Banana Islands Day Trip
Lying just off the southern tip of Sierra Leone's Freetown Peninsula, the Banana Islands feel like a secret the mainland forgot to mention. Three small islands — Dublin, Ricketts, and the uninhabited Mes-Meheux — strung together by a stone causeway built by freed slaves in the 19th century, surrounded by coral-flecked water clear enough to see your toes in. A day trip here is the kind of experience that makes you put your phone away for hours at a time, then frantically pick it back up because you have to photograph something else.
If you only have one day to escape Freetown's traffic and humidity, this is the trip to take. Below is everything you actually need to know — how to get there, what it costs, what to eat, where the snorkelling is good, and the small details that turn a good day into a great one.
Why the Banana Islands deserve a full day
This is not a beach where you'll find loungers, beach bars pumping music, or jet skis. The Banana Islands are quiet in a way that surprises first-time visitors. There are no cars. The "main road" on Dublin Island is a sandy path lined with mango and breadfruit trees. Goats wander past colonial-era cannons. Fishermen mend nets in the shade. The total population across both inhabited islands is under a thousand people, and most of them are descendants of the Krio settlers and liberated Africans who arrived in the 1820s.
What you come for is a layered experience: history, snorkelling over old shipwrecks and coral, a fresh seafood lunch cooked over charcoal, walks through tropical forest, and the slow rhythm of a place where the loudest sound is usually the surf. You'll leave understanding why so many travellers say the Banana Islands were the highlight of their trip to Sierra Leone.
How to get to the Banana Islands from Freetown
The journey itself is part of the adventure. There are two stages: drive to Kent Beach at the southern tip of the peninsula, then take a boat across.
Stage 1: Freetown to Kent Beach
Kent is roughly 35 kilometres south of central Freetown, but allow at least 90 minutes — sometimes two hours — depending on traffic out of Lumley and Aberdeen. The road follows the coast past River No. 2 Beach, Tokeh, and Bureh Beach, all of which are worth a separate visit. From Lumley, the route winds along the peninsula with sea views on your right and forested hills on your left.
You have three sensible options for the road portion:
- Private taxi or driver hire: Around 800,000–1,200,000 SLE (roughly $35–55 USD) for a return trip with waiting time. The most comfortable option and what most travellers choose.
- Ride-hailing app: Yegomoto and similar apps cover parts of the peninsula, but availability for Kent is hit-or-miss. You may struggle to get a ride back.
- Poda-poda and shared taxi: The cheapest option at under 100,000 SLE total, but it's slow, hot, and involves multiple changes. Not recommended unless you're already comfortable with West African public transport.
Stage 2: Kent Beach to Dublin Island
From Kent, it's a 20–30 minute boat ride across the channel to Dublin, the larger and more visited of the two main islands. Boats leave throughout the morning and the cost is typically 200,000–400,000 SLE per person return, depending on whether you join a shared boat or charter your own. If you've booked accommodation on the island in advance — places like Dalton's Banana Guesthouse or Bafa Resort — they will usually arrange the boat for you, which is by far the smoothest way.
The crossing itself is gorgeous on a calm morning. Look out for flying fish skipping ahead of the bow and, if you're lucky, dolphins between the islands. Wear a hat and reef-safe sunscreen — there's no shade on a fishing pirogue.
The best time to visit
Sierra Leone has two clear seasons, and the difference matters enormously for a Banana Islands day trip.
Dry season (November to April) is ideal. Skies are clear, the sea is calm, water visibility for snorkelling can reach 10 metres, and the boat crossing is comfortable. December through February is peak — book transport and any guesthouse meals ahead, especially around Christmas and New Year when Freetown's diaspora returns home.
Rainy season (May to October) is more challenging. Boat crossings can be cancelled in heavy weather, the sea churns up sand and cuts visibility, and forest paths get muddy. That said, September and October can be surprisingly pleasant, with fewer visitors and lush, dripping greenery. Just build flexibility into your plans.
Whatever month you choose, leave Freetown by 7:30 AM at the latest. You want to be on a boat by 10 AM to maximise your time on the islands.
