One of West Africa´s smaller countries – a bit more wee than Scotland and a smidge bigger than Delaware plus West Virginia – the landscape of Sierra Leone (pop. 8.9 million) is a tropical mix of rainforests and savannahs. It was originally founded by the British in 1808 as a refuge – like next-door Liberia – for freed slaves (although its curious name dates back to 1462, when explorers sailing the coast from Portugal dubbed the mountains they spotted the “Serra Leoa,” which means Lion Mountain Range in archaic Portuguese).
After 153 years as a Crown Colony, SL proceeded to have a troubled post-colonial history, including a traumatizing 11-year civil war (1991 to 2002), but for a generation has been a peaceful parliamentary democracy, even though sadly it remains one of the world´s ten most impoverished countries. Nonetheless, SL is rich in experiences for visitors, particularly in ecotourism, and here are ten standouts:
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