Things to do in Banana Islands
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Banana Islands
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season. Calmer crossings, clearer diving water, best forest walking. December and January are the sweet spot.
Shoulder rainy months. Less predictable boats; build in a spare day before any flight.
Wettest months. Rough or cancelled crossings, muddy paths, poorer visibility. Whale season starts in August.
Whale watching window with calves moving along the coast, overlapping rough seas. Sightings never guaranteed.
What's on
- Sierra Leone Independence Day 27 April
National holiday in Freetown with the Lantern Parade tradition. Pair Freetown celebrations with an island stay before or after.
- Lantern Parade 27 April
Freetown community lantern floats tied to Independence Day. A mainland event, not an island festival.
Best things to do in Banana Islands
Dublin Village
Main island settlement where a local guide walks you through village life and the slave trade history in about an hour.
Ricketts Village
Smaller fishing settlement across the causeway from Dublin, visited on foot for boats, catch, and a slower pace.
Banana Islands
Scenic small boat circuit around Dublin, Ricketts, and empty Mes-Meheux that shows the shape of the islands.
Where to stay in Banana Islands
Dublin
every visitor, the only practical base
Boat landing, both guesthouses, all food and tours are here, with swimming and the causeway walk on foot.
Think twice about
- Ricketts as a base
Fishing village with no verified visitor guesthouse, food, or boat service to rely on. Visit on foot from Dublin, sleep in Dublin.
- Mes-Meheux Island
Uninhabited with no shelter, jetty, food, or water. Day boat visit only with a local boatman, never an overnight base.
Best restaurants in Banana Islands
Daltons Banana Guesthouse
Guesthouse kitchen serving locally caught fish and rice based Sierra Leonean meals, ordered early so the catch can be planned.
Bafa Resort
Beachfront resort kitchen with a fresh daily seafood menu and drinks, the closest thing to a dinner out on the island.
Outdoor things to do in Banana Islands
Diemermeer shipwreck
Dutch ship wrecked in 1747 with cannons on the seabed, dived with a local guide in often clear shallow water.
Banana Divers Sierra Leone
Local dive and snorkel operation for shallow reef snorkelling, the accessible way into the same clear island water.
Mes-Meheux Island
Uninhabited third island reached by boat for swimming and a picnic, with no buildings, jetty, or facilities at all.
Ricketts Island
Forest walk from Dublin across the stone causeway to Ricketts, through big trees and village paths by the sea.
Best hotels in Banana Islands
Daltons Banana Guesthouse
Budget beachfront bungalows by Dublin village with nets, hammocks, a restaurant, dive desk, and its own Kent boat link.
Bafa Resort
Small glamping resort with ocean view luxury tents on platforms and cheaper standard tents, the most comfortable island sleep.
Is Banana Islands expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | SLE 600 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | SLE 1,200 a person |
| Splurge | SLE 2,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dublin Village: a few days ahead
- Banana Islands: a few days ahead
- Diemermeer shipwreck: a few days ahead
- Banana Divers Sierra Leone: a few days ahead
- Mes-Meheux Island: a few days ahead
- Bafa Resort: a few days ahead
- Daltons Banana Guesthouse: weeks ahead
- Bafa Resort: weeks ahead
- Book rooms weeks ahead in the dry season; the island has very few rooms.
- Book diving, whale watching, and boat circuits days ahead through your guesthouse.
Is Banana Islands safe?
- Strong currents and no lifeguards on any beach. Swim only where your guesthouse advises, that day.
- Take out medical evacuation insurance; the island has no hospital.
- Avoid unregulated small boats, and note that robberies have been reported at peninsula and island beach resorts.
- Nearest proper hospital care is in Freetown, reached by the same small boat. Emergency number 117 in Sierra Leone.
Banana Islands travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Negotiating an unregulated fishing boat at Kent to save money, with no schedule and no guaranteed life jackets.
- Planning a same day flight from Lungi after an island boat that weather can cancel.
- Assuming cards, ATMs, or a shop will cover what you forgot to bring in cash.
Getting around Banana Islands: public transport and more
- Road to Kent on the Freetown Peninsula, then a guesthouse boat to Dublin in about 30 to 45 minutes.
- No cars on the islands. Walk everywhere, including the causeway to Ricketts.
- Agree boat price and last return time before boarding at Kent, and travel in daylight in calm weather.
Who Banana Islands suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Banana Islands your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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