Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, typified by warm temperatures and high humidity. Night time temperatures rarely drop below 24 °C and daytime temperatures reach 30 °C throughout the year. From October to March the weather is generally dry with many fine, hot, sunny days. From April to September is the rainy season. The rainfall increases to a peak in July and August and then decreases until rain has almost ceased by November.

Capital	Freetown
Currency	leone (SLL)
Population	7.5 million (2017)
Electricity	230 volt / 50 hertz (AC power plugs and sockets: British and related types, BS 1363)
Country code	+232
Time zone	UTC±00:00, Africa/Freetown
Emergencies	999 (fire department, emergency medical services), 019 (police force)
Driving side	right
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The country has a coastal belt of mangrove swamps with wooded hill country, upland plateau and mountains in the east. The highest point is Loma Mansa (Bintimani) at 1,948 m. It has 402 km (250 mi) of coastline.

From an approximate coastal belt 100 km (62 mi) long of low-lying land, the country rises to a mountain plateau near the eastern frontier rising 1,200 m (3,900 ft) to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) with an important timber forest region.

The peninsula, on which the capital and main commercial centre of Freetown stands, is 40 km (25 mi) long and 17 km (11 mi) wide with a mountainous interior.

Electricity is 220 V/50 Hz. Sockets are British standard. Supplies are unreliable, but parts of Freetown do now get a reasonable supply. The Bumbuna Dam hydro-electric project was commissioned on 6 November 2009 and links to other West African countries supplement this, however, this even with additional thermal power does not meet rapidly increasing demand. Away from Freetown, mains electricity is available in all major towns and some larger villages and comes and goes unpredictably.

In 1462, Pedro de Cintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now called Sierra Leone, naming the oddly shaped mountain, Lion Mountains. It came under British rule from 1808 until independence was declared on 27 April 1961. The country then became the scene of civil war from 1991 until 2002. Since 1971, Sierra Leone has governed under a constitutional republic.

Sierra Leone is home to 16 different ethnic groups, each with their own language.

There are no accurate figures for the religious make up of Sierra Leone. Most visitors will see that there is a near equal balance between Muslims and Christians. Like other west African countries, there is a long history of religious tolerance and cooperation between the faiths. Indigenous beliefs are also common, particularly in more rural areas. A significant part of the population believes in witchcraft and this has certainly hampered improvements in healthcare and disease control. The 2014 Ebola outbreak was reported to have made far worse by people believing it was caused by witchcraft rather than seeking proper medical treatment.

• National Tourist Board website

Everyone entering Sierra Leone must have a valid passport or travel document. Citizens of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) do not require a visa to enter the country. All other nationalities will require a visa, which are issued online, at Sierra Leone's overseas missions and at the air/land borders. Visa prices vary considerably at the embassies/consulates. Contact the local embassy for current prices (UK, USA). For non AU countries a single entry visa costs $80 online and at the airport. The official web site for visas is www.evisa.sl. If you get an electronic visa and intend to enter anywhere other than Freetown airport, make sure to take paper copies of the visa confirmation. Land border posts do not have access to the online system

• The Sierra Leone embassy in Gambia is a good place to get a visa, which costs US$100.

The international airport is at Lungi, the other side of the estuary from Freetown. A new terminal was opened in 2023 which is modern and meets a high international standard. Most people choose to use the water taxi services. There are now 2 main companies - Sea Coach Express (Pelican) which goes to Aberdeen Bridge and Sea Bird Express going to Murray Town. Both charge around US$45 for a single adult journey. The larger boats now have air conditioning and WiFi. The hovercraft and helicopter services no longer operate. Sea Coach Express now have a mobile app which gives schedules and discounted online tickets.

Three often-overloaded car ferries run to the east end of Freetown from Tagrin at the southern tip of Lungi, docking at Kissy Ferry Terminal, which cross the water in 45-70 minutes, but can take several hours including waiting/loading times. For those with a light load, local speedboats (US$1.25) and larger, slower "pampa" boats (US$0.50) are by far the most affordable, if not safest, option. They run fairly frequently, when full, on the same route as the car ferries. The landing in Lungi is wet, but porters wait to carry you in or out of the boats for a small fee (US$0.25).

By road it is 5 hours or more to the city, via Port Loko using some poor roads. This would probably be the most miserable route, and it's not clear that anyone uses it.

Safety concerns have been expressed over all of the different transport options from the airport to Freetown.

Brussels Airlines flies to Brussels 4 times per week and is the most popular route from Europe. Flights to Nairobi (Kenya Airways), Casablanca (Royal Air Maroc), Accra (ASKY Airlines, Kenya Airways), Banjul (ASKY Airlines), Bamako (ASKY Airlines) and Istanbul with Turkish Airlines are all available.

