Exploring the Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone — Travel Report
From gorgeous beaches to tasty seafood and cold beers, exploring the Freetown Peninsula is quite the West African chilled-out adventure.
Freetown | Bureh Beach | Tokeh Beach | Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Real Talk
Similar to some of its neighbors, Sierra Leone has had a tough go of it in recent years. From a nasty civil war to terrible infrastructure, crowded urban areas and a serious disease outbreak, this tiny West African country remains far from most backpacker itineraries. To be honest, we get it, as this place is neither easy nor cheap for travelers. That being said, if you’re willing to give it a go, and you’re patient AF, it should prove to be a pretty cool experience. Exploring the Freetown Peninsula is something we won’t regret!
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Practical Info
As with most African travel, we’d recommend bringing some nice and new USDs. We used ATMs while there to pull local currency, but it’s always good to have that green backup.
Most everyone needs a visa to get into Sierra Leone (and it should be acquired in advance of arrival). We picked up our visa at the US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia.
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Freetown
Moving
Lungi International Airport sits across the bay from Freetown, which is wicked annoying if you’re heading into the city. There are two options: a ferry (~20 minutes) or a bus (~4 hours). For us, the choice was obvious.
Upon exiting the airport, we were bombarded by third-party ticket vendors. From what we could tell (amidst the relentlessness of these dudes), there are two main ferry operators, offering the same service at the same price. We purchased tickets directly with Sea Coach Express through the little window outside of the airport, much to the dismay of our third-party ticket vendor “friends.” For 40 USD one way, we received shuttle service to the dock, a comfortable ride in an air-conditioned ferry, a bottle of water or soft-drink and free WiFi. The ferry dropped us off in the Aberdeen neighborhood of Freetown, which is where it also picks up passengers heading to the airport.
Once in Freetown, we walked and/or used taxis to get around. Overall, it was cheap and fairly easy.
Doing
Freetown is your pretty classic West African city, although perhaps a little more visually appealing due to the surrounding mountains and ocean. However, there’s not a ton do “do” in the city itself. To get a sense of Sierra Leone’s history, check out the National Museum (entrance 10,000 SLL) and the Peace Museum (entrance 10,000 SLL). If you’re really into trains, you can head over to the National Railway Museum. There’s also a big ass tree, if you like that sort of thing. We think it’s pretty cool.
Freetown is also home to a decent city beach by West African standards (this ain’t no Barceloneta, folks). Located at the western edge of town, Lumley Beach is where pretty much everyone goes to play on the weekends. We’re not kidding, this place gets packed. It’s worth a visit to experience some sandy Freetown vibes — just don’t expect idyllic beach paradise.
The real fun starts when you venture just outside of Freetown. We’ll talk about some of our favorite beaches below, as well as cover the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Eating/Drinking
We wouldn’t call the culinary scene in Freetown “thriving” by any means. If you’re looking for an NGO/expat/wealthy Sierra Leonean scene, head over to the neighborhood of Aberdeen and the oceanside strip to its south. Popular spots include Mamba Point, Crown Xpress, Swan Restaurant and Grill, Roy’s Hotel and Beach Bar.
If you’re looking for something a bit more traditional, check out Tessa’s Restaurant.
Sleeping
We crashed at the YMCA Sierra Leone, which is kiiiiiind of a shit hole. I mean it’s not really that bad, but it’s definitely not awesome, either. For a couple of nights on a budget, it’ll get the job done. Our no-frills room seemed secure enough, complete with a leaky AC unit, fairly functional toilet/shower and a couple bugs. The price (~30 USD per night) also included a very average breakfast.
Another decent budget option in the area is the Jam Lodge Hotel.
There are a number of more upscale hotels in Aberdeen and along Lumley Beach, if that’s your thing.
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Bureh Beach
Moving
In search of some surf, we headed about an hour and a half down the Freetown peninsula to Bureh Beach. Although the waves underwhelmed (just as they did in Robertsport, Liberia), we certainly enjoyed our time in Bureh. The ocean crashes into a jungle river and the mountains loom in the background, creating a truly unique and beautiful natural scene.
Doing
Bureh is known for its waves. As mentioned, they weren’t rolling when we were there. That being said, we believe that the conditions can be favorable if you hit it right. Check out Bureh Beach Surf Club for board rentals and lessons.
Besides surfing, just enjoy the stunning natural surroundings and super chill beach vibes.
Eating/Drinking/Sleeping
Bureh is pretty small and there’s not a ton of options for the above. We crashed at Australeone Guesthouse, which has one of those super cheesy combo names that kinda makes us cringe. C’mon, was combining Australian and Leone really the best you could come up with? Regardless, the location’s fantastic, as it’s perched right on the beach and offers a gorgeous view. The accommodation is pretty basic. We had a creaky wooden room that was hot and included a semi-successful mosquito net. Let’s just say it was definitely one of those booze-fueled sleeping situations. The guesthouse also offers tasty seafood (including lobster) and cold beers.
With a little more time and cash, make your way over to Dalton’s Banana Guest House. Located on Banana Island, which is off the coastal town of Kent (just south of Bureh Beach), Dalton’s offers delicious seafood, decent beachside huts and a variety of water activities.
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Tokeh Beach
Moving
A short drive north from Bureh Beach, Tokeh Beach is perhaps just as gorgeous and better for swimming. Once at Tokeh, we also walked along the beach to River Number 2 (at high tide there’s a little boat that shuttles people across for a small fee).
Doing
The main jam of Tokeh Beach is, well, the beach! So sit back, relax and enjoy the sun and sand. Sometimes it’s just that simple.
We did walk along the water to the very practically named River Number 2 Beach, which appeared more hoppin’ than Tokeh or Bureh. River Number 2 was packed with Freetown weekenders enjoying the sun, sand and their fair share of bevies at one of the various beachside stalls. We partook in the fun for a while but were content to return to the chilled out vibes of Tokeh for the evening.
Eating/Drinking/Sleeping
Similar to Bureh, Tokeh Beach doesn’t have a lot of variety on this front. In search of an upgrade from the Australeone Guesthouse, we ended up in a “cultural hut” (another cheesy name… wtf?) at Tokeh Beach Resort for 60 USD per night. The beachside hut was pretty much perfect for our needs, complete with a fan, functional mosquito net, front porch with chairs and a peaceful ocean view. We also appreciated the fact that the huts are set aside from the main hotel and restaurant, which provides a nice degree of privacy.
Exploring the Freetown Peninsula: Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Moving
Located around forty minutes into the hills outside Freetown, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is definitely worth a visit. We hired a taxi from another part of the peninsula, which dropped us off at the base of the hill (it’s a steep walk up). We flagged down a taxi en route back to Freetown after our visit. If you want to drive all the way up to the Sanctuary, a 4X4 is strongly recommended.
The Visit
It’s mandatory to take a tour, which will run you around 15 USD, and the sanctuary offers two per day: 10:30 AM and 4:00 PM. They’re serious about these start times and don’t like stragglers, so arrive early! The tour lasts around an hour and a half and gives good insight (unintentionally) into how exactly a Planet of the Apes scenario could play out. Seriously, to the uninformed observer (i.e. us), chimps are crazy strong and scary AF.