Liberia Into Sierra Leone: Beaches, Wildlife, Traditional Villages and Jungle Roads

After several nights of bushcamping in northern Liberia it was time for a little luxury! Libassa eco resort near Monrovia is owned by a French couple who've created a stunning place to relax, catering mainly for the NGO and UN workers in and around Monrovia. They're always very welcoming to the novelty of tourists in Liberia, though we remain the only visitors they've had who choose to camp down by the lagoon! Above is their 'infinity pool' - and the only one in the area as far as we're aware!

Below is the lagoon, a chest-deep area of calm, clear water that's as warm as you'd expect a bath to be!   

Above is the beach by Libassa, a huge expanse of sweeping golden sand with few other people around to share it with. After some time to relax here we headed on to Liberia's capital, Monrovia. 

The Ducor Hotel is perched on a hill overlooking Monrovia, and used to be the definition of luxury, having been visited by various African heads of state such as Sekou Toure, Idi Amin and Houphouet-Boigny. It was closed shortly before Liberia's civil war started, but was unfortunately looted and damaged during the conflict. It remains a fascinating place to visit, and the security guards who keep squatters at bay were only too pleased to show us around the ruins of this once grand establishment. Below is a view from the hotel, down to West Point and the Mesurado river.

From the captial we headed west to Robertsport. This small town is just along the coast and always makes for a great spot to relax for a couple of nights. We camped on the pristine beach, watching the fishing boats come and go and just generally spending the day unwinding and relaxing. In the 1800's Robertsport was host to a colony of freed slaves, and though looted and damaged during the civil war, the town still hosts numerous rather decrepit plantation-style houses, reminiscent of what you will see in the southern states in the USA. 

Once over the border into Sierra Leone we endured a couple of bumpy and dusty days en route to the diamond-trading town of Kenema. We thought we were having a hard time on the bad roads until we came across a convoy of trucks carrying heavy mining machinery, whose drivers were having to dig out many of the big bog holes to give enough clearance to get their machinery through! Fortunately for us the route was dry this time around.

Below is a picture of Aminah about to cross a log bridge as we drove from Kenema to Tiwai Island.

Above are some of the young characters we met en route. Below is a fisherman from Kambama near Tiwai Island.

Tiwai Island is located on the Moa river and is known for its primates. Scientific research on the island started back in the 1970's as the chimpanzees here have been observed using stones as tools to break nuts. Fortunately the primate population on the island has been protected for some time after significant amounts of poaching went on during the civil conflict in the 1990's. We learnt that the monkey population on the mainland is higher than it used to be, as people are now more fearful of eating monkeys following the Ebola outbreak. This has, however, had a negative impact on the cocoa harvest as there are now more monkeys to spoil and eat the crop. 

Tiwai Island is also known for its pygmy hippos. Native to this region, pygmy hippos are particularly difficult to see as they're solitary, nocturnal, small and live in the water. Signs of where they were recently, and will be again at some point in the future, proved to be much easier to find than the actual animals themself! 

Below, Pooley and Spencer enjoying a morning boat trip looking for wildlife around Tiwai.

Below, Jase headed out with a fisherman who cast his nets in the river in the evening before collecting them the following morning. The catch was small but worthwhile as fish provides most of the protein in the diet of the local villagers.

Kambama is the closest village to Tiwai Island, and home to a tremendously welcoming community who were very pleased to see tourism returning after a difficult couple of years. We found their water pump had broken which was forcing them to drink the dirty river water. As they were unable to afford to repair the pump with so little income in the village we made a donation from our trip budget to enable it to be repaired. 

Above and below are students from the village school who came to perform for us. They are practicing for a performance they are putting on in a few weeks time to the surrounding villages.

Moving on from Kambama we spent Friday night in Bo, Sierra Leone's second largest city and well-known for its nightlife. The locals love a party, as we discovered when the tennis courts we were camped on became the dance floor for the evening! 

From Bo we drove west to the Freetown peninsula for a night on Bureh Beach, a magical spot to relax before we finished the trip in Freetown itself. The mountains of the Freetown peninsula come right down to the coast which is almost unknown in the rest of West Africa. Bureh is becoming increasingly famous for its surfing and even has a surf school, though it was very calm when we visited.

From the beach we drove into Freetown for the end of the trip where we sadly said goodbye to Steve, Spencer, Jess, Emilia and Pooley. 

At the same time we said hello to Deborah, 2 Mikes, Melissa, Alice, Chris, Mandy and Steve who joined us for the start of our Freetown to Dakar trip, and who are now travelling with us through Guinea. The beauty of the Fouta Djalon highlands awaits us!

