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
- Light adventure in rural tropical West Africa at its best
What's Included
10 nights from £3,992 per person
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
For visitors with an interest in culture, history, nature and coast, this 10 day trip makes for an ideal choice. Begin with a visit to Freetown, in and around which you explore Bunce Island, Tasso Island and the nearby Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. From there, head to Rogbonko Village Retreat inland for some cultural input, before travelling to Tiwai Island in the wide, lazy Moa River. After having experienced the rainforest at Tiwai, continue to the Banana Islands offshore, and end the trip with a night on the Western Peninsula beaches where you'll be based at Tokeh beach. As with all our Sierra Leone itineraries, this suggested sample itinerary can be tweaked to suit individual interests and special requirements.
Itinerary
Day 1 UK - Freetown
Take the early morning Brussels Airlines flight from London Heathrow or selected other UK airports to Brussels, where you connect with the midday Brussels Airlines flight to Freetown.
On arrival into Lungi Airport, purchase your visas and clear immigration. You will be met and transferred by water taxi and private car to The Home Suites, for a three night stay with breakfast included.
Day 2 Freetown Historical Tour with Tacugama
Your experienced, private guide and driver will meet you at your hotel after breakfast, and they'll take you on a guided tour of Freetown, during which you'll be able to learn about the country's history and its people, while seeing the main city highlights. Afterwards, continue to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary where you'll be able to learn about the inspirational work under way by Bala and his team, to take care of Western chimpanzees rescued from hunters or confiscated from trappers.
Day 3 Bunce & Tasso Islands
After a leisurely breakfast at The Home Suites, your private, experienced guide and private driver will collect you and take you on a day excursion to the historically significant Bunce Island and Tasso Island.
Prior to Bunce Island - which had the largest British slave castle on Africa's Rice Coast - becoming the main slave trading centre in Sierra Leone, the English had established three settlements there. Due to its fairly large size and close proximity to the mainland, slaves escaped frequently, and the island was eventually abandoned by the traders. Tasso Island nearby has gained in popularity as an eco-tourism attraction, where visitors come to enjoy birding, forest hikes, local fishing trips, and guided tours exploring the island's colonial past.
Founded around 1670, the slave trade was responsible for exporting tens of thousands of African captives to North America and the West Indies, until the British Parliament finally shut it down in 1808. Your guide will deliver a moving account of the history surrounding these two islands.
Return afterwards to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 4 Freetown to Makeni and Rogbonko
Your guide and driver will collect you after breakfast for the road journey inland to Rogbonko Village Retreat, where you will learn about Sierra Leone culture and everyday life. (This experience has been much enjoyed by clients over the last 15 or so years). Stay overnight in the rustic Wussum Hotel, all meals included.
At Rogbonko, an initiative started by Sheka Forna, you gain an insight about the culture and traditional values of the resident subsistence farming community. You'll drive on some variable roads and tracks deep in rural Sierra Leone, past rice and maize fields
.
Rogbonko Village Retreat is managed by villagers and as such, its a source of revenue for the community. Income from assisting visitors and selling local produce is a valuable addition to the subsistence farming. Tourism also encourages the resident people to take pride in their heritage and to conserve natural and cultural resources.
Day 5 Head to Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Continue your journey today along variable roads (some stretches are in poor condition with potholes) in your comfortable, private 4-wheel drive vehicle, to the settlement of Bo, and from there on to Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary for a 2 night stay at the basic research camp bungalows, with all meals included.
Day 6 Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Today's activities will include guided forest walks and a boat trip in search of the wildlife which dwells in these dense equatorial rainforests. You should spot various monkeys, such as the endangered Diana guenon; Western red colobus and perhaps King colobus, among others. Birdlife is prolific, with many sought-after Upper Guinea rainforest specials ocurring in the area.
Day 7 Tiwai Island - Banana Islands
Travel by boat and road to the relaxed Banana Islands, for an overnight stay in Bafa Resort, with all meals included.
These three little tropical isles have a relaxed ambience, with their swaying palm trees, villagers enjoying their palm-wine, and the sound of the Atlantic ocean.
From Kent - about 1 hour from Freetown - it takes about 45 minutes to reach Dublin (island) by boat. The other two isles are Rickets and Mes-Meheux. Dublin and Rickets are inhabited by a Sherbro community of about 900 people. Dublin, the most popular, offers several accommodations and has a number of beaches. Rickets and Dublin are connected by a bridge, and when the tide is low you can walk across. The 6,5 mile walk through forest from the main jetty on Dublin to the crossing point is for active travellers only, so many prefer a boat jaunt.
Activities on the Banana Islands include sampling fresh lobster; hiking through the forest; kayaking to the other islands; snorkelling - and in season, one can go whale watching on a boat.
Day 8 Banana Islands - Tokeh Beach
Today, you will travel by motorised boat back to the mainland, and by road to Tokeh Beach on the Western Peninsula, for a 2 nights stay at The Place, with breakfast included.
Day 9 Tokeh Beach
Today you can choose to relax by the seaside, or, go for some sightseeing in the Western Peninsula area with your guide and driver.
Day 10 To Freetown and departure
This afternoon, you will be transferred by road and water taxi back to Lungi Airport, where you check in for the overnight Brussels Airlines flight to London Heathrow or selected other UK airport, via Brussels.
Day 11 Arrival home
Arrive back home after a wonderful trip.
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
10 nights from £3,992 per person
Nikki Lynas
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
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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