A tropical wonderland located near Sierra Leone’s vibrant capital, the Western Area Peninsula is part of the Upper Guinean Forest Ecosystem – a pristine rainforest which meets the golden beaches of the Atlantic to the west and covers a hilly landscape.

The Western Area Peninsula National Park occupies the heart of the peninsula and is one of the country’s biodiversity hotspots for vegetation and wildlife, providing sanctuary to western chimpanzees, Jenkins duikers, red colobus monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, sooty mangabeys and Diana monkeys, and even leopards.

Some 316 bird species have been identified in the Western Area Peninsula Forest, including the endangered species such as the green-tailed bristlebill and white-breasted rockfowl, considered as one of the most threatened birds in continental Africa.

The Western Area Peninsula Forest is also home to the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.