Sierra Leone is a country best known for the civil war that raged between 1991 and 2002 and the infamous “blood diamonds”. But Sierra Leone is also a country with a very rich ecosystem and many assets that are still too little known. White sandy beaches, crystal clear water, tropical forests, the country has the most beautiful coasts in West Africa. But this paradise has been forgotten by tourists for 30 years.
At first glance, Freetown looks like most West African capitals: a lot of traffic, very motley buildings and an obvious mess. I’m in the Godrich district with Abdulay. He is a tourist guide and passionate about the city’s history.
“There are so many things to see in Freetown … Freetown, for example, is fortunate to have hosted the first university in West Africa, Fourah Bay High School, it is a unique and very beautiful building. We also have the railway, the national museum … You can also visit the old Krio houses, sublime to see … ”
But for 20 years, the country has been hit by the stigma after its civil war and tourists have left. Until the end of the 1980s, however, the country was a very popular destination, especially for its beaches. In Bureh, the environment is always breathtaking: tropical forest, white sand, crystal clear water. Ibrahim is the manager of a boarding house on the beach.
“We are on Bureh beach, one of the most famous in Sierra Leone and West Africa, people come from Freetown, because the beach is beautiful, there is the sea, we also have the forest. And rivers, but we do not have tourists from Europe or Asia “Most people who come here live in Freetown.”
Pauline is one of them. She lives in the capital and spends the weekend here with her family. “It really is a beautiful place that few people know about. people are afraid to come to Sierra Leone and they are missing something, it really is extraordinary. ”
Sierra Leone is trying to attract new investors to grow its tourism sector. In Tokeh, Vinod Kumar Bahuguna spent 20 million euros on his hotel. 50 cottages, the largest pool in the country and an advanced standard.
“This is the largest investment in the hospitality sector in Sierra Leone since the end of the war. You know I’ve been to Senegal I’ve been to Gambia I’ve been to Nigeria and the beauty of what we have here you can not compare, without any other place in the world but people do not know! “
Sierra Leone also makes many efforts to attract customers: cheaper visas, better infrastructure, development of ecotourism, but the offer is still limited and prices very high compared to other destinations in the region.
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