Many thanks to Lexi for many of the photos in this post.

Less than 2 months from the start of the 2015-16 season!

Hi Everybody,

There's only a few seats left on our Southbound trips starting in October 2015, so now is the time to get in touch if you want to experience the magic of West Africa with us! If you do want to join one of our trips please remember that you will need to obtain a number of visas in advance before you travel, so you will need to book as soon as possible to ensure you can get all of the necessary visas in time.

After such a dreadful year in 2014 with the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra  Leone and Liberia, it's great to see the West African region finally returning to some sense of normality. There are now just a handful of cases being recorded each month, all of which are confined to a very small area (geographically speaking). Contact tracing is now much more efficient than before and has played a significant role in combating the spread of the virus. The vast majority of each of the 3 affected countries have been Ebola free for many months now, making travel through the region possible once again. 

Since we last posted a couple of months ago, Al and David (Hatter) have been busy getting Aminah ready and all of the paperwork in place in preparation for the upcoming season. We're pleased to say she passed her MOT first time with no advisories (that's her annual mechanical check for the non Brits out there) and also her tachograph calibration. All that's left to do is to stock her up with spare parts and food supplies for the big journey ahead. Not long to go now!

For those of you who don't already know, Jason Parry will be joining Al as the co-driver for our upcoming 2015-2016 season. We know Jason from his time working for Dragoman Overland, and though he has been away from overlanding for the past few years doing a 'normal' job in the real world, he is itching to get out on the road again!

We'll let the man himself do the talking:

"I fell in love with Africa when I spent 4 months working in South Africa back in early 2000. Since then, I have travelled independently in South Africa, Kenya and Namibia, as well as leading trips for Encounter Overland between 2006 and 2008.

I reluctantly left the road in 2008, intending to knuckle down for a couple of years doing a ‘proper job’ to secure myself some sort of financial security. My intention was always to return to overlanding, and after too many years of masquerading as a grown up, I am finally in a position to do just that. Hatter approached me earlier this year and could not have timed it any better.

I know Dave (Hatter) & Jimmy from my time working at Dragoman, last seeing them in person just prior to their first OWA season in 2012. Having recently met up with Al in preparation for the season ahead, I cannot wait to get back out on the road, and am looking forward to meeting all of the passengers and immersing myself in the diverse cultures, customs, and terrain of West Africa!"

As you all know we always love to highlight a more positive image of the region, and to support that initiative we recently found this superb article entitled "The Top 10 Least-Visited Countries in Africa" written by 'Travel Geek UK'. We're really pleased to see so many countries in West Africa represented, highlighting just some of the many reasons why you should visit West Africa. Click on the photo from Sierra Leone below to read the full article and to see more beautiful images from around the region!

We have recently partnered with 'Friends of Conakry Refugee School', where 26 staff offer an education to 500 students, provide them with a meal each day, and help with safe housing for the vulnerable. Guinea has historically received rather less international assistance than some of its neighbours, so it's great to see a UK organisation involved with such a valuable project.

Many of the children at the project are orphans from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire and simply can't afford to go to school. FCRS are setting up small business initiatives such as catering and soap making, and running IT and English classes for the local community in order to subsidise the education of the poorest. We plan to visit the school on our Freetown to Dakar trip, bring out supplies from the UK, and make a financial donation to the project.

You can see more information about the project here on the Friends of Conakry Refugee School website.

We're really looking forward to returning to West Africa and meeting all of you who are booked onto our trips in a few months time. To keep you going for now, check out the video below from our trips between Accra and Dakar in 2014 - showing off just some of the best places we visit in West Africa!

Dave the Hat, Al, Jimmy and Aminah

Overlanding West Africa

Bookings For Trips In 2015/16 Are Now Open!

Hi everybody,

We hope you're all well wherever you are in the world at the moment, and that this post brings as much of a smile to your face as it does to ours!

Many of you have been in contact with us over the past few months asking about our trips in 2015/16. We're pleased to let you know that we are now ready to take bookings!

Typical Market Scene Full Of Friendly Faces In Guinea, West Africa

What's The Latest Situation?

It has been a very tough year for us at Overlanding West Africa as you can imagine, though nothing compared to the tough year that the region we know and love so much has experienced. It has been truly heartbreaking to see so many communities we visit on our trips affected by the awful Ebola outbreak.

Thankfully the situation has now drastically improved!

Liberia has pretty much beaten the virus, with less than 5 cases since February. The East and South of Sierra Leone has been Ebola free for many months, and finally the rest of the country has caught up and started to report just a handful of cases a week for the last 6 weeks. Guinea has been more complex, with much lower numbers overall, but geographically more widespread. Thankfully that trend has reversed since February with only a handful of cases persisting around Forecariah and Boffa in and around Conakry.