It can be very difficult finding seats in December because of local people returning for the Christmas holidays. Booking early is essential. Flight costs are very expensive in part because of high taxes in Sierra Leone.

Thefts from hold baggage used to be common at the airport, especially when departing the country. Security has been improved, but still carry anything of value in your cabin luggage.

Sierra Leone can be accessed by road from Guinea (Conakry) and Liberia. Special permits are required if transiting the border with a private vehicle. Private taxis, buses and trucks commute daily to and from Conakry/Freetown.

The Guinea (Kopoto)/Sierra Leone (Kambia) was open as of January 2013, as was the border with Liberia at Bo (Waterside) in January 2024. Roads on the Sierra Leone side of Bo (Waterside) are excellent all the way from Freetown. They are poor on the Liberian side as far as Monrovia.

Crossing with a car or motorcycle is made possible with the 'Laissez-Passer Pour Vehicule', available at the Guinea Embassy (US$40) and with the 'Vehicle Clearance Permit', available at the Sierra Leone Embassy (US$40). And additional 'Ecowas International Circulation Permit' will be required for Sierra Leone, available at the border for Le100,000.

An Ecowas 'Brown Card' may also be needed for proof of insurance for the vehicle. This can be asked for in Liberia.

The Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority has some buses which link the major cities. There are minibuses which can be used in Sierra Leone called poda poda. They are run by private individuals with some of the worst driving skills in the country and can cost Le2500-5000 (£0.50-1). There are no designated bus stops and so one can stand on a street and wave to get it to stop. However, be careful with personal belongings as petty theft is common on these buses. They are also usually dangerously overloaded.

Sierra Leone has the 3rd largest natural harbour in the world and is looking forward to the arrival of cruise ships. Cargo and Passenger ships berth at the Queen Elizabeth II quay, while some passenger/Cargo and private crafts can land at the Government Wharf in central Freetown, arriving most times from Conakry and Banjul. Enquiries should be made to Cargo Shipping Agencies. Seacoach Express run a fast ferry to Conakry.

The road network fell into disrepair during the civil war. However, there has been a substantial reconstruction programme which means the main roads to regional cities such as Bo, Kenema and Makeni are in excellent condition. The road to Masiaka from Freetown is dual carriageway and has toll at Hastings, Songo and Masiaka. In January 2024 the toll for cars was NLe4 which will increase to NLe10 from 1st March 2024. The road to Kabala mostly smooth tar, with a few terribly potholed patches. The road to Kono/Koidu is for three quarters tar, but the remaining quarter is in mostly terrible condition. It means it takes as much time to cover 3/4 of the distance as it takes for the balance 1/4. Government has planned to upgrade the last stretch.

The peninsular road is good from Eastern Freetown clockwise around the peninsular to Tokeh. Work is almost complete but at the beginning of 2024 the short section between No. 2 Beach and Tokeh being nearly impassable to all but high-clearance 4WD and motorbikes.

The roads in Freetown are difficult to characterize. In central Freetown, the main roads are mostly smooth and pothole-free, having been constructed from high-quality asphalt a long time ago. Side streets are often a mixture of dirt and gravel, sometimes with large protruding stones, deep crevasses, and other potential dangers. Some main feeder roads are in atrocious condition. Wilkinson Road and Spur Road have been reconstructed as dual carriage ways. The Hillside bypass road has also been constructed. Work has also been completed on Regent Road through the mountains, Main Motor Road, Wilberforce, Signal Hill Road, Aberdeen/Sir Samuel Lewis Road and Lumley Beach Road. The ongoing reconstruction works mean that roads can be closed and alternative routes have to be used.

Street parking on major routes such as Wilkinson Road is not permitted. This also applies to the layby's, where stopping is only permitted for a short time. The local police are using wheel clamps which can very quickly be applied. These will require a visit to the local police with Le300,000 to get released.

Driving under the influence of alcohol was often not taken seriously in the past. The police do now have breathalysers and will test and act against anyone suspected of being drunk whilst driving. Traffic lights have started to appear in Freetown and are usually observed by drivers.

When walking, always keep your eyes in front of you: most of the sidewalks in Freetown have "death traps" - missing blocks of cement that could lead to a nasty fall into an open gutter. For this reason, most Freetown residents choose to walk in the street and avoid sidewalks, a major contributing factor to the city's congestion.

