10%.
Day 1 Budget: $130
2
Tacugama Chimps & Hill-Station Cool
Freetown Peninsula
Hike misty forest with rescued chimps, then swap humidity for the cool breeze of historic Hill Station bungalows.
Morning
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Rope bridges sway above the gorge; below, alpha male Bruno drums on tree buttresses with a sound like hollow kettledrums. You'll smell damp loam and ripe figs while guides mimic pant-hoots that make juveniles swing in for breakfast yams.
Reserve 24 h ahead. Tours start 10:30 sharp
Lunch
Tacugama eco-lodge veranda
Afternoon
Hill Station heritage walk
Follow cobbled lanes past 1900 wooden bungalows with green-shuttered windows. Breadfruit leaves crunch underfoot. Somewhere a church bell clangs. Stop at the old railway club for ginger beer served so cold the bottle frosts.
Evening
Poda-poda night ride to Aberdeen
Join locals crammed between sacks of rice, neon lights flashing reggae colors
Where to Stay Tonight
Hill Station (Restored colonial B&B)
Cooler air and panoramic night views of Freetown's twinkling bay
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Bring closed shoes, forest trails are slick with moss after Sierra Leone's morning mist.
Day 2 Budget: $125
3
Banana Island Escape
Banana Island
Speed past dolphin fins to an island ringed by blinding white sand and rusted 18th-century anchors.
Morning
Private boat to Banana Island
The engine growls across 25 km of metallic-blue Atlantic. Flying fish skitter. You taste diesel-tanged spray. Dock at Dublin Creek where coconut palms lean like sleepy sentries over turquoise shallows.
Arrange via Kent Beach restaurants the night before
Lunch
Momoh's shack, Dublin village
Afternoon
Snorkel old slave-ship anchorage
Slip off a wooden pontoon into bath-warm water. Below, cannonballs encrusted with neon algae lie next to coral heads where parrotfish munch, an eerie aquarium of history and reef life.
Evening
Beach camping under coconut palms
Drink Star beer while waves hiss against lava rocks
Where to Stay Tonight
Banana Island eco-camp (Safari tent steps from surf)
No roads, no lights, just bioluminescence and Milky Way skies
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Pack dry bags. Sudden squalls can drench gear in minutes.
Day 3 Budget: $140
4
Bunce Island's Echoes & Riverbar Return
Bunce Island & River Number 2
Stand inside dungeon ruins where captive Africans once waited, then rinse salt off at Sierra Leone's most photographed beach.
Morning
Boat to Bunce Island slave fort
Low tide exposes rust-red mangrove roots. The fort's stone walls emerge like broken teeth. Guides tap iron shackles that still clank, their clang swallowed by jungle cicadas. You smell damp brick and tidal mud thick as molasses.
Leave at 7 a to beat choppy afternoon seas
Lunch
River Number 2 village canteen
Afternoon
Beach laze at River Number 2
Fine sand squeaks underfoot; Atlantic rollers crash in layers of jade and foam. Local kids sell peanuts in newspaper cones, their roasted scent drifts on breeze carrying salt and diesel from distant fishing boats.
Evening
Return to Freetown, live afropop at O'Casey's
Dance planks shake under barefoot grooves
Where to Stay Tonight
Aberdeen (Boutique hotel with plunge pool)
Close to nightlife yet 3 min walk to beach
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Bring tissues, Bunce storytellers don't sugar-coat the past.
Day 4 Budget: $150
5
North to Makeni & Rural Rice Paddies
Trade Atlantic views for inland red-dust roads, palm oil smoke and drumbeats of village wrestling matches.
Morning
Shared taxi to Makeni
Beat-up Toyota coasters thump reggae bass; outside, oil-palm plantations flicker like green film reels. Roadside stalls sell kola nuts that stain teeth ochre when chewed.
Sit left for shade. Windows stick shut
Lunch
City Hotel Makeni buffet
Afternoon
Village walk in Bombali district
Follow narrow dikes between rice paddies. Mud squeezes cool between toes. Kids herd cattle whose bells tinkle. Women pound cassava, the thud echoing like muted drums. Someone offers freshly tapped palm wine that tastes of yeasted coconut.
