The latest country to join the west African travel party, Sierra Leone is sure to be making a big splash in years to come!

So if you’re the sort of traveller that enjoys visiting places before the main backpacker trail blazes in, or the resorts start going up along the coast, Sierra Leone could be the one for you!

A colourful, chaotic, coastal cacophony awaits you in Freetown, the capital, where markets jostle alongside museums and the rawness of west Africa can be experienced in all its glory.

It’s here that you’ll find the best hotels across the country, an array of fresh seafood restaurants, some seriously incredible stretches of sand and a pumping beach bar nightlife that the young population of this country flock to.

And nestled at the edge of the capital, the string of stunning tropical islands that spread out into the Atlantic Ocean are like mini drops of paradise just waiting to be discovered.

From the Banana Islands to the Turtle Islands, most are accessed either by speed boat or local wooden ships that make the infrequent journeys around the Freetown Peninsula to these small inhabited outposts.

And then there’s Bunce Island, UNESCO-listed and the site of a former British slave market – heading here to learn more about the devastating British colonial rule in this country and the barbaric trading of West African people is a must when you visit Sierra Leone.

The more recent civil war and Ebola outbreak, which also tragically affected this country, are key to understanding Sierra Leone, which appears to stand on the brink of a more optimistic future.

Standing on the white sand, palm-tree fringed tropical beaches of Sierra Leone, looking at the blue Atlantic, one can almost taste it.

So if you’re interested in making an unforgettable journey to Sierra Leone, then check out these posts I’ve written about my adventures in this off the beaten track gem…