Lake Sonfon

Lake Sonfon lies in the highlands of northern Sierra Leone at around six hundred metres, a natural lake in a country that has very few, surrounded by hills and forest and held sacred by the communities around it, with prohibitions on what may be done at the water. Migratory birds use it. Alluvial gold mining in the catchment has caused real damage to the lake and its inflows.

History

The lake is sacred in traditional belief, with offerings of rice and food floated on it in calabashes and a powerful djinn said to live in its water. Some 15,000 miners work the alluvial gold around it, and the mining is lowering the level of the lake (Wikipedia, Lake Sonfon).

What's there

• The highland lake - a rare natural lake in a country with almost none.
• The surrounding hills - the forested ground around the water.
• The sacred status - the local prohibitions governing the lake.
• The birdlife - the migratory species using the water.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the tracks are passable. The rains from May to October make access very difficult. Bird numbers are highest in the northern winter.

What to expect

Gold mining has silted and polluted the lake and its condition is not what it was. Access needs four wheel drive, a guide and community permission. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Kabala is west, and Bumbuna is southwest.

Key facts