Ivorian Stilt Dancer In Action At An Incredible Ceremony We Get To Witness!

Our Freetown to Dakar Group Bush Camping Between Guinea and Guinea Bissau

But Isn't There Still A Risk?

It's important to put the outbreak into context and remember the following:

- Well over 6,000 people have managed to recover from Ebola, and the continued advice from all sensible authorities remains clear - travellers are considered to be at very low risk, it is predominantly health care workers and those who care for infected loved ones who become infected themselves.

- We have to remember that Ebola is actually quite difficult to catch, being considered a highly infectious virus but not a highly contagious virus, unless you come into contact with the bodily fluids of a victim who has to be displaying symptoms of the virus.

- Senegal, Nigeria, and Mali all had outbreaks of varying degrees and managed to prevent it from spreading. Remember, there has also been numerous major outbreaks of Ebola in Uganda, Sudan, Gabon, and DR Congo over the past decade or so, and it hasn't deterred travellers from visiting these countries.

A good article that helps put the risk that the Ebola outbreak presents into context can be found here: Ebola: What Are the Risks?

Ali, Liz, and Lindsay Jumping For Joy In Guinea Bissau!

What Next?

Aminah (our truck) is ready to go for next season. Just 6 months to go before she heads out of the UK with Al and Jason for another adventure through West Africa with a seasoned bunch of travellers!

If you are still interested in booking a trip with OWA please email us via our ENQUIRY FORM or simply reply to the initial form you sent us so we know what trips you want to book onto. Many of you who were booked onto the season we had to cancel already have a deposit with us which means some of our trips have limited availability!

We will endeavour to respond to your emails within 24 hours of making contact with us, often much sooner, but please bear in mind we are expecting a lot of bookings in a short space of time so we appreciate your patience!

Remember we have a discount structure in place if you book more than one trip with us. All dates, prices and itineraries can be seen on our website HERE

We really hope you can join us for the adventure later in the year, please do email if you have any questions at all, and please do share the message on social media and with anybody you know who might be interested in travelling through West Africa with us.

Help us promote a more positive image of the region and play a small role in helping rebuild the tourism industry there!

Dave The Hat, Al Goodridge, and Jimmy C Overlanding West Africa

The Countries Of West Africa Where We Operate Our Trips

Busy Times Preparing For The Adventure Ahead

We've had a busy few months since getting back to the UK with Aminah at the end of April. There's only a few seats left on our Southbound trips this coming season, starting in October, so now is the time to get in touch if you want to experience the magic of West Africa with us!

Al and Hatter have been busy getting Aminah spick and span for her next adventure. She's now all spruced up, safely parked up in the UK, and ready to head back down through Europe in a few months time.

We're in the process of having some videos made from all the footage taken on our recent trips. We'll be releasing these on our You Tube Channel over the next few weeks. Below is the first of the videos, showing off some of the incredible dancing and singing our Dakar to Freetown and Freetown to Dakar groups got to witness at Tendaba camp on the banks of the river Gambia....what a night, check it out!

Stay tuned for more inspirational footage highlighting the music, dancing, colourful characters, epic roads, truck life and more from our recent adventures. Many thanks to all of the passengers who provided some of the footage used in this video we really appreciate it!

We're very pleased to announce that Jason Parry will be joining Al as co-driver and mechanic for our upcoming 2014-2015 season. We know Jason well from his time working for Dragoman Overland; he has been away from overlanding for the past few years doing a 'normal' job in the real world, and is itching to be out on the road again!

Jason fixing a passing donkey cart, and taking some down time!

We’ll let Jason introduce himself:

‘Africa has been under my skin since I spent 4 months working in South Africa back in early 2000. Since then, I have travelled independently in South Africa, Kenya and Namibia,, as well as riding solo for most of my time running Encounter trips for Dragoman Overland between 2006 and 2008.

I reluctantly left the road in 2008, intending to knuckle down for a couple of years in a ‘proper job’, and secure myself some sort of financial security for my future years. My intention was always to return to overlanding, and after too many years of masquerading as a grown up, I am finally in a position to do just that. OWA approaching me earlier this year could not have been timed any better.

I know Dave & Jimmy through Dragoman, last seeing them in person just prior to their first OWA trip. Having recently met up with Al in preparation for the season ahead, I cannot wait to get back out on the road, and am looking forward to immersing myself in the diversity of cultures, customs, terrain, and of course passengers!

Jason making sure nothing goes to waste!

