The document provides information on several ecotourism destinations and protected areas in Sierra Leone that offer opportunities for wildlife viewing, hiking, and community engagement. It describes the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Gola Rainforest National Park, Jaibui Island, Loma Mountains National Park, Sorbengi, and includes a proposed 10 day itinerary visiting these locations. It also provides details on Charles Showers, a wildlife expert and guide who supports conservation efforts in Sierra Leone through his work with organizations like the Tacugama sanctuary and Conservation Society of Sierra Leone.

3. TACUGAMA CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY
• Activities: Chimpanzee Rescue, Community Conservation, Environmental
Education, Field Research, Advocacy, Law Enforcement
• Story: Situated in the rainforest of Western Area National Park. The sanctuary
was founded by Bala Amarasekaran, a Sri Lankan conservationist who built the
sanctuary after adopting and housing chimpanzees in his home. Twice-daily
tours of the sanctuary are available allowing visitors to see rescued chimps
explore their surroundings and spot rehabilitated chimps who have been
released to a larger area in the mountains beyond.
• Wildlife: The Sanctuary is home to over 100 rescued chimps - most of which are
less than five years old and would normally still be suckling milk from their
mothers. Many are mistreated by their owners, injured, malnourished or disabled;
they have been abandoned or illegally sold as pets.
• Eco-tourism:
• The sanctuary is also home to six eco-lodges nestled within 100 acres of
West African jungle. Guests can explore nearby Krio villages and take in the
beauty of surrounding waterfalls with a stroll on one of the marked nature
trails
• All proceeds go towards our conservation programmes. Each eco-lodge is
uniquely named in memory of a special chimp that has lived at Tacugama

4. TIWAI ISLAND
• Activities: Guided wildlife walks, tracking animals (including mongoose,
monkeys and squirrels), river rides and otter spotting on the beach
• Wildlife:
• Tiwai Island (Mende for ‘Big Island’) is a wildlife sanctuary and
community-led tourism site within the heart of the Upper Guinea Forest of
West Africa, in south-eastern Sierra Leone
• The Upper Guinea Forest is one of the world’s ‘25 biodiversity hotspots’
with the highest mammalian diversity of any tropical forest
• There is some of the most diverse chimpanzee and monkey populations
and more than 700 species of plants life, not to mention the elusive
pygmy hippo found only in Liberia, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Sierra Leone
• Where to stay:
• Tiwai Island offers two types of accommodation for visitors:
• Camping
• Stay in one of the three double rooms or four single rooms in the
lodge
• Travel: Accessible by motor launch/ island boat

5. OUTAMBA-KILIMI NATIONAL PARK
• Activities: Hippo Canoe Trip, Elephant Walking Safari, Fishing, Bird Watching
• Wildlife:
• Spot hippos, elephants, endangered monkeys and crocodiles – locals even
talk about elusive leopards
• More than 256 species of birds have been recorded in the park, which was
officially designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.
Highlights include: the endemic emerald starling and the rare migrant bird,
the pallid harrier
• When to go: Best time to visit is during dry season (November – April) to be in
with the chance of seeing hippos at their watering holes. If you go in March or
April when the savannah woodland is at its lowest, you might be in with the
chance of seeing the small population of forest elephants known to cross
between the park and Guinea
• Where to stay: Tented camps
• Travel: Visit Outamba from Freetown via an overnight stay in Makeni

6. GOLA RAINFOREST NATIONAL PARK
• Activities: Hiking, Camping, Bird Watching
• Wildlife:
• Across its 750 sq km, Gola has one of the most diverse wildlife
populations in the country
• There are approximately 50 mammal species including 11 species of
primates of which two are endangered
• 2,000 different plants including 77 different types of orchid can be
found in the forest
• The forest is home to a staggering 333 different species of bird
• Among the last pristine rainforests in West Africa
• Where to stay: There are several basic accommodation option in
villages on the edges of the national park, including guest houses,
otherwise the Gola Forest Programme can provide intrepid travellers with
basic camping gear to camp deep in the forest

7. JAIBUI ISLAND
• Activities: Fishing, Hiking, Birding, Swimming, Canoeing
• Biodiversity/Wildlife: Rich in biodiversity and home to threatened species such
as the Western Chimpanzee, several species of Monkeys (Black and White
Colobus, Red, Colobus, Diana Monkey and Sooty Mangabey) and the elusive
Pygmy Hippopotamus
• Other Attractions: Pristine primary and bamboo forest, waterfalls, sandy
beaches and the cultural heritage of the host communities
• Community engagement: A unique eco-tourism venture is underway in
collaboration with seven communities from the Lower Kambama region, with
community engagement including plans for forest and wildlife protection,
biodiversity research, and ecotourism development
• Eco-tourism Plans:
• Funding secured for the construction of 2 planned eco-lodges, mapped with
rapids, beaches and monkey observation locations
• Jaibui’s first eco-lodge designed with traditional architecture was erected in
2018, causing limited disturbance to the landscapes

