Liberia

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Monrovia

Population

3,317,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Indigenous beliefs, Christianity, Islam

Languages

English

Calling Code

+231

Nationality

Local name

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Introduction

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© All Rights Reserved reza115

Liberia is a nation constructed out of the resettlement of freed American slaves in the 19th century. As such, it differs markedly from its African neighbours, being deeply influenced by its American heritage. Tensions between the African-American settlers and the indigenous inhabitants have always presented problems for the nation, but recent civil wars have seen tribal warfare emerge viciously. Over 200,000 are estimated to have been killed during these wars, which lasted from 1989-1996 and 1999-2003.

Understandably, travel is not recommended for the near future.

Brief History

Geography

Counties

Liberia is organised into the following 15 counties.

• Bomi
• Bong
• Gbarpolu
• Grand Bassa
• Grand Cape Mount
• Grand Gedeh
• Grand Kru
• Lofa
• Margibi
• Maryland
• Montserrado
• Nimba
• River Cess
• River Gee
• Sinoe

Cities

• Monrovia
• Greenville
• Zwedru
• Gbamga
• Buchanan
• Robertsport
• Voinjama

Sights and Activities

Guinée Forestière

Visit the wilderness area of Guinée Forestière. This area is a forested mountain range in the south eastern area of the country. The mountain range continues east into the neighboring country of Sierra Leone. The area has many large wild mammals, diverse numbers of indigenous tribes and also refugees from many of the civil wars in the region.

Mount Wuteve

Go see Mount Wuteve, which is the tallest mountain in Liberia. The mountain is over 1,440 m high and is a very nice sight. The mountain is covered in jungle and home to many animals. The name of the mountain means "Head cut off."

Sapo National Park

Sapo National Park, located in Sinoe County, is Liberia's only national park. It is also the country's largest protected area and in this protected area is the second largest tropical rain forest in West Africa. The biodiversity is amazing in the park and according to some sources the park has the highest mammal species diversity of any region in the world. This includes mammals like the Pygmy Hippopotamus, African Forest Elephants and Chimpanzees.

Other Sights and Activities

• Blo Degbo - Is a human face rock in Paynesville, outside the capital. Remember this sight is not completely developed yet and make sure it is safe before planning a trip to see it.
• Beaches - There are many beaches along the coast and several beaches outside the capital are safe and easy to get to with decent facilities.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Liberia has a tropical climate with hot and humid weather year round. From April to November is the rainy season. The rainfall increases to a peak in June and July and then decreases until rain has almost ceased by December. Along the coast, total annual rainfall is usually between 3500 mm and 4000 mm, sometimes more. June and July are extremely wet in Monrovia for example around 900 to 1000 mm of rain during these months! Temperatures usually average around or slightly below 30 degrees Celsius during the day, around 22 or 23 degrees Celsius at night, with little variation. Inland, temperatures can be higher during the day (especially from March to May) and a bit cooler at night. Also, rain is slightly less towards the northeast of the country.

Getting there

By Plane

Spriggs Payne Airport (MLW) near the capital Monrovia receives all international arriving and departing flights. There is a limited number of flights to and from Freetown Sierra Leone, Conakry Guinea, Abidjan Ivory Coast and Lagos in Nigeria. Elysian Airlines from Cameroon provides most services.

By Car

You need a highclearance 4wd for most border crossings described below and have your papers and insurance in order. Apart from that, hassling is not a big problem here but crossing borders can take at least some hours, after all the formalities are done.

By Bus

Although independent travel in Liberia is not a problem, crossing borders and travel onwards in Cote d'Ivoire is a problem right now and until the safety situation doesn't improve there is no cross border transport in eastern direction (also further on to Ghana),
To Guinea, crossing is near Ganta, with smaller borders also at Yekepa and Voinjama.
Bush taxis run daily from Monrovia to Ganta and walk or take a moto to the border, after which taxis go to N’zérékoré (Guinea). Monrovia to Conakry takes two to three days in total! The other borders are possible as well, but require some more patience regarding transport and some of them might not be doable in rainy season.
To Sierra Leone, the main crossing is at Bo. Frequent bush taxis travel between Monrovia and the border (two hours), from where onward transport goes to Kenema along rough tracks (8 hours). From here it's onwards to Bo and Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

By Boat

There might be boats between Monrovia and Conakry, the capital of Guinea, but check at the respective port authorities first. It takes 36 hours to two days.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are dozens of airports throughout the country but only a few runways are paved and only several of the airports have regular connections, mostly chartered. Weasua Air Transport is one of the main carriers and it is best to book while in Liberia.

By Train

There are traintracks but because of the long civil war, there are no trains running at the moment and this can take a while

By Car

Roads in Liberia are not in a good condition in general. Some roads are tarred though, including the roads towards Buchanan, the road between Monrovia and the airport and the roads towards the borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea. Potholes are the rule though and most other roads are not paved and some are only passable during the dry season. Cars can be hired (either with or without a chauffeur) in Monrovia but rates are high. Traffic drives on the right and you need an international driving permit.

By Bus

Only a few buses operate between a few cities, but bush-taxis, usually small minivans or large station cars, are the way to go in Liberia, with at least daily departures between the major towns and cities and several times a week between smaller places. They leave when full and you pay the driver.

By Boat

Getting around by boat is possible and adventurous, but also slow and uncomfortable and services are unreliable and sometimes unsafe. There is supposed to be a passenger service between ports in Monrovia and Buchanan but check port authorities about schedules. There is also a boat service running weekly between Harper and Greenville and several unscheduled coastal steamers sometimes take passengers as well. Small boats are also used for local transportation on Liberia’s rivers.
There are also organised trips between December and March, when specialist companies arrange canoe trips upriver from Greenville, a small seaport 200 kilometers southeast of Monrovia.

Red Tape

All nationals except West Africans need a visa. You need a valid passort, yellow fever vaccination certificate, a doctor's letter that you are free of communicable diseases, and evidence of financial support to apply for one. Single-entry visas valid for one month are $70 for most nationals, US citizens pay almost twice the amount.

Money

See also Money Matters

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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