Plantain Island

Plantain Island lies off Shenge on Sierra Leone's southern coast, a small island a few hundred metres across holding a fishing community packed onto it far more densely than the mainland nearby. In the eighteenth century it was a trading post where captives were held before shipment, and stone remains of that period survive among the houses. The island is now entirely a fishing settlement.

What you actually see

• The density - a fishing community packed onto a very small island.
• The stone remains - the eighteenth-century trading post fabric among the houses.
• The fishing work - the boats and drying racks the island lives on.
• The short crossing - twenty minutes by boat from Shenge.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and calmest for the crossing. The rains from May to October make the water rough. Boats are negotiated at Shenge.

Honest expectations

The island is crowded and living conditions are hard; visitors should be aware they are walking through people's homes. Remains of the trading period are fragmentary. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Shenge is on the mainland, and the Turtle Islands are southwest.