Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone. It's a crowded, run-down, and dirty place, but it's bursting with energy. Unlike other African capital cities that were thrown together at independence in the 1950s and 60s, Freetown has a long history of settlement by ex-slaves who came in the 19th century and gave birth to the "Krio" culture. There is a lot of interesting old Krio architecture around town, and the city itself is spread across beautiful green hills right at the seaside. There are good restaurants, lively bars, and friendly residents.
The Freetown peninsula is the only place in West Africa where the mountains meet the ocean, and there are many spectacular beaches strung out along the road that runs south of town. Accommodations run the gamut from very basic shacks on the beach to air-conditioned hotels marketed to the aid-worker crowd. The most popular beach is the white-sand strip at River No. 2, a couple hours south of Freetown. The road to the beaches is rough, but the government has promised to properly pave it soon. There are also long stretches of beach in Freetown itself, which are a bit dirty for swimming, but a nice place for sunshine and cold beer.
While the national parks of Sierra Leone don't offer the grand animal herds of the famous parks of East or South Africa, they do offer visitors some incredible experiences. In Outamba-Kilimbi park in the north, visitors can go on canoe safaris searching for hippos or track elephants along their trails inland, as well as observing many primates and birds. The Tiwai island sanctuary in the south has an amazing density of primate species and many birds. Both Tiwai Island and Outamba Kilimbi are long, tiring drives of 6 to 9 hours from Freetown. Just outside Freetown itself is the Tacugama chimpanzee sanctuary, where rescued chimps are rehabilitated.
Although Sierra Leone is a small country, getting around can take a great deal of time. Most local people and budget travelers use "poda-podas," which are shared minibuses that leave when packed absurdly full from stations in most towns. Also found at these stations are shared taxis that take fewer people at once. There are also scheduled buses run by the government that leave once a day to and from most large towns. In the wet season, between April and August, many roads disintegrate into muddy messes, and the only way to travel them can be on the back of a motorcycle taxi. There are many ferries on rivers that may shut down when the rain gets too strong. If you have the money, hiring an SUV and driver in Freetown is by far the fastest way to reach the national parks and towns. Any guesthouse or hotel can arrange this.
