The golden sands of Bureh Beach might be Sierra Leone’s best place to unwind next to the ocean. Visitors come to this spot on the Freetown Peninsula—one of several uncrowded beaches near the bustling capital—to eat freshly grilled barracuda, kayak through a lush canopy of mangroves, and if they’re lucky, take a lesson with Kadiatu “KK” Kamara, a surf club instructor and the country’s most decorated female surfer.
The serenity along these shores has been a long time in the making. Once a center of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the 1700s, Sierra Leone was favored by European trading companies due to its natural harbor and numerous estuaries. By the time the U.S. stopped importing enslaved people in 1807, more than 400,000 people had been transported through Sierra Leone, making up roughly 16 percent of the enslaved workforce who arrived in North America. A short boat ride takes visitors to Bunce Island, the site of a former slave-trading castle, which has been called “the most important historic site in Africa for the United States” due to the number of people whose enslaved ancestors were held here.
In 1787, about 400 of Britain’s “Black poor”—some of whom were seeking refuge with the British Army during the American Revolution—were sent to Freetown as a home for repatriated enslaved people. Today, visitors can see many historic sites that link to this past, such as the Cotton Tree and Old Wharf Steps. On the waterfront, tens of thousands of liberated people walked to freedom through King’s Yard Gate before settling in what would become modern Freetown.
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For a deep dive into Sierra Leone’s heritage, stop by the National Museum. Here you’ll find 500-year-old nomoli figurines, which researchers speculate served as mini-gods, and a rare photograph of the Temne guerrilla leader, Bai Bureh, who ignited a war against British rule in 1898.
Sierra Leone has been on a long path to recovery since its civil war ended in 2002, which you can learn about at the National Railway Museum. Now Sweet Salone, as it is sometimes called, is investing in its future with a new solar airport (the only fully green terminal in all of West Africa) and environmental initiatives such as Sherbro Island City, which will be the country’s first wind farm and a vital protected habitat for endangered West African manatees.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in Western Area Peninsula National Park, offers educational forest walks through a refuge for rescued chimps, the country’s national animal. On the island of Jaibui, catch a glimpse of the elusive pygmy hippo. Or head out on a trip to Loma Mountains National Park on the east side of the country, where you can ask the local chief for permission to summit West Africa’s highest peak, Mount Bintumani.
— Alexandra Owens
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Get ready for an adventure! Delta Airlines and Atlas Obscura will soon unveil the top 24 destinations for 2024. Stay tuned!
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