Bunce Island
An island in the Sierra Leone River, six miles upstream from Freetown. Site of an 18th-century British slave-trade fortress that processed an estimated 30,000 enslaved Africans bound for the Americas. Today a National Heritage Site administered by the Sierra Leone Monuments and Relics Commission.
How to visit
- Address
- Bunce Island, Sierra Leone River, SL
8.5667°N, 13.05°W - Opening hours
- Daily 09:00 – 16:00
Boat departures from Aberdeen Wharf at 09:00 daily; last return 16:00. - Entry fee
- USD 75 per person (boat + guided tour)
- Bookings
- +232-76-987-654
Historical significance
- UNESCO Tentative List for World Heritage status
- Largest British slave-trading post in West Africa, 1670–1808
- Connected to Gullah Geechee descendant communities in the US
- Featured in PBS documentaries and the 2019 New York Times Magazine 1619 Project
What to expect
Two-hour guided walk through the fortress ruins, the women's slave yard, the men's slave yard, the chapel and the watch tower. Local historians lead the tours; Krio and Mende language commentary is available on request.
Highlights
Slave fortress ruins, partially conserved
Original cannon emplacements
Watch tower with 360° views of the Sierra Leone River
On-site historian commentary
Boat passage with marine wildlife (hippos, monkeys on shore)
The Bunce Island day was unlike anything I'd done before. Our guide knew the history personally — it felt like coming home, not visiting.
Visitor from Atlanta, USA
Visit Bunce Island
Day tours run year-round; Sierra Leone Homecoming Experience includes a Bunce Island day with historian commentary.