Travel proposal: 12 days in Sierra Leone
From Freetown's bustling city life and meetings with locals to rainforests, chimpanzees, and days with your toes in the sand on some of West Africa's most beautiful beaches. Here is our take on what 12 days in Sierra Leone could look like. Not a packaged tour – but inspiration for the journey we can create together with you.
DAG 1
Welcome to Sierra Leone
ARRIVAL, COAST, AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When you land at Lungi International Airport, our local team will be there to greet you and help you onto the boat heading to Freetown. The boat ride across the bay takes about half an hour and is your very first taste of Sierra Leone – with views of the mountains and Freetown along the coastline.
When you step ashore, your private driver will be waiting to take you straight to the Barmoi Hotel, where you'll stay for the first three nights.
The rest of the day is completely open. You'll have time to settle in, unpack, take a dip in the pool, and have dinner at the hotel or somewhere nearby.
Accommodation: Barmoi Hotel, Freetown
DAG 2
Get to know Freetown
MARKETS, HISTORY, AND EVERYDAY LIFE
In the morning, you’ll meet our local guide, Bob Rogers, at the hotel. Together, you’ll take a walk around the hotel and down toward Lumley Beach, while Bob introduces you to your new surroundings. He’ll show you some great nearby restaurants, how to stop and grab a snack, what things should cost roughly, and give you some very practical tips for the coming days. It’s a relaxed start, with plenty of time for questions and just getting a feel for the town.
In the afternoon, Keke Tours will pick you up from the hotel. From the backseat of a keke, you'll ride through Freetown's busy streets to 3 or 4 spots that you've chosen with us beforehand based on your interests.
The day wraps up high above the city at Leicester Peak, where we've set up a sundowner for you. Here, you can enjoy a cold drink as the sun goes down while Freetown, the mountains, and the Atlantic Ocean stretch out below.
Afterward, you'll head back to the Barmoi Hotel. The evening is yours – eat at the hotel or try one of the neighborhood restaurants Bob recommended earlier in the day.
Accommodation: Barmoi Hotel, Freetown
DAG 3
Getting under the skin of Freetown
PEOPLE, FOOTBALL, AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
Today, you'll really start getting under the skin of Sierra Leone.
In the morning, Bob Rogers will pick you up from the hotel and drive you to downtown Freetown. There, you'll meet some of our other local guides who will take you to Kroo Bay and Susan’s Bay – two very different local communities where they live and work themselves.
You'll be shown around by people who know the areas inside out, giving you a unique glimpse into everyday life for the families who live there. Along the way, you'll visit a local school, walk through small streets and residential neighborhoods, and wander through one of Freetown's largest and most vibrant street markets. There's plenty of time to look around, ask questions, and soak in the city.
You'll have lunch at a local restaurant in central Freetown before heading back to the Barmoi Hotel. Here, you'll have a couple of hours for the pool, relaxation, and a little break from all the day's impressions.
In the late afternoon, you'll be picked up again and driven to Wilberforce, where local coaches are ready to welcome you for a local football match. You'll spend a couple of hours watching the game, chatting, and hanging out by the pitch – and if you're up for it, you're more than welcome to join in and play.
Accommodation: Barmoi Hotel, Freetown
DAG 4
From the city to the rainforest
RAINFOREST, CHIMPANZEES, AND PEACE AND QUIET
After a quiet morning and check-out from the Barmoi Hotel, you’ll be picked up in the late morning. You’ll then leave the hustle and bustle of Freetown behind and drive up into the green mountains to the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, just under an hour’s drive from the city.
Here, you'll stay in Tacugama's cozy eco-lodges right in the middle of the rainforest – with birds, cicadas, and the distinctive calls of the chimpanzees as your closest neighbors.
In the afternoon, a guided tour of the sanctuary awaits, where you'll get close to the chimpanzees and hear about the work being done to rescue and protect Sierra Leone's wild chimpanzee population.
The evening moves at a completely different pace. Dinner in Tacugama's small, intimate restaurant, an optional campfire, and otherwise no plans at all. Leave your phone at the lodge, listen to the rainforest, and enjoy how Freetown suddenly feels very far away.
Accommodation: Tacugama Ecolodge
DAG 5
Morning swim in the rainforest
RAINFOREST, WATERFALL AND ON TO THE COAST
The day starts early with a guided hike through the area around Tacugama together with a local nature guide. Along the way, you'll get closer to the rainforest and wildlife that the sanctuary works to protect, and learn more about the unique nature around the Freetown Peninsula.
The trip also passes a small waterfall, where the early risers – and the brave – can start the day with a cool dip right in the middle of the rainforest.
Back at Tacugama, a well-deserved breakfast awaits before you pack your bags and get picked up in the late morning.
From here, the trip continues toward the coast and Tokeh Beach, about a two-hour drive away. After checking in, the rest of the day is all yours. Grab your swimsuits, settle in on the beach, and enjoy spending the next few days with your feet in the sand and the Atlantic Ocean right in front of you.
Accommodation: Tokeh Beach Resort
DAG 6
Bare feet and no plans
BEACH LIFE, PEACE AND A SLOW PACE
Not much is scheduled for today – and that's the whole point.
Enjoy a slow morning, grab a sunbed, and spend the day at Tokeh Beach. If you feel like moving around a bit, you can walk a couple of kilometers along the shore, cross the small river at River No. 2, and have lunch at one of the local beach restaurants before heading back along the water.
Otherwise, the day is mostly about swimming, reading a book, and enjoying the fact that there's nothing on the schedule.
When the sun starts to set over the Atlantic, it's time for a cocktail on the beach. Later, a campfire is lit in the sand, giving you time to just sit and stare into the flames while letting all the impressions from the first few days of the trip sink in.
