Travel within Sierra Leone should be considered extremely hazardous due to possible attacks by deposed military and rebel forces. For further information on Sierra Leone see the Department of State's latest consular information sheet on Sierra Leone. Travel within Sierra Leone should be considered extremely hazardous due to random and sporadic attacks by insurgents. Sierra Leone is a developing country which has few facilities for tourism and poses considerable risks for travelers. Military activity and banditry affect large parts of the country outside Freetown and the western peninsula.
Telephone service is unreliable.
A visa is required and must be obtained in advance from a Sierra Leonean Embassy or Consulate. Overseas inquiries should be made to the nearest Sierra Leonean Embassy or Consulate. Since early 1995 there have been armed attacks on roads and villages in many parts of the country, with attacks as close as 40 miles outside Freetown. Foreigners traveling in rural areas and certain areas of Freetown are at risk from neighborhood patrols and committees on the lookout for suspicious strangers. Travelers in rural areas run the risk of being detained, injured or killed.