Sierra Leone itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick your length first, then check the month: outside Nov–Apr, peninsula roads and island boats get unreliable and Tiwai access can close. Costs below are 2026 estimates for one person per day, mid-range, excluding international flights.

Day 1–2, Freetown. Land at Lungi, cross the estuary, and use the first day for the old centre on foot: the National Museum, St George's Cathedral and the Fourah Bay ruins. Note the Cotton Tree, the city's symbol, fell in 2023. Day 2 afternoon, Lumley Beach or a half-day at Tacugama chimp sanctuary in the hills.

Day 3–4, River No. 2 or Tokeh. Roughly 1–1.5 h by road from Freetown on the peninsula, longer in rain. Stay over rather than day-trip; the road is slow and the point of the peninsula is the evening and morning light.

Day 5–6, Banana Islands. Boat from Kent or Dublin, weather dependent; arrange the crossing with your lodge in advance. Snorkelling, walking and little else — that is the appeal.

Day 7, back to Freetown for one night, then the Lungi crossing. Do not schedule the island-to-airport run on the same day.

The 10-day version swaps a Freetown night for Bureh Beach (surf and a community lodge, 1–2 nights) and adds Tiwai Island, 2 nights, reached by car with a driver in 6–8 h each way. Tiwai guides should be booked ahead; night walks are when you see pottos and galagos.

The 14-day version keeps Freetown at 3 nights, then peninsula, Banana Islands, Tiwai and Gola Rainforest at 2 nights each, finishing with 3 nights in Monrovia. That means a Liberia visa arranged in advance and a daytime crossing at the Mano River bridge. If the Liberia paperwork is not ready, replace Monrovia with 3 more nights split between Gola and Freetown.

Three weeks lets you add the north or the high country without cutting the coast short. One shape: the 14-day route, then back from Monrovia or Freetown to Makeni for Outamba-Kilimi National Park, or to the Loma Mountains for the Mount Bintumani trek (3–4 nights, Dec–Mar only).

Both add-ons need a vehicle and a guide arranged in advance, and both are seasonal. Treat the extra week as the flexible part of the trip and confirm access locally before committing.

Sort the e-visa or visa on arrival and the yellow-fever certificate before anything else — they gate the whole plan. The Lungi crossing (sea coach, ferry or road) is the single most common thing travellers get wrong; always keep a buffer day before an international flight.

Cash matters. Carry new, clean leone notes and some US dollars for lodges, and do not rely on ATMs outside Freetown. Agree driver and boat prices before you set off. Roads are slow, so plan fewer stops than you would in Europe or the US.

This is a dry-season plan. In the rains, peninsula roads and island boats become unreliable and forest access can close, so shorten the route and stay closer to Freetown.