Poda-poda is the Sierra Leonean term for the West African bush taxi. Poda-podas are a lot less fun than your average bush taxi, though, reflecting the country's relative poverty compared to the rest of the region. The vehicles seem to be stitched together with thread, always nearly at the breaking point, six people for each row of three seats, blaring hip hop turning off and on with application of the accelerator, never sure whose sweat that is, never sure whether it will make it up the next hill. They are really cheap, though. Intercity trips often cost Le1,500-2,500 (in 2017, less than US$0.50), and any trip within Freetown just Le1,000. Shared taxis are marginally more comfortable, but still packed to the gills, and usually about the same price.

The Sea Coach Express boathouse under the bridge between Aberdeen and Murray Town in Freetown is happy to charter the same nice speedboats they use for airport transfers to take you up and down the coast and up the Sierra Leone River. If you have a larger group of people, dropping US$300-400 for a daytrip down to the Banana Islands, Bonthe Island, Turtle Islands, or even just some random stretch of long-lost beach could be absolutely worth the cost.

Moto-taxi is a very efficient way of getting around, with low prices, decent mobility on bad roads, and the ability to skirt past traffic. But they are dangerous. And when traveling on dirt roads, you will wind up covered in dust, often choking on the stuff kicked up by larger vehicles. The driver is required to wear a helmet and to have one to offer to the passenger. Yeah, right. It's also against the law nowadays to have more than two people on one motorcycle. So if you have three people on one bike, and you are approaching a vehicle check, one person will have to get off and walk through the checkpoint.

Buying your own motorcycle is probably the ideal mode of independent travel. Even the worst roads will be passable in dry season, and you won't have to worry about being transported by careless drivers. Be aware that driving your bike inside the major cities is dangerous due to the crazy traffic, but outside the cities you should be OK as long as you wear a helmet with a visor to protect yourself from dust.

The unit of currency is the Leone, denoted by the symbol "Le" (ISO currency code: SLE). On 1 July 2022 new bank notes were issued. The new notes are similar in design to the old ones but are physically smaller and revalue the Leone by removing three zeros. The former Le10,000 note is now a Le10 note. The old notes ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 2024. Old Leone notes can changed at banks until the end of March 2024 and after that only at the central bank. New Leone notes are Le1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 and coins are 1 (10 old Leones), 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents.

Exchanging money is very easy, either through the black market or banks. The small bank at the airport offers reasonable rates. British pounds, euros and US dollars are most popular, although others are possible.

Credit cards are accepted in an increasing number of supermarkets, restaurants and hotels (Visa mostly). The airport duty free shops take major cards.

There are ATMs in Freetown and other bigger towns. Rokel Commercial Bank, Standard & Chartered and GTCO have visa card ATMs. Ecobank and UBA have ATMs that accept international Mastercard or Visa cards for cash withdrawal.

As much as Sierra Leone is a poor country it will surprise you with the high cost of everything. The lack of a good import system and high import duties plus 15% Goods and Services Tax (GST) mean that many goods are double the price that one would expect to pay in other countries.

Foreigners usually pay considerably more than the price quoted to locals when it comes to goods you find on the street so make sure to bargain and lower the price as much as you can.

If you are prepared to stay in cheap guest houses (and that means not a safe location with bed bugs in the bed) and travel only by local bus (poda poda) and eat only at street corners (not recommended for your health), you can get by in Freetown on a minimum of around Le220,000 (about US$40 in 2017) per day. If you want to eat a decent restaurant meal every now and then and stay in mid-range accommodation, a more realistic budget is around Le440,000 (about US$80). If you want to eat and sleep well, you can easily chew through Le880,000 (about US$160) per day.

The country code is 232. Sierra Leone has fixed line phone service in Freetown, Bo and Kenema. The mobile phone networks use GSM/3G/4G technology (as in Europe) and use is widespread. The format for dialling is: +232-##-######, where the first "##" designates the area code. Like other countries, when dialling locally, "00" is used to access an international number (and followed by the country code) and "0" is used to access a national number (followed by the area code). Nearly all towns enjoy good coverage as well as major national roads. International roaming is available. International calling is relatively cheap. Some of the mobile networks charge as little as US$0.35/minute to all countries with some countries costing just US$0.15 per minute.

Airtel was taken over by Orange in 2016 and was re-branded as Orange. It used to be known as Zain and Celtel.

Sierra Leone uses 112 for emergency calls from any phone network. Calls are free and will be directed to the relevant emergency service.

Internet access is reasonable. The situation improved in February 2013 when the country was connected by fibre optic cable to Europe and South Africa. Businesses may have fast fibre connections. Most people use mobile phones for internet.

Orange, Qcell and Africell offer 2G/3G/4G services which work very well. 4G speeds are comparable (and quite possibly better) than in Europe. USB modem 4G wireless internet is also available from Orange, Africell, Qcell and Sierratel. Video calling using apps like WhatsApp work well in all towns.