25 Essential Sierra Leone Travel Tips for 2026

25 must-know tips before visiting Sierra Leone. Yellow fever, USD cash, malaria prevention, transport, culture, mobile money and more — from experienced Sierra Leone travellers.

Before You Go

1. Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory. No yellow card, no entry. Vaccine must be at least 10 days old at arrival. Keep the yellow booklet in your hand luggage at all times.
2. Start antimalarials before you arrive. Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil) or Doxycycline are the standard choices. Consult your travel doctor 4-6 weeks before travel.
3. Bring USD cash, new clean notes. Old or torn notes are refused. Mix of USD 20-100 is most useful. No ATMs in Lungi.
4. Print your hotel confirmation. Immigration may ask. Printed is safer than phone.
5. Check passport validity — minimum 6 months.
6. Get travel insurance including medical evacuation. Serious medical conditions cannot be treated in Sierra Leone. Medevac costs USD 15,000-50,000 without coverage.

On Arrival

7. Pre-arrange your first night. If arriving after 2pm, plan to sleep in Lungi — ferries stop at ~6pm.
8. Get an Africell SIM immediately. Vendors near the airport exit. Best 4G network in the country.
9. Ignore "helpers" at arrivals offering taxis. Use hotel-arranged transport or negotiate from the official taxi area.
10. Register with your embassy in Freetown within the first week.

Money

11. Forex bureaux give better rates than banks. Authorised bureaux on Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown.
12. Mobile money (Orange Money / Africell Money) makes daily life easier for longer stays. Set up with your local SIM.
13. Carry small denomination SLE notes for local vendors — they rarely have change for large bills.

Transport and Getting Around

14. Never count on the last ferry of the day. Cancellations happen. Plan ahead or overnight in Lungi.
15. Private hire cars with driver are the safest Freetown transport. USD 50-80/day with driver — removes all navigation and safety stress.
16. Freetown traffic is legendary. Add 1.5-2x travel time to every Freetown journey during peak hours.

Culture and Daily Life

17. Greet people properly. "How de body?" (How are you?) opens every positive interaction. Rushing past without greeting is rude.
18. Learn 10 words of Krio. The response to the attempt is instant warmth.
19. Charge everything when power is on. Load shedding means hours daily without grid power. Always carry a power bank.
20. Only drink sealed bottled water. Never tap water. Confirm bottles are sealed before accepting.
21. Ask before photographing people. Always. A smile and gesture does it — but ask.
22. Friday 1-3pm many businesses close for Juma (Friday prayers). Plan accordingly.

23. Malaria symptoms can appear 7-30 days after a bite. If you develop fever after returning home, tell your doctor you were in a malaria zone immediately.
24. Rainy season (May-Oct) makes rural roads very difficult. 4WD essential for anything off the main paved roads.
25. Globe2Me is your best planning resource. Use us to compare hotels, arrange transport, and access up-to-date local information before and during your trip.