Customs: Visas, passports, and inoculations against cholera and yellow fever are required. Health requirements change. Check latest information.

Climate and clothing: Summer clothing is suitable year-round. Bring light raincoats and overshoes for the rainy season.

Currency: The Department of State advises that all persons entering Sierra Leone must declare on Sierra Leone Exchange Control Form "M" the amount of foreign currencies held in travelers' checks, bank drafts, and other such negotiable items. This form must then be certified and stamped by a Sierra Leonean bank official at the point of entry.

Upon arrival, all foreign nonresident nationals and nonresident Sierra Leoneans except children under 16 years of age are requested to exchange a minimum of $100 or its equivalent, in other convertible currencies. Travelers must ensure that the amount of foreign currency exchanged at the point of entry is recorded, stamped, and endorsed on their exchange control form "M" by a Sierra Leonean bank official.

All visitors to Sierra Leone are legally required to meet their expenses by exchanging currency at local banks or at authorized hotels in the country. Such exchanges must in each case be recorded, stamped, and endorsed by the proper authority on one's exchange control form "M". Upon departure from Sierra Leone, all visitors are entitled to reconvert leones if satisfactory evidence of the total amount exchanged and expended is produced.

Settlement of hotel bills by foreign nonresident guests must be made in foreign currency; this is restricted to travelers' checks, notes, and coins in specified currencies and selected credit cards only (American Express, Visa, Mastercard). Settlement of hotel bills in leones can be accepted only when it is proved that the leones were obtained by exchanging at least the equivalent amount in foreign currency. However, food and beverages at the hotel can be paid in leones (local currency) at the time of consumption. Any charges placed on the room bill (i.e., food, drinks) must be paid in hard currency.

Health: The most basic medical supplies are available in Freetown. Intestinal upsets are not unusual. Tapwater is not potable. Mosquitoes and tumba flies are common. Avoid contact with freshwater streams and ponds outside Freetown. If coming for more than a brief visit, typhoid, typhus, polio, and gamma globulin inoculations are recommended. Malaria suppressants are necessary for all travelers; begin use at least 3 weeks before arrival in Sierra Leone and continue for about 6 weeks after departure.

Telecommunications: Telephone service is adequate; overseas calls must be arranged in advance. Cable is usually reliable, though sometimes delayed. Sierra Leone is five standard time zones ahead of eastern standard time.

Transportation: Several African and international airlines provide service to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Most Freetown streets are narrow, without sidewalks, and congested with pedestrians. Taxis are available but cannot be summoned by phone; agree on the fare before entering.

Tourist attractions: Freetown is attractively situated on a lush, green series of hillsides where the Sierra Leone River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its attractions include the unspoiled Lumley Beach, the Heddle Farm for bird hunting, and the National Museum, located at the foot of the famous Cotton Tree in the heart of the city.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, July 1986.