Sierra Leone may be better known for its fascinating cultural experiences. But the West African nation has its natural assets too, including several world-class wildlife reserves that harbor species found nowhere else on the continent.
The country’s diverse habitats — from steamy tropical rainforests to dry savannah — provide an ideal home for many different species. The best way to view as many as possible is to visit the country’s national parks and reserves, prioritizing parks where you’re most likely to spot your favorite animals.
Head to Gola Rainforest National Park — Sierra Leone’s “Green Diamond” — to marvel at 49 mammal species, including the pygmy hippo, zebra duiker, forest elephant and the world’s second-largest population of the western chimpanzee. You can also spot Diana monkeys and several species of colobus monkey in the trees around the park’s Sileti Substation.
Nestled in the rainforest of the Western Area Peninsula National Park, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary rescues orphaned chimps and runs various conservation education and outreach programs to protect the species’ natural habitats. The national park also harbors red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, sooty mangabeys and Diana monkeys, and even elusive leopards that hide in the park’s hills.
In northern Sierra Leone, the woodland savannah of Outamba-Kilimi National Park is home to chimpanzee, colobus monkey, sooty mangabey, and hippos. River canoe safaris are a favorite way to explore the park.
Keep your eyes peeled for forest elephants and chimpanzees in the Kangari Hills Forest Reserve, one of Sierra Leone’s only remaining Upper Guinean Forest, an ecosystem that once stretched across much of West Africa from Togo to Guinea that has largely disappeared in modern times.
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