Must-see attractions in Sierra Leone

In the dense rainforest of Western Area National Park, Sri Lankan founder Bala created Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a leafy, waterfall-framed hideaway…

'Big Island' in the Mende language, 12-sq-km Tiwai Island certainly packs a punch when it comes to its primate population. Set on the Moa River, the…

There are two galleries inside the Sierra Leone National Museum – one housing a collection of cultural and historical artefacts, including Temne Guerrilla…

This wide sweep of beach has lost some of its atmosphere since the 2015 demolition of dozens of bamboo and thatch food shacks, and the numerous, ugly…

You don't have to be a rail fan to enjoy this Clinetown museum, where enthusiastic staff guide you around a surprising collection of restored locomotives,…

The State House, up on Tower Hill and overlooking the downtown area, is an example of Freetown's old Krio architecture, which features brightly washed…

Gutted by fire in 1999, only the stone shell of the Old Fourah Bay College remains, but this 1848 building is graceful even in its decay. The World…

Sierra Leone's most visited natural reserve is home to over 700 different plant species, 135 bird species (including eight species of hornbill), plus…

This is a beautiful tract of savannah and jungle, with very diverse wildlife. You'll find primates such as chimpanzees, colobus monkeys and sooty…

A short hop from Tiwai Island, the Gola Rainforest National Park is home to an abundance of creatures great and small, from rare, intricately patterned…

St John's Maroon Church is a squat white building with big windows built around 1820. An example of the area's Krio architecture, it was built by returned…

Dating back to the days of the slave trade, the bell was reputedly used to alert people to important events or emergencies. It is used for the same…

The ornate Law Courts have been beautifully restored following considerable war damage. Located immediately east of the Cotton Tree.

One of the oldest in the country, this cemetery is the final resting place of several former colonial masters.

At 150-years old, this pretty stone structure is one of the country's oldest churches.

A stone monument commemorating the first centenary of York village.

The ancestors of nearly all present-day Krios passed through King's Yard Gate, atop Tower Hill in the strategic military Martello Tower, built in 1805…

Freetown's most famous landmark is the fat Cotton Tree, which looms large over the buildings of central Freetown. Rumoured to be hundreds of years old, it…

Over at the junction of Kissy Rd – known locally as 'Up Gun' community – you can see one of the three old boundary cannons that were used to mark the…

The Old Wharf Steps, sometimes erroneously called the Portuguese Steps, lead up from Government Wharf. The stones were set in 1818. Many of the new…