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A walker on a forest trail in the Loma Mountains No Hunting Forest Reserve

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Tours & Excursions

Half-day city tours, island crossings, rainforest walks and multi-week overland routes. Every itinerary here is one we run ourselves, with local guides and transport arranged from the Freetown desk.

Signature itineraries

Three routes we plan end to end

Documented day by day, from the airport pickup to the final departure, with what is included and what is not set out in writing before anyone travels.

Banana Island, Sierra Leone
11 days / 10 nightsSierra Leone

Heart of Sierra Leone Expedition

Eleven days across the country's headline sites: Freetown's museums and monuments, Bunce and Tasso Islands, Tacugama, Tiwai Island on the Moa River, the peninsula beaches, and Banana Island.

  • Bunce Island, the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast, founded around 1670
  • Tiwai Island and the heritage trail, including Boma village and Nainiahun
  • Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a 100-acre reserve established in 1995
The Wara Wara Mountains in Koinadugu District, Sierra Leone
9 days / 8 nightsSierra Leone

Sierra Breeze Adventure

Nine days from Freetown into the north and south: Rogbonko village, the Wara Wara mountains at Kabala, agro-tourism at Senekedugu, Bo's markets, Tiwai Island, and Banana Island.

  • Rogbonko village, paying homage to the chief and joining local cooking and basket making
  • Wara Wara mountain at Kabala, plus a local cotton weaver and an evening folklore performance
  • Agro-tourism at Senekedugu and the gold mines around Kabala town
Forested hill country of the kind crossed on the West Africa overland route
44 days · 8 countries · 3 joinable segmentsWest Africa

A Taste of West Africa

A 44-day overland route across eight West African countries, run with Oasis Overland. It splits into three segments that can be joined separately: Benin, Togo and Ghana; Ghana through Ivory Coast and Liberia to Sierra Leone; then Sierra Leone north to Senegal.

  • Trip 1, 11 days: Benin, Togo and Ghana, including the Dahomey royal palaces at Abomey and the Koutammakou landscape
  • Trip 2, 18 days: Ghana to Sierra Leone, including Cape Coast and Elmina Castles, Kakum, Mount Nimba and Tiwai Island
  • Trip 3, 16 days: Sierra Leone to Senegal, including the Fouta Djallon, the Bijagós Archipelago and Gorée Island

The catalogue

Find a tour

Filter by what you want to do and how long you have. Prices are quoted per trip, so every tour here leads to a written quote rather than an online checkout.

22 tours shown

A busy market street in central Freetown, Sierra LeoneHalf day

culture

Freetown City Tour

freetown

A guided introduction to Freetown’s Krio heritage, harbour, and city landmarks, the same city tours Tourism Is Life is known for.

Half day easy

Check availability

Chimpanzees at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary near Freetown, Sierra LeoneHalf day

wildlife

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

tacugama

A half-day visit to Tacugama in the forested hills above Freetown, pairing conservation with peninsula views.

Half day easy

Check availability

River Number Two beach on the Freetown Peninsula, Sierra LeoneDay trip

beaches

Freetown Peninsula

freetown peninsula

Beaches of the Western Area peninsula: golden and white-sand coves including well-known stops such as River Number Two and Black Johnson.

Day trip easy

Check availability

Banana Island off the coast of Sierra LeoneHalf day

beaches

Banana Island

banana island

The Banana Islands lie off Yawri Bay, south-west of the Freetown Peninsula. Dublin and Ricketts are linked by a stone causeway; Mes-Meheux is uninhabited. Access is by boat from Kent.

Half day easy

Check availability

Hiking trail in the Loma Mountains Forest Reserve, Sierra Leone, representative of Picket Hill forest trailFull day

adventure

Picket Hill

freetown peninsula

A full-day peninsula hike with forest and coastal views above the Western Area.

Full day moderate

Check availability

Fortress wall at Bunce Island on the Sierra Leone RiverHalf day

culture

Bunce & Tasso Island

bunce island

River journey to Bunce Island’s fort ruins and neighbouring Tasso, history at the heart of the transatlantic story.

Half day easy

Check availability

Hills near Bumbuna in northern Sierra Leone, the Bumbuna Falls regionDay trip

adventure

Bumbuna Waterfalls

bumbuna falls

A northern day trip to Bumbuna Falls through inland countryside.

Day trip easy

Check availability

Wara Wara Mountains near Bafodia in northern Sierra Leone3D / 2N

adventure

Wara Wara Mountain

wara wara

A three-day highland trek in Koinadugu District’s Wara Wara range.

3D / 2N challenging

Check availability

Sunset over Makeni in northern Sierra Leone3D / 2N

culture

Makeni City

makeni

Three days in Bombali District with Makeni as a cultural and market base.

