In its pre-war tourism heyday of the 1980s, visitors were drawn to Sierra Leone’s beachfront locations like Bureh, another white-sand haven an hour’s drive south from its energetic capital, Freetown. But beyond its famous western coastline, this Scotland-sized nation boasts a stunningly diverse array of landscapes. In the south-east, the Gola rainforest and Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary are home to chimpanzees, rare Diana monkeys, Bongo antelopes and more than 320 bird species. In the north, the Outamba-Kilimi National Park is a woodland savannah and sanctuary for hippos, elephants and colobus monkeys. And in the east, plateaus lead up to Mount Bintumani, one of West Africa’s highest peaks.

Dubbed “the forgotten industry” by some residents, tourism is now becoming a focus for Sierra Leone once again. A multi-year World Bank development project is underway, training tourism staff, building infrastructure and developing ecotourism sites in areas like south-eastern Sierra Leone, where the elusive – and endangered – pygmy hippo lives.

Now, a new generation of Sierra Leoneans wants visitors to reconsider what their country is all about. 

A new beginning 

“Growing up, I would hop around Tokeh Beach and Maroun Island, drink coconuts, get a lobster, and cook it for lunch,” said Wissam Stanger Sfeile, a freediving coach who competed for Sierra Leone in the freediving world championships. In 2016, he co-founded Bafa, an eco-resort on the northern tip of Banana Islands, a lush trio of islands south of Freetown.