Skip to content
Rated 97% Excellent
Call us
Undiscovered Destinations
sfchero
Sierra Leone8 daysMax 12 travellersSolo-friendlyGuaranteed departures

Sierra Leone – Forts, Chimps and Beaches

From Freetown's slave-trade ruins to rainforest chimps and tropical island beaches, this small group journey reveals Sierra Leone few outsiders ever see.

View dates & prices

As Featured In

The TelegraphCulture TripThe TimesLonely PlanetThe GuardianIndependentNational GeographicThe TelegraphCulture TripThe TimesLonely PlanetThe GuardianIndependentNational Geographic
About this journey

What to expect on this trip

Join this small group holiday in Sierra Leone and explore the country’s little-visited forts, wildlife areas and beaches with few other foreign visitors in sight. The country is slowly shaking off its troubled imaged and is once again welcoming intrepid travellers to experience its beautiful landscapes and vibrant cultural traditions. After time spent getting to know the lively, ramshackle capital Freetown, you’ll head to Bunce Island for a sobering visit to the country’s former slave fort. Then you’ll visit the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a lush slice of forest near Freetown that’s dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating endangered primates. A few days on a tiny but beautiful tropical island comes next. The Banana Islands sit just off the Freetown Peninsula and are home to clear waters, sandy beaches and friendly fishing villages, with a few old colonial relics thrown in. Your final stop is the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, a unique rainforest island home to diverse plant, animal and bird life, where you can camp under the trees and awaken to the calls of monkeys and hornbills in the surrounding trees.

sfc1
sfc2
The journey

Sierra Leone – Forts, Chimps and Beaches

What makes this trip special

Drawn from the full tour dossier — the standout days, encounters and views our specialists keep coming back to.

Your route
sfcmap

The highlights

  • Freetown Historical Walking Tour

    The morning in Freetown takes in the Railway Museum, St. Georges Cathedral, National Museum, Peace Monument, Maroon Church, Cotton Tree, Gateway to the Old King's Yard, and Fort Thornton. The city was founded in 1792 by freed American slaves and remains one of Africa's older sub-Saharan capitals.

  • Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

    Established in 1995, Tacugama is committed to the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned and abandoned chimpanzees, providing a semi-wild life within a 100-acre reserve roughly 40 minutes from central Freetown. The chimpanzees live in large communities headed by an alpha male and use tools for foraging.

  • Bunce Island Slave Fort

    Constructed by the British in 1670, the slave fort at Bunce Island is one of the largest on the West African coast, holding tens of thousands of enslaved people destined for America and the West Indies during the 17th and 18th centuries. Substantial ruins including the factory, storehouse, prison, and watchtowers remain, making it a powerful experience for anyone interested in the history of the slave trade

  • Sierra Leone Peninsula Beaches

    After Bunce Island, the tour stops at Lakka, Hamilton, and River Number 2 beaches along the Sierra Leone Peninsula. These beaches form part of the same day that takes in Tasso Island before returning to Freetown for dinner.

  • Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary and Rainforest Camping

    Tiwai Island holds one of the highest concentrations and diversities of primates in the world — 11 species including wild chimpanzees — alongside pygmy hippopotamus, colobus monkeys, otters, and the rare white-breasted guinea fowl. Guests camp in prepared tents surrounded by evergreen forest and the sounds of hornbills and monkeys, with a Mao River boat trip on arrival evening and a morning forest walk for wildlife spotting

  • Kambama and Nianiahun Village Cultural Walk

    After an early lunch on Tiwai Island, the group boats to mainland villages of Kambama and Nianiahun to explore traditional sacrifice sites, elder meeting points, birth ceremonial sites, and the blood stream hiding place for the weapons of ancient warriors. The evening returns to the forest for further monkey and bird observation.

Trip highlights for Sierra Leone – Forts, Chimps and Beaches

Full itinerary · 8 days

Prefer a PDF? Get the printable dossier
Dates & prices

Choose your departure

Reserve your place with a £350 per-person deposit; the balance is due 70 days before departure. Prefer your own space? A single room is available on every departure.

Our departures are guaranteed to run. We never cancel a confirmed tour.

  • Departure
    5 Nov 2026 → 12 Nov 2026
    Guaranteed
    From
    £2,495£1,995 pp
    Single supp. +£255
    Contact for availability
  • Departure
    21 Jan 2027 → 28 Jan 2027
    Guaranteed
    From
    £2,495 pp
    Single supp. +£255
    Book now
  • Departure
    18 Mar 2027 → 25 Mar 2027
    Guaranteed
    From
    £2,495 pp
    Single supp. +£255
    Book now
  • Departure
    4 Nov 2027 → 11 Nov 2027
    Guaranteed
    From
    £2,495 pp
    Single supp. +£255
    Book now
  • Departure
    2 Mar 2028 → 9 Mar 2028
    Guaranteed
    From
    £2,495 pp
    Single supp. +£255
    Book now

Can’t find the right fit?

Every one of our Sierra Leone journeys can be rebuilt around your dates, pace and interests — or we’ll design something entirely new.

Tailor my trip
What's included

What your tour price covers

Included in the price

  • Arrival and departure transfers
  • Overland transport throughout with professional driver
  • All accommodation
  • Services of English-speaking guide / tour leader
  • Meals as listed
  • Entrance fees for sites listed as part of the itinerary

Budget separately for

  • International flights (contact us for expert advice and a quote)
  • Any airport taxes
  • Travel Insurance
  • Visa – when required
  • Drinks
  • Items of personal nature
  • Tips (Discretionary)
Before you go

Essential information

Shared across all tours that visit this destination. Read alongside your individual tour dossier for trip-specific details.