3D / 2N easy

Check availability

Mount Bintumani, the highest peak in Sierra Leone and the Loma Mountains4D / 3N

adventure

Bintumani Mountain

bintumani

Expedition to Mount Bintumani, the highest peak in Sierra Leone, a signature Tourism Is Life trek.

4D / 3N challenging

Check availability

Rice cultivation in the inland valleys around Bo, Sierra Leone3D / 2N

culture

Bo City

bo

A three-day stay in Bo, Sierra Leone’s second city and southern gateway.

3D / 2N easy

Check availability

Tiwai Island wildlife sanctuary in the Moa River, Sierra Leone3D / 2N

wildlife

Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary

tiwai

Two nights on Tiwai Island in the Moa River, with primates, forest walks, and night sounds of the southern rainforest.

3D / 2N moderate

Check availability

Tokeh Beach coastline in Sierra Leone, representative of remote island beaches3D / 2N

beaches

Turtle Islands

turtle islands

A three-day expedition to the Turtle Islands: remote beaches and fishing communities off the southern coast.

3D / 2N moderate

Check availability

Gola Rainforest National Park landscape, Sierra Leone3D / 2N

wildlife

Gola Rainforest

gola

Three days in Gola Rainforest National Park, in pygmy hippo country, with hornbills and one of West Africa’s last lowland rainforests.

3D / 2N moderate

Check availability

Aerial view of Kenema, Sierra Leone3D / 2N

culture

Kenema City

kenema

Three days in Kenema District, the eastern hub for Gola and diamond-country travel.

3D / 2N easy

Check availability

Koidu market in Kono District, Sierra Leone3D / 2N

culture

Kono to B Kongo

kono

A three-day journey into Kono District, including B Kongo, eastern Sierra Leone beyond the tourist trail.

3D / 2N moderate

Check availability

Liberian rainforest, editorial stand-inCustomQuote

wildlife

Sapo National Park Safari

tiwai

Custom Liberia programme centred on Sapo National Park. Quote-only multi-country or Liberia-only.

Custom challenging

Request a quote

Forested border hills typical of the Mano River Triangle region, editorial stand-inCustom · typically 13 days · 3 countriesQuote

culture

Mano River Triangle

gola

A cross-border circuit through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the three countries that meet at the Mano River. One route, three national guides, and a single DMC coordinating the handover at each border.

Custom · typically 13 days · 3 countries moderate

Request a quote

Banana Island, Sierra Leone11 days / 10 nightsQuote

culture

Heart of Sierra Leone Expedition

freetown

Eleven days across the country's headline sites: Freetown's museums and monuments, Bunce and Tasso Islands, Tacugama, Tiwai Island on the Moa River, the peninsula beaches, and Banana Island.

11 days / 10 nights moderate

Request a quote

The Wara Wara Mountains in Koinadugu District, Sierra Leone9 days / 8 nightsQuote

culture

Sierra Breeze Adventure

makeni

Nine days from Freetown into the north and south: Rogbonko village, the Wara Wara mountains at Kabala, agro-tourism at Senekedugu, Bo's markets, Tiwai Island, and Banana Island.

9 days / 8 nights moderate

Request a quote

Forested hill country of the kind crossed on the West Africa overland route44 days · 8 countries · 3 joinable segmentsQuote

culture

A Taste of West Africa

freetown

A 44-day overland route across eight West African countries, run with Oasis Overland. It splits into three segments that can be joined separately: Benin, Togo and Ghana; Ghana through Ivory Coast and Liberia to Sierra Leone; then Sierra Leone north to Senegal.

44 days · 8 countries · 3 joinable segments challenging

Request a quote

How it works

From first message to landing in Freetown

  1. 01

    Tell us what you have in mind

    Pick one of the published itineraries or describe the trip you want. Dates, rough group size, and what you care about seeing are enough to start.

  2. 02

    We check what's actually possible

    The Freetown desk confirms availability with lodges, guides and boats before quoting anything, so the plan you get back is one we can run.

  3. 03

    You get a written quote

    Costs are quoted per trip and per group rather than listed as fixed prices, because accommodation, vehicles and group size all move the number.

  4. 04

    We handle the ground

    Once you confirm, we take on guides, transport, entrance fees, accommodation and the airport pickup. Nothing is charged through this website.

Plan your trip

Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what you would like to see. The Freetown desk replies within 24 hours, and a person reads every message.

Custom itineraries
Published tours are a starting point. Routes get rebuilt around your dates, pace and interests.
Groups and operators
The same circuits run for tour operators and private groups, quoted per group.