Yes, Liberia can be backpacked independently, but it takes patience because there is very little tourist infrastructure and you will meet few other travelers. English is the official language, which makes asking for directions, haggling and arranging guides much easier than in most of the region.
Plan on US$35 to 60 a day. Outside
Monrovia, basic guesthouse rooms cost roughly US$15 to 25; in the capital, budget rooms run US$25 to 50. Shared taxis leave from Monrovia’s parking stations when full, so start early. Carry a yellow fever certificate, arrange your visa before arrival, and book
Sapo National Park or
East Nimba visits with the Forestry Development Authority in advance.
Ten to fourteen days is the right amount of time for Liberia, enough to combine the coast with either the Nimba mountains or the southeastern rainforest without rushing. Five days covers the capital and one beach.
With 5 days, do 2 nights in
Monrovia and 2 in
Robertsport (2.5 to 3.5 hours away). With 10 days, add the north:
Ganta is 4 to 6 hours from the capital, and
Yekepa needs 3 nights for hiking. With 15 days, you can also reach
Sapo National Park, but count on 7 to 9 hours from Yekepa to Zwedru and 8 to 10 hours on the coast road back via Buchanan, in the dry season only.
Yes, you can get around Liberia without a car by using shared taxis, minibuses and motorbike taxis, which link every county capital. They leave when full, so travel days start early and timetables are loose.
Typical runs:
Monrovia to
Robertsport takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours for about US$8 to 12, and Monrovia to
Ganta takes 4 to 6 hours on paved road for roughly US$12 to 18. Motorbikes cover the last kilometers to
Kpatawee Waterfall or trailheads for US$2 to 5. The southeast is the hard part: roads to Zwedru, Greenville and Harper turn to deep mud from May to October, so time those legs for November to April.
The must-visits in Liberia are Monrovia for history, Robertsport for surf, the Nimba mountains for hiking and Sapo National Park for rainforest. Kpatawee Waterfall is the easiest nature stop on the way north.
In
Monrovia, give 2 days to Providence Island, the National Museum and the Ducor Palace Hotel ruins.
Robertsport deserves 2 nights for its point breaks and Lake Piso canoe trips. Base yourself 3 nights in
Yekepa for the East Nimba Nature Reserve.
Sapo National Park needs at least 2 nights plus 2 travel days each way, and visits must be arranged through the Forestry Development Authority beforehand.
If you are short on time in Liberia, skip the far southeast and the far north, because the travel time eats days that the coast and Nimba use better. Within Monrovia, the stadium and the city beaches can wait.
Harper,
Pleebo and
Barclayville sit at the end of very long, rough roads, often 2 days from the capital in the dry season.
Voinjama and the Wologizi range in Lofa County need 8 to 12 hours each way. In the capital,
Antoinette Tubman Stadium and
Coco Beach are fine but optional. With 5 to 7 days, stick to Monrovia, Robertsport and a quick run north to Kpatawee Waterfall and Ganta.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Liberia in seconds. Try it out!
Try the itinerary plannerv2.webp){kind=logo}
Best Backpacking
