3. 3
6-10 Luxury Tents = Very Personal Service.
• Each guest will be received at the Lungi or Monrovia Airports by
and a high level government agent.
• Guests will be met at airport by a diamond specialist to travel
with and explain about the mining process, as well as grading and
negotiating diamonds (all personnel are hand picked by Woodie).
• Guests can choose to spend the first day in Bo or be transported
directly to Sulima via 4x4 van (depending if flight arrival is at
Monrovia, Liberia).
• Each private luxury tent will have its own personal ATV, security,
a valet, mini- bars, and safes.
• Guests will meet with our chefs in Sulima to discuss a menu for
themselves at the beach resort, there is also a set menu and can be
substituted for local fare at any time. There will be a beach bar-b-q
and fish fry on the beach and a cultural show with some dinners.
Each guest will also meet with Woodie’s doctor for briefing on
health issues.
• Guests will be fitted for a custom made traditional West African
outfit made with material of their choice.
• Membership to an exclusive Wild Diamond Buyers Club. This will
include updates on mining, invitaFons to parFcipate in mining, first
chance aucFons on special stones, discounted future vacaFons, and
for special cases an offer to be a partner in future endeavors.
4. 4
Sulima
Where is Sulima and Pujehun District.
Sulima is a town in the extreme south east of Sierra Leone, lying at the
mouth of the Moa River. Originally a trading post in the nineteenth century,
it has a large population of refugees from Liberia.
The main economic activities include fishing, rice-growing, oil palm
plantations and diamond and gold mining.
Pujehun District is located at the southeast corner of Sierra
Leone bordering Atlantic Ocean in the southwest and the Liberia to the
southeast. The climate is tropical, with a wet and dry seasons. At the
2004 census the population of Pujehun district was 234,234 the estimated
population in 2010 was 276,970. The district has one of the lowest
population densities of Sierra Leone, with most people living in villages of
less than 2000 residents.
What Kind of Diamonds Can Guest Find?
Most of the diamonds that are found in Sierra Leone are white, coffee, and
orange, but many fancy colors are also available in the certain areas of the
country (in particular Pujehun District) including blue, green yellow, gold
and the elusive red. The colors range from D-K, sizes average about 1.5 to
3 carats, but it is not uncommon to see 5, 8, 10, or even 15+ carat stones
pop up. We also see a lot of 1 carat and below and industrial diamonds.
The clarity in the areas we mine tend to be D-G. So in short, we never
know what we will get, but it all has some value.
While white diamonds are plentiful and beautiful, fancy colored diamonds
consist of only 1 in 10,000 of the all diamonds in the world making them
incredibly rare.
6. 6
Are There Still ‘Conflict’
or Blood Diamonds’?
Absolutely not, in Sierra Leone all diamonds are mined legally with
licenses and all workers receive either a fair wage or percentage of
winnings. Also, all diamonds exported are cleared through the
GGDO (Government Gold and Diamond Office), where taxes are
paid and Kimberly certificates are issued to confirm the stones are
legal. Rough, un-cut diamonds require no duty to import into the
U.S., Woodie and Melvina have between them transported many
diamonds through customs.
The main reason Woodie is wishing to start the diamond safaris and
a reality series is to show consumers the good that can come from
diamond mining and buying with corporate responsibility, fair
practices, and public awareness and to change the perception the
movie Blood Diamond has left on this beautiful region.
One reason American Woodie’s workers love working for him is that
he never asks them to any work he wouldn’t do himself. Also, Wild
Diamond pays for countless children’s school fees and helps with
medical expenses for family members of all workers.
Is Sierra Leone a Safe Country ?
Yes, you can go almost anywhere in Sierra Leone at night and
feel safer then a lot of cities in America (except for the
mosquitoes). All visitors will stay in nice hotels, eat in safe
restaurants, and have personal drivers/security with them;
petty theft does occasionally occur due to the absolute
poverty of the country (although Woodie has never
personally experienced this). All in all, the Sierra Leonean
people are some of the nicest, most docile people Woodie
has encountered on his travels around the world. And, guns
are prohibited except for senior police or military personnel.
Also, Sierra Leoneans love America, Americans, and anything
from America, though there are very few Americans at this
time doing business here. One last thing, Sierra Leone is host
to the largest American Embassy in West Africa.
NO BLOOD, JUST DIAMONDS and HOPETM
7. For the past three years, Wo Little Rock, Arkansas) has been living in the Southern District, Sierra Leone, West
Who is American Woodie?
For the past three years, Woodie Butler (from Little Rock, Arkansas) has been living in the Southern District, Sierra Leone, West
Africa. This is a feat, that in his remote Chiefdom, no investor has ever duplicated before. In fact, he is lovingly referred to as
“American Woodie” by most of the citizens of Sierra Leone from Freetown to Kono to Sulima and all villages in between. To the
residents of his home village Sulima, as well as all citizens of Sola Bema Chiefdom, he is known as Woodie Zombu, adopted son of
the Paramount Chief. For a foreigner to receive such an honor as a sign of respect given to Woodie is a testament to the goodwill
and trust he as established in the Chiefdom. This title alone opens doors for Wild Diamond that other companies could only dream
of.
To see American Woodie, the only American within a good 100 miles, in his Realtree camouflage tanks displaying large arm tattoos,
matching hunting boots, and with a Peter Grimm cowboy hat on his head. He is taller than most local men, one understands why his
name and legend has spread like fire across this wild country. Any foreigners that meet Woodie always describe him as a “wild
Indiana Jones” with no fear of adventure and immediately ask why they are not doing a television show about his life in the bush.
Any given day, American Woodie’s house looks more like an exotic pet store than a mining compound with monkeys, crocodiles,
sloths, bush deer, chameleons, and various other species roaming the compound or in cages. And all the children of the village have
adopted him as their “uncle”, passing his house to and from school everyday yelling “Mr. Woodie, Mr. Woodie, Mr. Woodie!!!” over
and over again. If one enters his village, they are bound to see a number of Arkansas Razorbacks t-shirts or hats on the local youths
and Chiefs, as well as, his young wife and daughter sporting camouflage hunting shirts. You might even hear someone call the hogs
in their broken English.
8. 8
Wild Diamond Safari Sample Excursion Menu
Own Your Own Personal Diamond Mine
What is more exclusive than owning your very own
diamond mine? Have these bragging rights while finding
your special diamonds at the same time (this excursion is
only available in the dry season and is very limited
in availability and guest must agree to all terms
and conditions as well as pass a pre-reservation
Romantic Excursions
For the couple who have done everything together, there is
no greater rush than standing in front of a kicker with the
one you love, waiting to see if you have hit the jackpot. And
who can say their significant other took them to the deep
jungles of Africa to find a diamond that only matches their
love in it's singularity.
Engagement Ring Excursions
Finding the right person to marry and spend your life
with is as rare and hard to find as a diamond, which is
why a diamond ring is the symbol of that commitment.
What says how special someone is then to look for a
special stone to create a one of a kind ring and a video of
the journey from ground to finger. This tour can be
custom fit for a single person on an abbreviated time-line
(Wild Diamond Safari will even assist in a cover story) to
Very Custom Jewelry Excursions
For the person who has everything or at least every type of
gem, the conversation behind a piece of jewelry, and the
fact that you had found the diamonds yourself, will
empress even the owner of a top designer's piece.
For more discerning guests, arrangements can be made to
secure very special stones that will satisfy even the most
specific requirements of size, color, and clarity prior to
their arrival. These will come straight from the miners to
