Some of Our Sierra Leone Holiday Ideas
Sierra Leone Natural History Explorer
Itinerary Highlights
- Various species of Colobus, Mangabeys and other rainforest-dependent monkeys
- Some 750 species of Butterfly
- Superb birding, with many West Africa specials being present
- Learning about Chimp conservation at Tacaguma
Sierra Leone Made Simple
Itinerary Highlights
- Bustling Freetown
- Inspirational work at Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary
- Bunce Island for an insight into the country's history
- Tiwai island's Upper Guinea rainforest ecosystem
Sierra Leone Discovery
Itinerary Highlights
- Cultural and historical highlights e.g. Bunce and Tasso Islands
- Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
- Upper Guinea rainforest environment at Tiwai Island
- Sunny beaches at Tokeh and Banana Islands
Rainbow Sierra Leone Specialist
Helen's review
Before I visited myself, I didn’t know anyone else who had been to Sierra Leone. I had heard the famous Bounty advert was filmed on a beach there (showing my age now!), plus stories of chimpanzees using tools, so getting to see wildlife and scenery off the beaten track ticked several boxes for me. My travels there showed me far more than expected; beautiful forests and rivers, very English sounding place names, history of the slave trade at Bunce Island, unique ecotourism and community projects and lots of very fresh seafood.
Helen's Top Tips
- Travel with a professional local guide and stay in locally run guesthouses. There are no big chain properties here.
- A stay on Banana Island offers snorkelling, boat trips, and a laid-back island way of life.
- Franco, a well-known expat, runs a guesthouse and restaurant on the peninsula – a great spot for lunch by the beach.
Best Time To Visit Sierra Leone
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Quick Country Facts
Time Zone:GMT +0 hours
Captial:Freetown
Currency:Sierra Leonean Leone
Why visit Sierra Leone?
You’ll find wonderful, welcoming people, 400 kilometres of virtually deserted white sand beaches and a fascinating heritage entwined with the abolition of slavery. Inland, the country is covered with the lush evergreen forests, which are home to some interesting primates and birds as well as alluring forest-dependent wildlife such as various species of duiker antelope; white-bellied (tree) pangolin, anomalures, water chevrotain and hammerhead bats. (Do note that population densities tend to be low and animals are skittish due to years of persecution).
Our Sierra Leone programme is a work in progress, which aims to capture the essence of this poorly known destination. Itineraries are tailor-made, drawing on our extensive, first-hand knowledge and the most up-to-date information from our local partners. Our very own Helen Kennedy is one of the UK's very few travel specialists who has personally been able to explore the country.
Whether you want to retrace the footsteps of freed slaves returning to Africa, watch the sunset from a deserted beach, drop into a Krio village in the hills behind Freetown, or head inland to Gola and Tiwai in pursuit of rainforest-dwelling birds and perhaps some mammals confined to the Upper Guinea ecosystem, we can arrange a trip to suit your interests.
Travel in Sierra Leone is all about connecting with the places you visit and the people who live there. English is widely spoken and you can expect a warm and genuine welcome wherever you go.
Guides & vehicles
All our Sierra Leone holidays include the use of a private four-wheel drive vehicle and a professional guide and driver. Your guide will explain the history of the areas you visit, offer insights into local life and customs, and help track down the perfect gift to take home. It's the quality and personalities of our guides and drivers that make our Sierria Leone holidays so special.
Personal connection with Sierra Leone
Some of our guests have a personal connection with Sierra Leone, either tracing their ancestry to this part of Africa or through relatives who lived and worked there. We can tailor-make itineraries to include specific areas or buildings with which you have a link and can concentrate on the historical and cultural aspects of the areas or ethnic groups that interest you.
First major UK tour operator to Sierra Leone
We are proud to be the first UK tour operator to have opened a programme offering a selection of Sierra Leone holidays and we are committed to promoting tourism that has a positive impact on this inspiring and beautiful country. Local guides and community-run guesthouses not only offer a distinctive travel experience, but also ensure that your Sierra Leone holiday is enjoyable, fulfilling and benefits the permanently resident people. In 2019, we co-hosted a group of eight of the UK's most respected travel journalists on a tour of Sierra Leone and they loved it. Contact us if you would like to see copies of their output.
First-hand knowledge
Benefit from our experts' knowledge of Sierra Leone when you're ready to plan your holiday. Our travel specialist Helen Kennedy, has visited the country and travelled extensively within it.
Where to go in Sierra Leone
What Our Clients Say
I was well looked after by both the guide and the driver and the vehicle was comfortable. I knew the accommodation would be basic and didn’t have a problem with that. I was surprised the final hotel which was allegedly the best in the country did not meet up to my expectations. The service needed im...
Hi Derek. Just wanted to let you know that we had the most amazing trip, thank you. Everything worked really smoothly (which is particularly amazing given the location), and your partners, Visit Sierra Leone, are superstars. Big thanks to Abdullah (guide), and Sahid (driver) - both excellent, good ...
A great trip with everything going much smoother than anticipated!...Tourism in Sierra Leone is still very basic but that’s probably why we enjoyed it more than Sao Tome which is more popular. It felt like the real adventure we wanted! Sierra Leone. Obtaining a Sierra Leone Visa on arrival was si...
We just wanted to write to thank you making our trip to Sierra Leone so interesting and enjoyable . We probably told you that we were a bit nervous about visiting because of the previous problems your country has had and also because we had never heard of anyone else who had been there. We needn&#...
So Sierra Leone really was a good trip. I really liked the overall nature/vibe of the place and the people – just very friendly and happy to talk and engage. I thought the community experience we had before Tiwai Island was great – felt real and not cheesy or exploitative. Tiwai Island ...
I'm just back from their trip to Sierra Leone. First, a huge thank you for - it was brilliant....And apologies for not getting back to you last week about Tiwai. When I was there two years ago I interviewed Tommy Garnett, founder of EFA that supports Tiwai and he said that there were lots of pla...
Thank you Rob for all the arrangements you made....the choice of guide and driver...were excellent. They knew what they were expected to do and then did it well. We felt very safe with them. Abdulai took good care of us and was flexible and cooperative if we wanted to do something different. Idr...
We will definitely use Rainbow Tours again (we understand the difficulties in visiting developing nations). Your local representatives seemed to be a competent and caring operator.
I just wanted to tell you what a great time we had in Sierra Leone. The guides and drivers were very good and were very helpful when we missed the boat back to the airport, their boss soon had another boat organised. No 2 beach guest house was basic but the food was good and the people were very...
The service and documentation [from Rainbow Tours] for our Sierra Leone holiday were very good. Our drivers [in Sierra Leone] were excellent.
The whole experience was brilliant. From our very first e-mail contact Rainbow have been attentive, knowledgeable and keen to provide the very best service. The [people on the ground] were awesome. They made the travel hassle free, provided a unique insight into the country and helped out with any r...
We’ve had the most fantastic time in Sierra Leone and are singing the praises of the team who looked after us so well. We weren’t used to that kind of looking after! Alaya, who was our guide, is so informative and passionate about tourism in his country and we learnt a lot from him.
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You'll find expert travel guides, holiday ideas and insider tips now on the Rainbow blog
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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