We have recently partnered with 'Friends of Conakry Refugee' School, where 26 staff offer an education to 500 students, provide them with a meal each day, and help with safe housing for the vulnerable. Guinea has historically received rather less NGO assistance than some of its neighbours, so it is great to see a UK organisation involved with such a valuable project.

Many of the children are orphans from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire and simply can't afford to go to school. The school is setting up small business initiatives such as catering and soap making, and running IT and English classes for the local community so it can subsidise the education of the poorest. We plan to visit the school on our Freetown to Dakar trip, bring out supplies from the UK, and make a financial donation to the project.

There is much more information about the project here on the Friends of Conakry Refugee School website.

Stay tuned for more travel videos in the next few weeks, like this short one of Al and Nev driving through the jungle in Ivory Coast, and we hope to see you onboard Aminah in West Africa later this year!

Through Liberia, Sierra Leone And Into Freetown...

After visiting the wild chimps and vine bridges in Guinea, we had a chance encounter with Steve and Sita from Belgium! We knew they were in the region, and luckily through the power of social media we managed to cross paths just before we headed south on bumpy jungle roads to Liberia. Steven and Sita and their truck Izzie are on a big journey down to South Africa...great to meet you guys!

Aminah And Izzie The Mercedes Sisters! Meeting Steve and Sita From Belgium En Route In Guinea

First stop in Liberia: Kpatwee falls, a very special spot, a bit out of the way, but a great place to spend a relaxed afternoon in the shade of big trees, swim under the waterfalls, and walk up the trail to more falls higher up.

Liberian Man Washing His Tractor In Kpatawee Falls......As You Do!

A Great BBQ Feast At Kpatawee Falls, Liberia

The Enormous Tree At Kpatawee Falls, Liberia, Dwarfing Aminah!

Andy Draws Jane A Great Birthday Card

Next we saw something we hadn't seen in weeks: the ocean! Time to enjoy the Liberian coast and the beautiful golden sand beaches and the famous local hospitality. 

Some of us paid a visit to an island inhabited by a group of chimpanzees known as 'Monkey Island'. These chimps were rescued from a research lab run by the New York Blood Centre in Monrovia after being abandoned during Liberia’s troubles. They were released on this island and are fed daily by a devoted carer. 

You can see a short video and learn about the history of these chimps here:

This Poor Chimp Carried A 'Seat' Around With Him Wherever He Went, Much To The Amusement Of Others!

Kim, Curtis, Paul, And Derek On A Boat Trip In Liberia

Further along the coast we spent some time on the beaches around Robertspsort, a great spot to unwind amongst the crumbling remnants of former grandeur. We celebrated Martin’s birthday here with plenty of time to relax on the beach the following day!

Martin, John, Andy, Julie, And Simon Strolling Along One Of Liberias Beautiful Beaches

Saying goodbye to Liberia and heading west to Sierra Leone, the road was just as bad as we remembered, if a little drier this time around. We spent a couple of nights in a village, enjoying the local food, hospitality, fishing trips and swimming in waterholes.

Roads Through The Jungle, Broken Down Trucks, And Curtis Catching Dinner

A Warm Welcome In Eastern Sierra Leone, One Of The Friendliest Villages We've Ever Stayed In!

Our drive to Tiwai Island was disrupted by a missing bridge which was being dismantled and replaced. Fortunately it was hastily put back together for us! Tiwai Island is known for its pygmy hippos, but they are notoriously difficult to see, so we settled instead for a pleasant time on the river watching plenty of primates and birds rummage around this beautiful setting.

Aminah Crossing A Makeshift Bridge En Route To Tiwai Island....Nervous Moments!

Morning Awakes At Tiwai Island As The Group Get Ready For A Boat Trip

A Warm Welcome For The Group And Aminah At Tiwai Island, Sierra Leone

Our last night of the trip was spent relaxing at Bureh Beach on the Freetown Peninsula, taking a well deserved chance to relax and recharge. Some of the group headed off to visit Banana Island.

There's No Denying The Beauty Of Freetowns Beaches!

Windows: Gary, Paul, Curtis, Nicky And Simon
Standing: John, Kelly, Kim, Lisa, Jackie, Martin, Al, Juliette, Jane, Julie, Claire, Derek, Andre, And Andy
Crouching: Laura And Nev

A drive into Freetown’s busy traffic and markets bought us back to reality as we said goodbye to some and welcomed others to the group for our next trip up to Dakar.

Driving Aminah Into Downtown Freetown, Always A Hectic Affair When Going Through The Market

The Farewell Group Meal Produced A Large Amount Of Cash!