Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Sierra Leone

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Sierra Leone.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Time Difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Currency: leone (SLL)
Climate: The tropical climate has rainy and dry seasons, high temperatures, and almost constant humidity. The rainy season extends from May to November but is heaviest between July and September, when over half of the annual rainfall occurs. In Freetown, annual rainfall is 150 inches or more; inland areas receive less. The beginning and end of the rainy season are marked by frequent strong electrical storms, similar to those occurring during the hot summer months in the eastern U.S. Coastal temperatures during the rainy season range from a daily high of about 80°F. to a nightly low of about 76°F. Relative humidity in Freetown rarely falls below 80%, except when the harmattan reaches the coast. This current of dry, dusty air flows from the Sahara Desert toward the south and west, usually reaching Sierra Leone in December. During this season, which lasts through February, Freetown experiences its coolest weather.
Ethnic Groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans,
National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1961)
Geographic Coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Airports: 10

Health and Safety

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical facilities in Sierra Leone fall critically short of U.S and European standards. There are no 911 equivalent ambulance services in Sierra Leone. Trauma care is extremely limited, and local hospitals should only be used in the event of an extreme medical emergency. Blood transfusions can be life-threatening rather than life-saving due to lack of screening and poor quality control. Many primary health care workers, especially in rural areas, lack adequate professional training.

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