Lake Shepherd

Lake Shepherd lies behind Harper in Liberia's far southeast, a coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a sand bar with mangrove around its edges and creeks running into it from the forest inland. Fishing communities work it from dugouts. Waterbirds use the shallows and the lagoon is quiet: almost nobody comes to this corner of Liberia at all. The lagoon system extends along this coast in a series of connected waters behind the beach ridge. It is named after a nineteenth-century figure of the Maryland colony.

What you actually see

• The lagoon - the water held behind the coastal sand bar.
• The mangrove - the fringe around the lagoon edges.
• The dugout fishing - the boats worked by the local communities.
• The waterbirds - the species using the shallows.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. The heavy rains from May raise water levels. Early morning is best for birds and fishing activity.

Honest expectations

There is no visitor infrastructure and boats must be arranged in the villages. Getting to Harper at all is difficult. Mosquitoes around the lagoon are severe.

Nearby

Harper is on the coast, and the Ivorian border is east.