Best Time To Travel To: Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa. The country has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. A lowland spreads from the coast, which then turns into mountainous regions towards the inland. However, their heights hardly exceed 1,000 meters.

The sun is low from October to March. Then the weather is usually warm with lots of very sunny days. The sun is high from April to September. Then it is the rainy season in Sierra Leone. The tendency towards precipitation increases from April to July and August, where it reaches its peak. Then it decreases more and more until there is hardly any rain in November.

On the coast you can find relatively constant high temperatures all year round. During the dry season, the temperatures inland are generally higher. During the rainy season, the high temperatures lead to quite a high level of humidity.

The climate in this region was considered to be rather unpleasant and unhealthy. Sierra Leone was once referred to as the white man's tomb. However, today it is assumed that it was less the climatic conditions than typical tropical diseases that were responsible for the death of many Europeans.

Nevertheless, especially in the rainy season, the climate in Sierra Leone has to be described as rather unpleasant. In addition, during the dry season you always have to reckon with a strange fog or haze, which is brought into the country by the northeast wind Harmattan. During the rainy season, the sun does not shine very often on the coast. The further you get into the country, the friendlier it becomes. In summer it is very sunny, but some parts of the coast are rather unfavorable and get a maximum of 5-6 hours of sun. Basically, you have to reckon with quite cool nights in the higher regions of the country.

The best time for Sierra Leone is likely to be during the dry season from October to March, whereby the phase from November to February should be emphasized. The climate table below for Freetown could be seen as typical for the climate in most of the country.