Foreign Office travel advice

We constantly monitor official travel advice, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Sierra Leone Travel Advice, and will always advise clients of any warnings before departure. At the time of writing, there are no specific warnings against travel to the parts of Sierra Leone that we visit on our tours.

Please contact us if you have any specific concerns or would like to understand what measures are in place to ensure your trip remains safe and trouble-free.

For additional official guidance, travellers may also refer to:

Please note this information applies primarily to British citizens — nationals of other countries should check the current position with their respective government travel authority.

Voices from the road

What travellers say about us

Reviews from ninety-plus small-group adventures worldwide, written by the people who took them.

“Our guide and driver (Bassie and Idrissa) for the first part of our trip were excellent. In addition VSL went out of their way to collect luggage that had been left off the outward flight and return it to us in Masanga. This was much appreciated. The schedule went to plan and we were able to do all we'd hoped to do.”
Read full review

Traveller from the UK

“Excellent trip. The slavery and civil war history was sad and intense. I really enjoyed the chimpanzee sanctuary and the wildlife hikes at Tiwai Island. Saw may different species of monkeys. Banana Island on the Sierra Leone coast was also enjoyable. Overall an enjoyable trip.”
Read full review

Steven Main, USA

“Our driver was very curteous and drove expertly. We felt very safe with him. Our guide, Bassie, was exceptional. He was very knowledgeable and possesed a very good understanding of European travelers'mentality. He paid great attention to details, punctuality, and to our welfare. He went out of his way to find activities that interested us such as school visits. A job perfectly done. ”
Read full review

Gustavo Musto, Uruguay

“Great trip. I was wondering why more people weren’t on it as it was fantastic and I can thoroughly recommend Sierra Leone as a destination.VSL have been great, I used them for fuether travel after the tour finished, and Abdulai the guide was fantastic too.”
Read full review

Joanne Paver, New Zealand

“Visiting SIerra Leone was absolutely worth it. I've felt welcome, safe, looked after in an awesome way. The country is unspoiled. A real off the beaten track trip with high level standards. Especially amazing since the international tourism is only just starting up.”
Read full review

Tom Geirnaer, Belgium

“The tour leader, Olaf Stals, did a sterling job. Charming, accessible, enthusiastic and a good communicator. Olaf has an in-depth knowledge of the mechanics of seamless travelling and managed the group very effectively. The tour was challenging but very good organisation and professional tour leadership made it a success.”
Read full review

Gustavo Musto, Uruguay

“When asked by other travellers why I book with Undiscovered Destinations, it's because of the chance to visit places few, if any, other tour operators go to. ”
Read full review

Oliver Grumitt, UK

“The tour leader, Olaf Stals, did a sterling job. Charming, accessible, enthusiastic and a good communicator. Olaf has an in-depth knowledge of the mechanics of seamless travelling and managed the group very effectively. The tour was challenging but very good organisation and professional tour leadership made it a success.”
Read full review

Gustavo Musto, Uruguay

“Given the countries involved, I thought the accommodation was better than I expected. Our guide was knowledgeable. He was kind and provided snacks and stories to while away the very long driving days. ”
Read full review

Traveller from the UK

“An excellent trip. We saw all that we expected to and more. Very good guide, helpful and considerate. Tour met and exceeded my expectations ”
Read full review

Martin Robathan, UK

Want to customise this tour?

Make Sierra Leone – Forts, Chimps and Beaches your own — adjust the route, dates, pace or who travels, or start from a blank page with a specialist. We'll bring the details of this trip straight into your enquiry.

Customise this tour
Keep exploring

More Africa destinations

algeria-home-hero
Algeria

Algeria

4 tours available
Angola Tours
Angola

Angola

2 tours available
benin-destination-hero
Benin

Benin

3 tours available
burundi-destination-hero
Burundi

Burundi

1 tour available
All destinations
Ready when you are

Start planning your Sierra Leone adventure

Join a small-group departure, or let our Sierra Leone specialists craft a private journey shaped around your dates and interests.

Start planning your trip+44 (0)191 2316005

Common questions

Things travellers usually ask

  • How many travellers will be in my group?

    Maximum 12 travellers — that's the cap on every Undiscovered Destinations small-group tour. Small enough to eat in a local family home; large enough to share the wonder with other like-minded travellers.

  • Can I travel solo?

    Yes, solo travellers are welcome on every small-group tour. A private single room is offered on every trip, with the single-room supplement listed alongside the departure price. If you’d rather share, you can opt for a twin room with another solo traveller of the same gender. Around 60% of UD travellers come solo, so you’ll be in good company.

  • How fit do I need to be?

    Fitness requirements vary by itinerary, from gentle to demanding. The day-by-day tour dossier sets out walking distances, terrain and any altitude so you know what to expect. If you have specific concerns, speak to our team before booking — they can talk you through a typical day.

  • When are the next departures?

    The next available departures are 5 November 2026; 21 January 2027; 18 March 2027. See the "Choose your departure" table further up the page for the full schedule and per-departure pricing.

  • Will my departure definitely run?

    Yes. Departures marked Guaranteed on this page run whether one traveller books or twelve. We never cancel a confirmed tour for lack of numbers, so you can book flights and time off around it with confidence.

  • What's included in the tour price?

    Included items vary by tour — see the full list above. On this trip, expect: Arrival and departure transfers; Overland transport throughout with professional driver; All accommodation; and more. International flights and travel insurance are not included.

  • Where exactly does this trip go?

    This tour visits Sierra Leone. Each destination has its own page with practical information, climate, and the attractions our specialists recommend — linked from the itinerary above.

Trusted partners & accreditations