Western Area Peninsula National Park

The Western Area Peninsula park protects the forested hills that run down the peninsula behind Freetown, a block of rainforest immediately beside a capital city, which is unusual anywhere. Chimpanzees, duiker and a long list of forest birds live in it, and the Tacugama sanctuary sits within its boundary. Trails climb from the coast road and from the city edge up onto the ridge. The park covers around eighteen thousand hectares, most of it steep ground that was never cleared.

History

The forest became a reserve of 17,688 hectares in 1916, demarcated by Charles Lane Poole, the country's first Conservator of Forests, and it was made a national park in 2012 (Wikipedia, Western Area Peninsula National Park).

The landscape

• The rainforest - a forest block directly behind a capital city.
• The ridge trails - routes climbing from the coast and the city edge.
• The chimpanzees - the wild population in the forest.
• The forest birds - the long list the peninsula carries.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the trails are manageable. The rains from May to October are very heavy. Early morning is best for wildlife.

What to expect

Encroachment and building on the forest edge is heavy and continuing. Trail marking is poor and a guide is advisable. Wildlife is heard far more often than seen.

Nearby

Tacugama is within it, and Freetown is north.

Key facts