What to do once you arrive
Snorkelling and swimming
The water around the Banana Islands is some of the clearest in Sierra Leone. The most popular snorkelling spot is just off the western shore of Dublin, where there's a partially submerged Portuguese-era wreck encrusted with soft coral and home to parrotfish, sergeant majors, and the occasional barracuda. A local guide — usually arranged through the guesthouses for around 100,000–200,000 SLE — will take you out by canoe. Bring your own mask and snorkel if you can; rental gear is limited and not always in great shape.
For swimming without the snorkel, the small beach in front of Dalton's is sheltered and gently shelving. There's a more dramatic stretch of sand on the eastern side of the island reachable by a 25-minute walk through the village.
The slave trade history walk
The Banana Islands have a difficult, important history. From the 17th to early 19th century they were a holding point in the transatlantic slave trade, and physical evidence remains. Local guides — ask at any guesthouse — will take you to see rusted iron rings still set into rocks where captives were chained, the remains of a Portuguese church, cannons, and graves of British and American settlers. The walk takes about two hours and costs 150,000–250,000 SLE per group. It's a sobering and essential counterweight to the postcard scenery.
If this kind of history interests you, pair the trip with a visit to Bunce Island, the more famous slave fort upriver from Freetown, on a separate day.
The causeway to Ricketts
At low tide you can walk across the stone causeway that connects Dublin to Ricketts Island. It's roughly 200 metres long, slippery in places, and the views back across the channel are excellent. Ricketts itself is sleepier than Dublin, with a tiny fishing village and a couple of small beaches. Check tide times before you set out — your guesthouse will know.
Forest walks and birdwatching
Dublin Island is covered in secondary tropical forest. Footpaths thread through groves of mango, papaya, cocoa, and giant cotton trees. Birders should bring binoculars: African pied hornbills, woodland kingfishers, and various sunbirds are common, and the islands sit on a migration flyway in November and March.
Where and what to eat
This is one of the highlights, honestly. Lunch on the Banana Islands usually means whatever the boats brought in that morning — barracuda, snapper, lobster, prawns, sometimes squid — grilled over coconut-husk charcoal and served with rice, plantain, and a cassava-leaf or okra sauce.
Dalton's Banana Guesthouse and Bafa Resort both serve excellent set lunches for around 250,000–500,000 SLE depending on what you order. Lobster is the splurge and worth it; expect it simply grilled with garlic butter and lime. Crucially: order ahead. Phone or message your chosen spot the day before so they can have ingredients ready. Showing up unannounced and asking for lobster at noon usually ends in disappointment.
Bring cash. There are no card machines, no ATMs, and patchy mobile money coverage. Carry small denominations of leones — breaking a 100,000 SLE note for a cold Star beer is sometimes more drama than it should be.
What to pack for the day
- Reef-safe sunscreen (the sun reflecting off the water is brutal, even on cloudy days)
- Wide-brim hat and sunglasses
- Mask and snorkel if you have them
- Quick-dry towel and a change of clothes for the boat ride back
- Reusable water bottle — Dublin has limited bottled water and refills are easier than buying plastic
- Insect repellent for late afternoon
- Cash in leones, in mixed denominations
- Dry bag or zip-lock for your phone and passport during the boat crossing
- Sturdy sandals or trainers for the village walks and causeway
- A small first-aid kit with plasters — coral and rocks are unforgiving on bare feet
Sample one-day itinerary
Here's a tested schedule for a comfortable but full day:
- 7:00 AM: Leave your Freetown hotel
- 8:30 AM: Arrive Kent Beach, meet your boat
- 9:00 AM: Boat crossing
- 9:30 AM: Arrive Dublin, drop bags at the guesthouse, change into swim gear
- 10:00 AM: Snorkelling trip to the wreck
- 12:30 PM: Lunch (pre-ordered) — grilled fish, rice, cold drinks
- 2:00 PM: Slave history walk with a local guide
- 4:00 PM: Free time — swim, walk to the causeway, hammock nap
- 5:30 PM: Boat back to Kent
- 6:00 PM: Drive back to Freetown
- 7:30 PM: Arrive Freetown — sunset visible from the peninsula road if you time it right
Should you stay overnight instead?
Honestly, if your schedule allows it, yes. A day trip works, but the islands are most magical at dawn and after the last boat leaves, when the village settles into kerosene-lamp quiet and the stars are extraordinary. Both Dalton's and Bafa Resort offer simple but comfortable rooms for around $40–80 USD per night including meals. Two days and one night gives you time to slow down, do an extended snorkel session, and walk to Ricket