Capital: Freetown
Time zone: GMT
Telephone services: Country Code: 232
Outgoing Code: International calls must be made through the operator.
Emergency telephone numbers: 223 961/5 (Embassy)
Tourist information: National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone, International Conference Centre, Aberdeen Hill, PO Box 1435, Freetown, Sierra Leone Tel: (22) 272 520 or 272 396 Fax: (22) 272 197.
Passport information: Valid passport required. Return Ticket Required. Requirements may be subject to change at short notice. Contact the Embassy before departure.
Visa information: Required by all except nationals of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Republic, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo ( a return ticket is required by these nationals for visits of less than 90 days.)
Health information: Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended
Malaria: Exists all year throughout the country in the Falciparum variety. Resistance to chloroquine has been reported
Yellow Fever: Vaccination is strongly recommended to all visitors if planning to journey into rural areas. A vaccination certificate is required for travellers arriving from infected areas. Other Health Risks: Bilharzia, Cholera, Rabies .
Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption.
Currency: Leone (Le) = 100 cents NOTE: Import and export of local currency is limited to Le 50000.
Amex is accepted, but all other credit cards are unacceptable. Travellers cheques are accepted, in US dollars or sterling, preferably.
ATM availability: Unavailable.
Cost of living: Expensive.
Languages: English Krio (widely spoken) other local dialects.
Weather: Climate is tropical and humid all year round. May – Nov = the raining season.
Electricity: 220240 Volts AC 50 Hz Supply subject to variations.
Post: 5 days to Europe.
Transport: ROADS: Secondary roads are impassable during the rainy season. There are many road blocks at night on major roads near the centres of populations. There is a major petrol shortage with up to 48 hour waits at petrol stations. DOCUMENTATION IDP is required.
Special information: EXTREME RISK: The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel. All foreign nationals are being evacuated. A curfew 23:00 to 06:00 is strictly enforced. Due to the coastal curfew small boats must be off the sea by 18:00. People breaking curfew risk being shot. There is little or no cunsular assistance in Sierra Leone.