Kabala

Kabala is the main town of northern Sierra Leone, sitting at around four hundred metres below the Wara Wara hills with a climate noticeably cooler and drier than the coast, and it is the base for the northern highlands: Lake Sonfon, the Loma mountains and Bintumani beyond. Gbawuria hill above the town is climbed for the view and for the New Year's Day gathering held on it. The town has long been a meeting point between the Limba, Kuranko and Fula communities of the north.

History

After the Anglo-French settlement of 1895 the colonial post moved from Falaba to Kabala, then a small village; the name means Bala's place in Limba and Fula, and the town grew as traders arrived from the 1930s (Wikipedia, Kabala, Sierra Leone).

What you'll find

• The Wara Wara hills - the range rising directly behind the town.
• Gbawuria hill - the climb above the town and its New Year gathering.
• The upland climate - cooler and drier than the coast.
• The base function - the point for reaching the northern mountains.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. Harmattan in December and January brings cool dry air and haze. The rains from May to October are heavy.

What to expect

Facilities are basic and there is little arranged for visitors. The road from Makeni takes around three hours. Onward travel into the mountains needs arranging locally.

Nearby

Lake Sonfon is east, and Bintumani is southeast.

Key facts