Accommodation: Tokeh Beach Resort
DAG 7
From ocean to dinner table
FISHING, OCEAN LIFE AND LOCAL ENCOUNTERS
Today offers a morning out on the water. You can choose between snorkeling along the coast, a fishing trip – or combining the two.
On the fishing trip, you'll head out from the beach with a local fisherman and use handlines to catch snapper and other smaller fish, among other things. It's simple, local, and really cozy – and be prepared that there might very well be plenty of fish in the boat when you return.
Along the way, there's plenty of time to chat with the fisherman about coastal life, the sea, and the fishing that many families in the area make a living from.
Back at Tokeh, the kitchen can prepare the day’s catch for your dinner. And with a little luck, there will be plenty left over for the fisherman to take home as well.
Accommodation: Tokeh Beach Resort
DAG 8
Island life on Banana Island
ISLAND LIFE FAR AWAY FROM THE TOURISTS
After breakfast, you'll be picked up from Tokeh Beach and head along the coast to Kent, about a one-hour drive away. Here, you'll swap the car for a local boat that will take you on the roughly 30-minute crossing over to Banana Island.
Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed by the staff from Bafa Resort — complete with an ice-cold coconut, of course — before being shown to your glamping tents right in the middle of the island's tropical nature.
After settling in and having lunch, the rest of the day is completely free. Take a dip, explore around the resort, or find a spot with an ocean view and feel that special kind of calm that washes over you as soon as you step foot on the island.
There are no cars here, no traffic, and no need to rush anywhere.
Accommodation: Bafa Resort, Banana Island
DAG 9
On an adventure
AN ISLAND ALMOST TO YOURSELVES
Today, you'll be exploring on foot. You're welcome to set out on your own, but if you'd prefer, we can arrange for a local guide who knows the island and its little trails.
The walk starts through the village, where you can check out the ruins from the island's past as part of the transatlantic slave trade and hear the story of the people who were sent from here to America more than 200 years ago.
From here, you'll continue into the lush landscape. In some places, the island is so narrow that you've got the ocean on both sides while the trail winds through the jungle. Keep an eye on the treetops along the way — you might just spot some monkeys swinging through the branches.
Eventually, you’ll reach a small clearing by the water that separates the islands. This is the perfect spot to strip down and take a dip before crossing the small stone fence and continuing your adventure on the other side.
We're happy to pack you a lunch for your backpack and arrange for a boat to pick you up when you reach the other end. All you have to do is walk, swim, look up at the treetops, and soak up the feeling of having the island pretty much to yourselves.
And if you run into any other tourists along the way, we'll give you your money back 😉
Accommodation: Bafa Resort, Banana Island
DAG 10
Lobster on Lakka Beach
A FINAL TASTE OF THE COAST
After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Banana Island. You will take the boat back to the mainland, where your driver will be waiting to take you back towards Freetown.
However, the journey does not go straight to the city. Along the way, you will stop at Lakka Beach for lunch – a beach with a completely different vibe from the white sand you have already experienced at Tokeh and River No. 2. Here, the sand is warm and almost orange, the atmosphere is local, and the most important decision of the day is how big a lobster you can eat.
The local restaurant owner and fisherman Paul provides freshly caught lobster and high-quality seafood – and brings just the kind of casual, personal atmosphere you came to Sierra Leone to experience.
After lunch, the trip continues to Freetown and the Barmoi Hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to unwind after your days on the island, take a dip in the pool, and enjoy being back in the city.
Accommodation: Barmoi Hotel, Freetown
DAG 11
A meeting you won't soon forget
FLYING STARS AMPUTEES
The morning is your last chance to explore Freetown. Visit some of the city's many markets, pick up any last-minute souvenirs, and perhaps grab a Sierra Leone national team jersey to take home in your suitcase.
If you feel like it, we will also swing by Murray Town, where an artificial turf pitch that once belonged to AGF in Aarhus has been given a new lease of life. Here, you can kick a ball around with some of the local kids and young people and see how a small piece of Danish football ended up right in the middle of Freetown.
In the afternoon, something very special awaits. You will meet the Flying Stars Amputees and watch the players play football on one leg and crutches. On the sidelines, there is plenty of time to chat casually with the players, hear their stories, and – if you are feeling brave – try out the crutches yourselves and see if you can score a penalty.
We cannot promise you will score. But we can definitely promise that you will leave impressed – and with a whole new perspective on what humans are capable of overcoming and bouncing back from.
Accommodation: Barmoi Hotel, Freetown
DAG 12
One last match together
HANDBALL, LOCAL STYLE
The last day of the trip starts with morning handball in Hill Station, Freetown, where you will meet a group of young people with a very special passion for the sport.
Here, everyone trains on the same team – across ages and genders. Everyone is welcome to join. You will meet the young people who helped build the club and community themselves, and hear them talk about their love for handball and what the club means to them. And of course, you will not just be standing on the sidelines – there is room on the court if you want to join in.
Back at the Barmoi Hotel, we have arranged a late check-out so you have plenty of time for a shower, lunch, and packing your things before you are picked up around 2 PM.
12 DAYS IN SIERRA LEONE
€2,400 per person
This itinerary is an example of what a trip with Sierra Leone Rejser can look like. We tailor every journey, so the number of days, accommodation and experiences can be customised to suit you.
The price includes visas, accommodation, breakfast, all transfers and transport within Sierra Leone, as well as the experiences and activities described in the itinerary. Flights to and from Sierra Leone are not included.
In other words, you're not buying an off-the-shelf package tour – this is simply a starting point for creating your own journey.