🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
Sweet spot Nov. Peak Dec–Mar. Skip Jul–Sep.
When to go
Sierra Leone, month by month
Updated August 2026 · How we decide →
Typical weather
What Freetown is usually like
What a typical day looks like, hour by hour: 8am when you get up, 2pm in the afternoon, 8pm when you are out in the evening — on Sierra Leone’s own clock, at Freetown. Ten-year averages (2011–2020) measured at the capital, so this is Freetown, not the whole of Sierra Leone, and a mountain or a coast a few hours away can be nothing like it. Averages, not a forecast: a typical January rather than any particular one.
| ✓January, peak season | 26.1°C | 26.7°C | 26.9°C | 8 mm | 11h 41m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓February, peak season | 25.9°C | 26.3°C | 26.6°C | 5 mm | 11h 51m |
| ✓March, peak season | 26.1°C | 26.3°C | 26.6°C | 9 mm | 12h 05m |
| April, in-between | 26.4°C | 26.6°C | 26.9°C | 23 mm | 12h 19m |
| May, in-between | 26.6°C | 27°C | 27.2°C | 165 mm | 12h 30m |
| June, in-between | 25.8°C | 26.6°C | 26.5°C | 390 mm | 12h 37m |
| ✕July, avoid | 25.1°C | 25.7°C | 25.7°C | 757 mm | 12h 35m |
| ✕August, avoid | 25°C | 25.3°C | 25.5°C | 877 mm | 12h 24m |
| ✕September, avoid | 25.1°C | 25.8°C | 26°C | 566 mm | 12h 10m |
| October, in-between | 25.5°C | 26.6°C | 26.9°C | 236 mm | 11h 56m |
| ★November, cheap sweet spot | 26.1°C | 27.2°C | 27.3°C | 111 mm | 11h 44m |
| ✓December, peak season | 26.6°C | 27.4°C | 27.5°C | 24 mm | 11h 39m |
Twelve months in order. Tap any heading to sort by it — the driest month, the longest day, the afternoon closest to the one you like.
The colour is the month, not the weather: ★ cheap sweet spot · ✓ peak season · in-between · ✕ avoid.
Temperature and rainfall are ERA5. Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026; neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use of this information. Daylight: MET Norway, measured on the 15th of each month — the sun does not change, so that figure is exact rather than an average. Rainfall is a monthly total; daylight is sunset minus sunrise.
Right now
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River No. 2 beach in the dry season.
Getting in, and staying safe
Visas, entry rules and health — the official pages
Entry rules, visa requirements, vaccinations and safety advice for Sierra Leone all live on the pages below. Each one goes straight to Sierra Leone, not to a search box.
We link to official sources and stop there. We do not check, summarise, rank or verify them — always read the official page itself before you travel, and read the one for your own nationality. We are an independent site with no government connection.
At a glance
The practical bits
| Plug types | G |
|---|---|
| Voltage | 230V |
| Emergency numbers * | 117 |
| Currency | Sierra Leonean leone (SLL Le) |
| Language | English |
| Dialling code | +232 |
| Driving | On the right |
| Coastline | 402 km of coastline |
Loading either connects your browser to Google Maps.
See Sierra Leone on Google Maps ↗
* Emergency numbers can change, and can vary by region within a country. Always confirm with your accommodation or the nearest embassy before you travel.
Worth knowing
Five things that hold almost everywhere
- Grab (or the local equivalent) beats street taxis in most of Asia — and even where you don't use it, the app price tells you what's fair.
- ATMs: withdraw big and rarely, always in the local currency, and always decline the machine's kind offer to charge your card in pounds — that 'service' costs 3–6%.
- eSIM before you land (Airalo or similar) so you're online at arrivals; swap to a local SIM if you're staying weeks.
- Scooters anywhere: without the right licence category your travel insurance is void. That's the whole conversation.
- Save the local emergency number on day one, and know which private hospital expats use in your city — ask your host the day you arrive.
General travel habits, not advice specific to Sierra Leone. Rules, prices and fees change — check anything that matters before you rely on it.