Sierra Leone - West Africa - page 789

AROUND FREETOWN
TOP OF CHAPTER
Beaches
Freetown's tongue stretches out along the coast, kissing beaches lined with tall, elegant
palms and iced with sand that's white as snow.
River No 2 shot to fame after the Bounty chocolate bar ad was filmed here, and the sug-
ary white sands don't disappoint. The eponymous River No 2 Guesthouse is a community-run
spot that has simple, clean rooms and red wooden tables sunk into the sand. The food -
skewers of lime-soaked barracuda, or lobster and chips - is hearty and fresh. Boat trips can
be arranged up the river to waterfalls, and down the peninsula to the Banana Islands.
Around the bend and cradled by the mountains behind is Tokeh Beach (you can walk here
from River No 2, using a boat over the river at high tide), one of the most spectacular
beaches on the peninsula, purportedly popular with European celebs before the war. Tokeh
Sands ( 078-911111; r US$60-180) , which has sleek, white rooms with 24-hour power and air-
con, opened here in 2013. You can swim out to the old helipad nearby, or kick off your san-
dals and nap in one of the hammocks strung between the palms while you wait for the daily
dinner menu - which features the likes of seared tiger prawns and homemade sorbet - to
fall into your palms.
About 20km south of Freetown along the peninsula is John Obey Beach , home to the un-
usual ecotourism project Tribe Wanted . Guests stay in tents (US$50), hip beach bungalows
(US$80) or smooth clay honey-domes (US$80) that look as if they were created in a pot-
tery class. There are eco-toilets and showers open to the stars. Meals at the open beach
'chop house' are included, and you're expected to pitch in or get involved with the commu-
nity projects to make the most of the experience.
Half an hour from Freetown is the Sierra Leone foodie institution Franco's ( 078-366366) ,
sprawled on Sussex Beach (beside the lagoon). Run by an Italian-Sierra Leonean couple,
this is a favourite spot for a long, wine-fuelled Sunday lunch. It's worth ordering in ad-
vance as food can take a while to prepare at busy times of the year.
Ask someone in York, an interesting Krio village, to show you the caves on York Beach
where slaves supposedly stayed before being loaded onto ships. From here you can look
across Whale Bay to deserted and tough-to-reach Black Johnson Beach . It may be possible to