Senior travel: Freetown

Pace for a day

About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 52 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.

Getting around in Freetown

Freetown is hard going for wheelchairs and strollers: steep hills, broken pavements, open drains and heavy traffic. Lumley and Aberdeen are the flattest stretch.

Pavements:

Broken, blocked by stalls and often absent; the beach road has a wider pavement.

Getting around:

A private car with a driver is the only practical option: ask for a vehicle with room for a folding chair.

Accommodation:

Ask about step-free rooms and lifts; power cuts affect lifts.

Toilets:

Hotels and larger restaurants only.

Medicines and health on the ground

• Travel insurance with evacuation · before flying: Medical care is very limited.

Malaria:

Malaria is common all year. Take prophylaxis as advised by your doctor, use repellent and sleep under a net or in AC. Seek help for fever.

Yellow fever:

A yellow fever certificate is required for entry; check the current rules with your travel clinic.

Food and water:

Bottled or filtered water only; eat hot, freshly cooked food; wash your hands. Cholera and typhoid occur in the rainy season.

Heat:

Drink often, use shade and rest at midday.

Sea and roads:

Swim only in shallow water; the sea has currents. Road accidents are the main cause of injury: wear a seatbelt.

Medical care:

Care is basic; serious cases are evacuated. Buy insurance with evacuation cover and bring your own essential medicines.

More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.

Ask your insurer

Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.

• What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
• Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
• Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
• Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?