8. LOMA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
• Activities: Hiking, Mountain Biking, Jungle Treks, Bird Tours, Cultural Tours
• Wildlife/Biodiversity:
• One of the most biologically diverse forests in the country
• Home to 20% of Sierra Leone’s chimpanzee population (1,390
chimpanzees) and highest concentration of chimpanzees anywhere in West
and Central Africa
• Additional wildlife includes antelopes, several species of monkeys, forest
buffalos, forest elephants, golden cats, bay duikers, black duikers, bongos,
forest buffalos, leopards and water chevrotain
• Rich bird fauna (332 species) including many species not found elsewhere
in the country
• Community Engagement:
• Eco-tourism venture has been established in LMNP, allowing community
members to protect their immediate environment and natural resources
• 14 eco-guards patrol and monitor LMNP, which has reduced poaching and
deforestation
• Tree nurseries have been established with local communities who have
planted close to 15,000 trees to date, providing opportunities for agrotourism

9. SORBENGI
• Activities: Birding, Hiking, Oyster Sampling, Camping, Canoeing
• Biodiversity/Wildlife: Mobondah is extremely rich in biodiversity, boasting a
variety of land systems therefore hosting a large diversity of species including
Western Chimpanzees, African Manatees, Turtles and the African Grey Parrots
and a particularly interesting landscape; savannah, mangrove, and forest
• Attractions:
• Mangroves and one of West Africa’s Longest Corridor Reforestation
Projects (7 km)
• 2 bird hides and built 6 elevated concrete platforms on which up to 6 tents
have been pitched which reflects the beginning phases of an ecotourism
venture in Sorbengi
• Community Engagement:
• Sorbengi has been receiving supplies and training on how to sustainably
harvest oysters from the roots of the mangrove plants without damaging the
mangroves
• 2 groups of 20 female oyster harvesters now have the opportunity to
achieve financial independence while improving the diet of community
members, protecting the mangroves and providing a sustainable alternative
to bush-meat and logging

11. 10 DAY ITINERARY
• Day 1: Arrival in Freetown
• Day 2: Makeni, Mena Hills
Cabanis Bunting, Yellow-fronted Canary
• Day 3: Day trip to Bumbuna
Emerald Starling, Paradise, Whydah, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow-mantled Whydah
• Day 4: Transfer from Makeni to Gola
Lagaden's Bushshrike, Capuchin Babbler, Narina Trogon, Yellow-casqued hornbill, dwarf hornbill, Black-headed Oriole, Picathartes
Gymnocehalus, White-tailed Alethe, African Pitta, West African Nicator
• Day 5: Full day at Gola Forest National Park
Arrive at the large White-necked Picathartes colony (10 nests) in time to observe the birds returning to nest
• Day 6: Gola to Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Diverse monkey populations, 135 bird species and more than 700 species of plant life, not to mention the elusive pygmy hippo
• Day 7: Full Day on Tiwai Island
Tracking 11 different species of primates with local guide, and view 135 species of birds, 800 species of butterfly, and footprints of mongoose, wild
pigs and Pygmy Hippo
• Day 8: Depart Tiwai island for Freetown
• Day 9: Guma Dam Trail
Endangered Yellow-headed Picathartes, Yellowbill, Narina Trogon, bronze-naped pigeon, Sierra Leone red-footed squirrel
• Day 10: Birding Golf Club + Departure
Blue-breasted kingfisher, Pygmy Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Black and white flycatcher, Northern puffback, Senegal Thicknee,Yellowbilled kite,
Hooded vulture, Oriole Warbler, African thrush, Black sparrow-hawk, Shikra, Pied Crow

12. CHARLES SHOWERS, BIRD SPECIALIST GUIDE
PRESIDENT OF CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF SIERRA LEONE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Hon. Charles Showers is a wildlife management expert and bird-watching enthusiast. After his
studies and work engagements in wildlife management and protection, and IBAs (Important
Bird Areas) in Tanzania and Kenya, he came back to his home country Sierra Leone to support
conservation efforts and wildlife protection there. During the last decade’s Hon. Charles
Showers was working for Tagucama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the Gola Rainforest, and of
course the Conservation Society of Sierra Leone (CSSL).
Charles Showers entered the CSSL board as a floor member and became president in 2016.
He supports their work with his experience in wildlife protection as well as in getting more
people involved with conservation through bird-watching tours around Freetown.