Hiking Mount Bintumani Sierra Leone

Hiking Mount Bintumani Sierra Leone is the highest peak in Sierra Leone and the Loma Mountains, at 1,945 meters. It lies in the Loma Mountains and its lower slopes are covered in rainforests, home to a wide variety of animals. These include pygmy hippopotamuses, dwarf crocodiles, rufous fishing-owls, and numerous primates.

Also known as Loma Mansa, the breathy King of the Mountains, 1945m-high Mt Bintumani is the second-highest peak in West Africa, after Mt Cameroon. The mountain range is rich in highland birds and mammal species, including duikers, colobus monkeys, buffalo, leopards, and snakes. And it’s well worth the two- to five-day adventure; the spectacular summit looks out over most of West Africa, veiled by soft, cool mist.

The forest reserve is found on a range of hills of a wide altitudinal range (400 – 1900 m), the highest being Bintimani Mountain (1945 m), which is the highest in West Africa – west of Cameroon. Many rivers drain the mountain range and two of Sierra Leone’s major rivers have their sources from this region; the Sewa to the southwest and Rokel to the northwest.

Kabala, which is 100 km to the northeast, and Bendugu, 40 km to the northwest, are the nearest big towns. Roads leading to the Loma Mountain region are poor, though motorable with the use of strong vehicles. Yiffin, the chiefdom headquarters, which is about 15 km away, has a government clinic run by a dispenser, and there is a modern missionary compound nearby. The Tingi Hills forest reserve and Lake Sonfon are within 40 km to the east and northeast respectively.

This is a real expedition safari and travelers must not expect luxury or a well-organized setting while on a journey to discover Sierra Leone’s highest mountain peak.

It’s important to tip the guides that accompany you on this expedition which is more likely to take about 3 days to fully explore the Bintumani mountains.