Best time to visit Sierra Leone

As with other countries in the region the weather is always balmy, thanks to the position of the equator, but the best time to go to Sierra Leone is the dry season of November to April, when the roads will be passable, and the weather good for wildlife visits and beaches. Read more details below, including Sierra Leone travel tips from our West Africa experts.

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Best time to visit Sierra Leone

The best weather is November, after the wet season but before the dust of the harmattan cast their haze over the country's blue skies.

Sierra Leone is typically tropical and has two seasons: hot and wet, and hot, dry and dusty. Since it’s close to the equator, temperatures remain pretty steady. During the day, it’s usually between 27°C and 32°C, although in the center of the country it can be a little cooler, particularly at night. Read on for further detail on the best time to visit Sierra Leone.

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Sierra Leone Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

191

JUN

349

JUL

752

AUG

804

SEP

507

OCT

282

NOV

111

DEC

When to visit Sierra Leone & when not to

November to April is the dry season, and the most pleasant time to travel, as you won’t have issues with blocked roads from floods and there are fewer malaria carrying mosquitoes. However, the harmattan wind blows down from the Sahara in December, January and February bringing dusty haze and uncomfortable dryness, as well as reduced visibility for both photography and sightseeing. In March and April, temperatures are at their highest and can reach an uncomfortable 38°C. Visit in May and you’ll escape the worst of the rains and also get to see (or take part in) Street Child's award-winning Sierra Leone Marathon. The heavy rains last from June to October, and are at their most brutal in July and August. For some time afterwards, access to more remote rural areas becomes almost impossible, as dirt roads are turned into muddy bogs by gushing waters and even Freetown suffers sometimes catastrophic flooding. The beaches are at their beautiful best towards the end of the wet season in late September to October, when the worst of the rain has subsided but the skies are still blue.

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Sierra Leone travel advice

Bimbola Carrol is from Sierra Leone and works for our supplier, Undiscovered Destinations: He has shared with us some insider tips on his home country.

Getting around

“Traveling independently means you have to worry every day about your movement from place to place, as situations in Sierra Leone can be very fluid and inconsistent. There are a lot of structures not really in place, for example, scheduled and reliable bus services. On an organised tour, you have a dedicated professional tour guide and driver to move around and this also gives travelers the opportunity to ask more questions directly to our expert tour guides for in depth information. While traveling independently you will need to be stopping passersby or always asking the locals to information which is not always reliable or possible.”

Safety

“Sierra Leone is safe and with a stable democracy. Not much credit has been given to the progress attained over the years. Bad things happen in other countries too, such as the crime rate in South Africa for example, or Kenya’s political issues. Despite this, the pull for tourists in these countries is very strong; a big difference is the PR machine. Sierra Leone has not been as proactive in making as much positive news coverage. Hopefully we can change this!”

Cultural highlights

“There are local artists, music festivals (such as Ma Dengn), festivals like the Lantern Festival, and sites like Rogbonko Village Retreat. The hospitality to strangers is certainly a highlight.”

Best time to visit Sierra Leone