Ask hotel to call the village teacher, best English interpreter
Evening
Watch local wrestling & listen to balangi xylophones
Bet a cold drink on your favorite contender
Where to Stay Tonight
Makeni town center (Mission guesthouse with generator)
Power cuts common. This place keeps fans running till midnight
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Carry small leones notes, villages lack change for big bills.
Day 5 Budget: $80
6
Outamba-Killimi Safari & River Hippos
Outamba-Killimi National Park
Paddle hippo-loud rivers, track chimp nests and sleep in a park bungalow where fireflies flicker like faulty LEDs.
Morning
Enter Outamba-Killimi Park by motorbike
Laterite road throws up brick-red dust that powders your calves. Baboons scatter; a bush squirrel's tail flicks like a windshield wiper. Rangers hand you a calabash of smoky palm wine at the gate.
Fill tank in Makeni, no fuel inside park
Lunch
Ranger camp kitchen
Afternoon
Canoe safari on Little Scarcies River
Dugout canoe slips past water lilies. You hear hippos snort, a deep tuba note that vibrates the wooden hull. Monitor lizards slide off banks leaving concentric ripples in tea-brown water.
Go silent, hippos hate splashing
Evening
Night walk listening to tree hyrax screams
Headlamp picks up spider eyes like tiny green LEDs
Where to Stay Tonight
Park bungalow at Outamba entrance (Solar-lit concrete hut)
Only lodging inside. Antelope graze outside your door at dawn
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Pack socks, tsetse flies bite ankles through thin fabric.
Day 6 Budget: $110
7
Return to Freetown & Craft Market Haggle
Freetown
Bump back south, stopping for wood-carved masks and icy ginger beer before a final Atlantic sunset.
Morning
Drive back via Lunsar craft stalls
Carved Mende masks lean against mango trees. The smell of cedar curls under chisels. You haggle over a warthog mask, its surface warm and rough like sun-baked sandpaper.
Book front seat day before, road is potholed
Lunch
Rokel River canteen
Afternoon
Big Market souvenir sweep
Inside a Victorian corrugated hall, bolts of garra tie-dye drip indigo on the floor. You finger cloth stiff with starch and taste the peppery scent of dried chili pyramids.
Start at 40% of asking; smile widely
Where to Stay Tonight
Lumley Beach (Airport-friendly lodge)
10-min hop to Lungi for early flights
See all Sierra Leone accommodation options →Photograph your taxi's license plate, security checkpoint guards sometimes ask.
Day 7 Budget: $120
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Poda-podas (minivans) cover Freetown for pocket change. Shared taxis link towns. Boats to islands leave from Kissy or Murray Town jetties, always confirm tide times. Hire a 4×4 with driver for Outamba-Killimi; roads are laterite and rain-gouged.
Book Ahead
Tacugama chimp tour, Bunce Island boat, Banana Island boat & camp, Outamba-Killimi guide and bungalow. December, April fills fast.
Packing Essentials
Light rain jacket, reef-safe sunscreen, headlamp, closed shoes for forest, dry bag for boat trips, antimalarials, copies of yellow-fever card.
Total Budget
$900, 1,200 for 7 days excluding flights
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Skip private boats, use public ferries and shared taxis, eat at cookeries, camp on Banana Island in your own tent, stay in mission hostels. Cuts daily spend to $70, 90.
Luxury Upgrade
Charter speedboats, upgrade to Radisson Blu Freetown, book Tacugama tree-house villa, helicopter hop to Outamba-Killimi airstrip, private chef on Banana Island. Budget $350, 450 per day.
Family-Friendly
Replace Bunce with easier River Number 2, choose hotel pools in Freetown, hire private car seats, bring malaria prophylaxis for kids, book Tacugama family cabin and shorter 1-hr chimp walk.
Book Activities for Your Trip
Tours, tickets, and experiences in Sierra Leone
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Sierra Leone.
See All Sierra Leone Tours on Viator