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
- Exploring the Banana Islands
- Kicking back on beautiful Tokeh Beach
What's Included
10 nights from £3,045 per person
Derek Schuurman
Travel Specialist
This tailor made sample itinerary showcases a lovely spectrum of Sierra Leone's highlights and has something special for most visitors: start with exploration of bustling Freetown and an excursion to Bunce Island, during which you can gain a poignant insight into the county's history.
Be inspired by the ongoing work at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, set up by Bala Amarasekaran and his wife Sharmila, and very highly praised by Dr Jane Goodall during her February 2019 visit there.
Continue to Tiwai Island, where visitors come to seek some of the resident Upper Guinea forest inhabitants such as Western red and King colobus, Diana monkeys and Sooty mangabeys, along with West African rainforest birds including Emerald starling and Johanna's sunbird. Night walks may reveal interesting species such as the bizarre Hammerhead bats and in the trees, Demidoff's galago and even a West African potto. (Please note that the rainforest is dense and populations of wildlife are low - additionally, it tends to be skittish due to persecution by poachers).
After your time at Tiwai, return to Freetown and head out to the Banana Islands for a night of simple but well tended camping at the friendly Bafa Resort. Enjoy the relaxed island vibe here. (You can also indulge in some snorkelling, swimming and a boat trip around one of the islands).
End the trip at the sweeping, white sand beach of Tokeh, among the best of Sierra Leone's beautiful beaches.
During the holiday you will be looked after by one of our excellent and experienced driver-guides and transportation is in the form of a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Accommodation varies from very basic (Tiwai Island) to smart and modern (The Home Suites).
Itinerary
Day 1 London - Freetown
Depart from London on the daytime Brussels Airlines flight (06h50) via Brussels to Freetown.
On arrival into Lungi Airport late this afternoon (16h50), you will be welcomed by our local representatives and transferred on the Sea Coach
Express boat across the mouth of the Sierra Leone River to Aberdeen.
Transfer to comfortable Country Lodge set on Hill Station with sweeping views over the city with breakfast included
Day 2 Bunce Island Excursion and Freetown highlights
After breakfast, you will be taken on an excursion to Bunce Island with a private speedboat. Bunce Island was the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast of West Africa. Founded around 1670, this is from where tens of thousands of African captives were transported to North America and the West Indies, until British Parliament finally closed it down in 1808.
While Bunce Island is left to decay, bringing about questions concerning its preservation, its appearance does
add to its charm. It is authentic and as our Sierra Leonean colleagues express it, 'raw - a painful history that is burying itself
under layers of greenery'. After Bunce island, you will be taken to see the highlights of Freetown including the Railway Museum, St George's Cathedral, National Museum, the ancient cotton tree and Fort Thornton.
Transfer after lunch (cost of meal for own account) for a 2-night stay in one of the eco-chalets at Tacugama Lodge, Tacugama, an inspirational Chimpanzee sanctuary, just outside Freetown with breakfast included.
Day 3 To Tacugama Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre
.Depart to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary where you will spend the night.Learn about the inspirational work being conducted by Bala and his team.
Chimpanzees are oftentimes cruelly or ignorantly kept as pets, or sometimes hunted. More than 100 find a safe home at Tacugama,
where you can watch them swinging from branches, grooming each-other and afterwards, you can enjoy a forest walk to seek some of the
100-odd bird species that have been identified in Tacugama Forest Reserve. Accomodation is in one of the elegant thatched huts of Augusta Lodge.
Day 4 Tacugama to Tiwai Island
A visit to the tropical rainforest at Tiwai Island is one of Sierra Leone’s natural history highlights.
Surrounded by the wide Moa River, you'll find yourself immersed in the Upper Guineaforest ecosystem. Most visitors manage to see some of the species of forest-dependent Monkey for which the area is best known, along with rainforest-dependent birds. Night walks can deliver some interesting and rare species too. (Take a strong torch with spare batteries).
After a lunch stop at Bo, you'll arrive in Tiwai mid to late afternoon.
During an afternoon / early evening boat trip up the Mao River you can enjoy spectacular views of Tiwai Island and the neighbouring mainland. Keep an eye open for monkeys and some of the 135 species of birds, as well as the occasional crocodile.
In the evening, the camp staff will cook dinner for you.
Day 5 Tiwai Island
After breakfast, enjoy a guided walk the forest of Tiwai Island. With luck you will see forest-dwelling monkeys such as Upper Guinea red colobus (Endangered) and Diana monkey; some birds such as the Piping hornbill (pictured). and many species of butterflies. Departing after an early lunch, take a boat transfer back to the mainland and explore the culture in the rural villages of Kambama and nearby Nianiahun (20 min drive). You'll be shown sites of traditional sacrifice, meeting points for the ceremonies held by village elders; birth ceremonial sites and the ‘blood stream’ hiding place for knives and weapons of ancient warriors. In the late afternoon, take a stroll into the forest to seek more wildlife. We recommend a second night walk after dark to try to seek some more of the scarce, nocturnally active species which have been recorded from the area.
Day 6 Tiwai Island - Freetown - Banana Islands
After breakfast (you can do an early morning walk if you like), depart Tiwai Island and head to Freetown via Bo.
If you wish, you can have lunch in Bo, before continuing on to Freetown.
You are then taken to Kent Village on the peninsula, to catch a motorised boat to Banana Island, for an overnight stay in the simple, friendly Bafa Resort.
Enjoy the relaxed ambience in this corner of the country. Optional activities include hiking, snorkelling and
a scenic boat trip around the island.
Day 7 Banana Islands to Tokeh
After breakfast, depart Banana Island for Tokeh with a stop at Bureh Beach to meet the residents at Beach surf club and have a seafood lunch. Then depart for Tokeh, a mall coastal village on the Western Area Peninsula, where you'll find one of Sierra Leone's loveliest beaches. Backed by lush, forested mountains, the beach makes for a wonderful place at which to relax. Alternatively you can chill out by the pool. Overnight at The Place Resort with breakfast.
Day 8 Tokeh Beach to Freetown
Enjoy the morning relaxing at the beach. This afternoon you will be taken back to Freetown, to stay overnight in the Home Suites Boutique Hotel with breakfast included.
Day 9 Departure (reluctantly)
After a sightseeing trip which can include some shopping today, you will be transferred back to the airport in time to check in 3 hours prior to the departure of your overnight Brussels Airlines flight departing around 6pm back to Brussels.
Day 10 Welcome Home
On arrival in Brussels Airport, remain air side and connect with the Brussels Airlines flight back to London Heathrow.
Derek Schuurman
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
10 nights from £3,045 per person
Derek Schuurman
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
* Return economy class Brussels Airlines flights from London Heathrow to Freetown via Brussels
* Airport taxes
* Accommodation as per itinerary with meals as listed
* Services of a professional, experienced, private guide and driver throughout
* All transfers and private transportation
* All entry fees and local guide fees
* All excursions and activities as outlined
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
* Sierra Leone entry visa
* Drinks
* Lunches and dinners
* Gratuities
* Travel insurance
Pricing Notes
Fares are quoted on a best buy basis so are subject to change until flights have been issued.
All our Sierra Leone itineraries can be modified/tailored to suit individual interests and requirements.
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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