Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone and is the heart of the Western region, with well over a million inhabitants. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the estuary of the Sierra Leone River. The city lies at the foot of the peninsula mountains and faces one of the best natural harbours on the west coast of Africa. The peninsula is home to some of the finest beaches in Africa, including, Lakka Beach, No. 2 River Beach, Bureh and Toke Beach.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Freetown, like the rest of Sierra Leone, endured some very difficult times during the civil war. It was occupied by rebels twice and the resident population and infrastructure suffered badly. As stability returned, many Sierra Leoneans fled the rural areas to the city to escape the carnage. The country has been peaceful since 2002. The population of the city is much higher than it was prior to the war and has grown rapidly. This has put pressure on land and local services. Many areas of jungle have been cleared to house the new residents. Some blame the new developments for severe flooding of the city during the rainy season.
Local taxis run fixed routes and are shared rides. For the uninitiated, there is no real way to figure out where they are going, and they're busy making a living rather than trying to explain everything to foreigners. But they're so cheap (Le1,000), you can just hail one and see how long it takes you the right way before making a turn! Empty taxis will assume that foreigners want to charter a taxi (see below) and not share it. To let them know you prefer a shared ride, just declare "no cha cha" when you get on board. You can charter a taxi (cha cha) for a few hours, a day, or even days if one wishes. A decent price per hour is about US$5, for a day around US$50.
Many of Freetown's attractions are underdeveloped and not well publicised. The relatively low numbers of tourists visiting has meant there was not adequate incentive or financial reward for developing them. However, there are many hidden gems that can be well worth finding. It is not unusual to be the only visitor to some of them. A visit to the Aberdeen district will give a break from the busy city centre. It's a short drive from any part of Freetown by car or taxi. The roads are now very good, but watch the speed bumps on the beach road and Sir Samuel Lewis Road. There are small stalls along the beach road selling 'tourist' fare.
1 Freetown Golf Club, Lumley Beach Road. A round of golf or tennis at the club just off the beach at Lumley. (updated Apr 2020) 2 Casino Leone, 72A Cape Road. Gamble at the Casino in Aberdeen. Also has a bar, spa and beauty salon. (updated Apr 2020) Search out the remains of the railway infrastructure, from Hill Station, via Congo Cross to the center of Freetown. Discover colonial warship wrecks by scuba diving or snorkeling at Banana Island and a bbq on Jonobo beach Sport fishing Charter a boat for some world class game fishing or join the amateur angler's short fishing trips from Banana Island's fishing lodges.
Freetown has many high-quality restaurants, but very little in the tier below that. Being on the Atlantic coast, some excellent seafood is on offer. Barracuda, grouper, and lobster are readily available. Freetown has a large Lebanese community. Consequently, some very good Lebanese food is available at most restaurants. Following the opening of an ice-cream factory, ice cream cafés are becoming popular. Fresh peanuts called "Granite" (ground nuts) from the local sellers on Lumley beach and throughout Freetown. 1 Crown Bakery Restaurant, Wilberforce Street, Freetown Centre. The only "Western" restaurant on the city centre. 2 Crown Bakery Express, Wilkinson Road.
Apart from the hotels and restaurants, there are many bars along the beach road. There are countless small bars along every street, often catering for just a handful of customers. A former "must-see" for any visitor was Paddy's on the road into Aberdeen which was renamed as Quincy's. This bar was famous and was the only place to be consistently open during the war. Sadly it no longer exists and has replaced with an apartment block. Star beer is available on tap in better bars. Also worthy of a visit is the Hill Station Club at Hill Station. This old gentleman's drinking club was looted during the war, but the building survived and the bar will be opened for visitors.
Violent crime is rare in Freetown. However, there have been some incidents in Lumley and Aberdeen at night, near the clubs and bars. Petty crime is common - take care of possessions and be wary of leaving valuables in rooms. Thefts from luggage at the airport on the way out of Sierra Leone aren’t as common anymore, but do not leave luggage unattended.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Aug, Freetown typically sees ~26°C daytime highs and 31 rainy days.
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