Sierra Leone🇸🇱 | regionsFreetown PeninsulaSurf beaches, chimpanzee sanctuary, forested peaks, fishing villages | things to do and best time to go

Day 1: Freetown: Start with a city day of markets and street food, because arriving here is a lesson in traffic and poda-poda chaos, and the capital is where all the transport begins. Walk the older streets and watch the harbor before heading to the beachfront at Lumley for dinner. Day 2: Tacugama: Take a morning to climb into the hills above the city for the chimpanzee sanctuary. Go early when the forest is cooler, then use a taxi back down and rest in the afternoon. The road to the hills is rough, so a hired driver helps. Day 3: Tokeh Beach: Shared taxis run the coastal road south, and the pace depends on how fast you can find a seat and how long the roads take after rain. Settle at Tokeh and spend the whole day on sand and in warm water with nothing planned. This is the day that justifies … read more 👉

Day 1: Freetown: Start with a city day of markets and street food, because arriving here is a lesson in traffic and poda-poda chaos, and the capital is where all the transport begins. Walk the older streets and watch the harbor before heading to the beachfront at Lumley for dinner. Day 2: Tacugama: Take a morning to climb into the hills above the city for the chimpanzee sanctuary. Go early when the forest is cooler, then use a taxi back down and rest in the afternoon. The road to the hills is rough, so a hired driver helps. Day 3: Tokeh Beach: Shared taxis run the coastal road south, and the pace depends on how fast you can find a seat and how long the roads take after rain. Settle at Tokeh and spend the whole day on sand and in warm water with nothing planned. This is the day that justifies the whole trip, because the bay, the quiet and the food all come together here. Day 4: Bureh Beach: Move up the coast to Bureh for a surf lesson and a village stroll. Smaller beaches mean you hire motorbike taxis for the last stretch, which keeps you flexible. Day 5: Banana Islands: For the detour, go to Kent and catch a boat to the Banana Islands. Walk through the ruins, swim, and return the same day, so you do not disrupt your route back to Freetown. Check the boat times in the morning and leave early, since afternoon seas can turn rough.

Fresh grilled fish is the thing to eat on the Freetown Peninsula. At River No. 2 and Tokeh, fishermen land barracuda, snapper and lobster in the morning, and by afternoon it is smoking over charcoal, brushed with pepper and lime, and served with fried plantain or rice. A whole fish costs roughly US$4 to 12, and lobster rises to US$15 to 25.In Freetown and the roadside towns, cassava leaf stew simmers with palm oil, dried fish and meat, thick, earthy and rich over rice. Jollof rice and groundnut stew are everywhere, and akara (fried bean fritters) comes hot from street stalls in the early morning for about US$0.30 to 1. Look for fresh mango, pineapple and coconut in season.For drinks, try Star or Guinness from beach shacks, ginger beer and sobolo-style hibiscus drinks, and palm wine, slightly … read more 👉

Fresh grilled fish is the thing to eat on the Freetown Peninsula. At River No. 2 and Tokeh, fishermen land barracuda, snapper and lobster in the morning, and by afternoon it is smoking over charcoal, brushed with pepper and lime, and served with fried plantain or rice. A whole fish costs roughly US$4 to 12, and lobster rises to US$15 to 25.In Freetown and the roadside towns, cassava leaf stew simmers with palm oil, dried fish and meat, thick, earthy and rich over rice. Jollof rice and groundnut stew are everywhere, and akara (fried bean fritters) comes hot from street stalls in the early morning for about US$0.30 to 1. Look for fresh mango, pineapple and coconut in season.For drinks, try Star or Guinness from beach shacks, ginger beer and sobolo-style hibiscus drinks, and palm wine, slightly sour and sold from roadside jugs. Strong poyo is a sweet, fermented palm wine you will see at village gatherings.For eating, choose beach shacks, market stalls and the plain cookhouses locals call chop houses, where a plate runs about US$2 to 5. Order early, because food is cooked to order and can take an hour. Eat with your right hand when sharing a bowl, greet people before ordering, and drink bottled or filtered water.