The Banana Islands

Off the Freetown Peninsula's southern tip, the Banana Islands curl their green trio into clear Atlantic water: Dublin and Ricketts, joined by a causeway, and little Mes-Meheux beyond. The islands' Krio villages keep a deep history - ruined churches and cannon remember both the slave-trade era and the freed-settler communities that followed - while the visiting trade runs on simpler pleasures: snorkelling the rock coves' surprising clarity, fishing trips with the local boats, forest walks under cotton trees full of hornbills, and lobster grilled at the handful of rustic lodges. Humpback whales pass in their season, sometimes visible from the beaches themselves.

What you actually see

• The snorkel coves - clear rock bays off Dublin's shores.
• The historic ruins - churches and cannon among the cotton trees.
• The Krio villages - island community life at boat pace.
• Whale season - humpbacks passing offshore in the months around year's end.

When to go

November to April is dry, clear and boat-friendly; the crossing from Kent takes under an hour in decent sea. Overnighting buys the islands after the day boats leave - the better half of the experience.

Honest expectations

Everything is rustic: solar power, bucket showers and menus that depend on the day's catch - the charm is the point, and expectations should match. The crossing gets lively in wind; life jackets are worth insisting on. Community fees support the villages - pay them as the welcome they purchase.

Nearby

Kent and the peninsula beaches, and Freetown two hours north.