Sub Saharan Africa

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

Travel Summary

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6.  The WHO website at: www.who.int has further details. Check Swine Flu for further information.
  
  
• Transport infrastructure is poor. None of the options for transferring between the international airport at Lungi and Freetown are risk-free. You should study the transfer options carefully before travelling, especially if you plan to arrive at night. Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff operate a policy of informed choice and presumed competence within certain parameters. Wherever possible, they use water modes by day and, if they choose to travel, helicopter at night. They do not travel on the hovercraft.  See the Local Travel (Getting to Freetown from the airport) section for more details.
  
  
• You should take sensible precautions and avoid demonstrations, especially in urban areas. Over the weekend of 13-16 March 2009 there were demonstrations between rival political supporters in Freetown.  On 13 December 2007 residents in Koidu town, Kono district, clashed with police during protests against a local mining company.  See the Local Travel (Travel outside the capital) section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• Visits to the Western Area of Sierra Leone, including Freetown are usually trouble-free.  The main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in Sierra Leone in 2008 were: replacing lost and stolen passports and dealing with arrests and detentions.
  
  
• Petty crime is common. You should exercise caution when travelling in Freetown, particularly in the Eastern area of the city and in the central commercial district.  You should take sensible precautions and maintain a high level of vigilance in public places.  See the Crime section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• Travel outside the Western Area can be difficult, as roads and infrastructure are poor.  See the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• There is an underlying threat from global terrorism. Attacks, although unlikely, could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• 139 British nationals required consular assistance in Sierra Leone in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (48 cases); hospitalisations (23 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (23 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (871 cases).  
  
  
• There are few health facilities in Sierra Leone.  We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling, including for medical evacuation.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.  See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel Insurance for more details.