Top 10 Tourist Places in Sierra Leone..

Sierra Leone is a country located on the southwestern coast of West Africa.

Challenge it Liberia From the southeast andGuinea From the northeast, Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforest.

After more than a decade of civil war – one of the most brutal and destructive wars West Africa has ever seen – and an unexpected outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, Sierra Leone is working hard to get back on track.

In fact, the efforts are going well, as the days of government divisions and rebels are gone, and the disputants are now being reintegrated into society; hardly anyone mentions the problems of the 1990s.

Well, the country is open again! But where do we go? Will you choose the salt-fringed beaches of the Western Region, where palm trees bend to the Atlantic and ancient colonial forts crumble on clifftops?

Or will you head inland, where chimpanzees roam the forests of Guinea, and colobus monkeys stand in the scrub of the savannah.

Let's explore the top 10 tourist places in Sierra Leone..

Top 10 Tourist Places in Sierra Leone

10. Kenema City and Kambui Hills Forest Reserve

Far from the coast and deep in the Eastern Province, the country's third largest city can be found cascading down the Cambui Hills to meet the winding courses of the Moa River.

Like many regional centres, Kenema has a colourful clock tower and a vibrant mix of locals, who can often be seen on motorbikes through the dusty streets of the city centre.

Moreover, the city is the best gateway to the chimpanzee and monkey-spotted trees of the Kambui Hills Forest Reserve.

Kenema town and Kambui Hills Forest Reserve in the background.

Read also: Africa and its most beautiful nature reserves

9. Sherbro Island

A large piece of land split off from Sierra Leone and jutting directly into the Atlantic Ocean, Sherbro Island is cut by countless river channels and consists of sweeping vistas of wetlands and swamps.

It is a quiet, rural place, with a few small towns such as Ponte and San Pint-sized, it is inhabited primarily by the indigenous Sherbro people.

Plus there's a fascinating history to be uncovered here - Sherbro Island went from a British stronghold enforcing the slave trade to a resettlement community for returning American slaves.

Sherbro Island Swamps

8. Otamba Kilimi National Park

If you're keen to keep company with chimpanzees and swinging mangabeys, there's no substitute for the vast reaches of Outamba Kilimi National Park.

The park is located in northern Sierra Leone, near the border with the Republic of Guinea in a mosaic of savannah, forest, tea groves and hills that hang over canopies.

Thousands of visitors head on safaris to see hippos in the muddy waters of the Kilimi River, elephants in the forests, bongo antelopes on the hills, and even chimpanzees overhead.

Hippopotamuses in Outamba Kilimi National Park

7. Gula Gula Reserve

This reserve has been on the international map since the 1920s, and has gained particular fame thanks to its thriving population of resident chimpanzees.

However, the park also showcases the rare biodiversity of old-growth forests, with layer upon layer of organisms living from the undergrowth to the canopy: colorful butterflies; galumphing forest elephants; pygmy hippos – the list goes on…

Gula Gula Forests

6. Toka City

This wonderful little coastal town, grew up east of Capital Freetown In the heart of the western region is the rural area with countless luxury hotels and guest houses.

Bamboo umbrellas rustle in the Atlantic breezes; the sand shimmers in brilliant golden yellows; the salty white peaks of the ocean cover the palm-fringed beach: welcome to Toka Beach – arguably the most beautiful seaside resort in the whole of Sierra Leone.

In fact, its tourism potential has been discovered since the 1960s.

Toka Beach

5. Turtle Islands

The Turtle Islands may be the most perfect tropical paradise you've never heard of.

This archipelago of eight islands lies in the Atlantic Ocean. It is made of a patchwork of swaying palm trees and mangroves, interrupted by gorgeous white sand beaches and empty water coves.

Add to that a truly rustic group of locals, ramshackle bamboo villages, bobbing fishing boats and campsites right on the beach, and it's easy to see why the Turtle Islands are worth a visit.

One of the turtle islands

Read also: The most beautiful islands in the world

4. Tiwai Island

Tiwai Island, which is flooded with winding, tissue-like capillaries,Moa River Where the main channel splits into two in the heart of Sierra Leone's Southern Province, it is one of the country's most famous conservation areas.

A rare attraction away from the coast, the riverside lands are home to some of Sierra Leone's last remaining virgin rainforest.

And the wildlife is just as abundant, with Diana monkeys, pygmy hippos, chimpanzees and the curious pangolin all making the reserve their home.

Tiwai Island

3. Bunce Island

In the depths Gulf of Taghreen A short ferry ride from the docks of the capital, Freetown, the rock that is Bunce Island offers a glimpse into the dark days of West African history.

It is just one of 40 individual forts erected along the region's coastline by Europeans during the height of the slave trade.

The spot is known to have been one of the main points from which British ships loaded with captured people departed for the colonies of South Carolina and Georgia across the Atlantic Ocean.

Today, visitors can come and see the preserved castilla, and learn all about this dark era of Sierra Leone's past.

Bunce Island

2. Banana Islands

Islands Banana It is a group of islands located off the coast of Yawrie Bay, southwest of Freetown in the Western Region of Sierra Leone.

The Banana Islands consist of three islands: Dublin andRicketts andMiss Mehiox

Dublin and Ricketts are connected by a stone bridge, while the third is a privately owned island.

Dublin Island is famous for its beaches, while Ricketts Island is famous for its forests.

The Banana Islands are completely surrounded by the Freetown Peninsula.

In fact, these islands can only be reached by boat, ferries and helicopters.

The main industries in the Banana Islands are fishing and tourism.

Banana Islands

1. Freetown – Capital

Nestled beneath the green hills of the Western Region, right on the edge of its own Horseshoe Bay, Freetown is a great place to start your travels in the country.

In fact the city is home to one of the largest natural deep-water harbours in the world.

A mix of hectic port activity and beachside living, it's a little bit of Sierra Leone.

You'll see what we mean as you navigate the soft sands of the beach. Laka and Lumley , to the party sector in the Aberdeen area, and to industrial expansion in the suburbs.

Never miss a visit Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary The awesome, where the adorable monkeys will swing over the 4X4 trekking vehicle!

Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone.

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Sierra Leone map