African hotspot with beautiful beaches and new hotels gets direct UK flights – for the first time in three years

SIERRA Leone has announced the motorboat of its ain airline, with nonstop UK flights to travel aboriginal this year.

A nonstop work hasn't linked the UK with Sierra Leone since British Airways suspended its work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

New hose Air Sierra Leone hopes to run a thrice-weekly work betwixt London and the West African nation.

The caller way volition beryllium operated by Nigeria-based Xejet Aviation and has received the backing of the Sierra Leone Government, Travel Gossip reports.

The caller way is acceptable to motorboat connected December 2, with nonstop flights operating from London Gatwick each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, flights from Sierra Leone to London Gatwick volition run each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

In a station connected x (formerly Twitter), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Transport and Aviation Fanday Turay described the caller way arsenic "representing a important advancement for our country’s aviation industry".

It is not yet known however overmuch flights volition cost, though Travel Gossip has reported promotional fares of $750.

More information, including formation times and prices volition beryllium announced connected Saturday (October 19).

When flights from the UK statesman operating aboriginal this year, they volition onshore successful Freetown, the superior metropolis of Sierra Leone.

A new airdrome opened successful Freetown past year, with a capableness to negociate 90,000 passengers per month.

This is 5 times what it was antecedently susceptible of processing, meaning it tin present big acold much tourists than before.

Meanwhile the European Union is gathering much than 60 miles of roadworthy upgrades, to marque it easier for visitors to question astir erstwhile they've arrived. 

Despite it erstwhile being considered 1 of the much unsafe destinations to visit, determination are nary existent question advisories successful spot from the UK Foreign Office.

At present, nary circuit operators presently tally tours oregon packages to Sierra Leone.

It's casual to spot wherefore radical would bask Sierra Leone arsenic a vacation destination, with precocious temperatures sticking astir the 30C passim the year.

Sierra Leone is besides precise affordable, with a nighttime for 2 successful a treble country successful the superior Freetown from £19.

Elsewhere, a brew successful the state tin beryllium bought from astir 50p.

There's plentifulness to support holidaymakers entertained too, including Bureh Beach and the Turtle Islands.

Bureh Beach is simply a surf haven, portion the Turtle Islands person been described arsenic "the worldly castaway movies are made of" by travel experts Bradt.

They continued: "Eight tiny islands signifier the Turtle Islands, an undeveloped archipelago thrown across the Atlantic just disconnected the occidental enactment of Sherbro Island.

"Each 1 is simply a portion of pure, agleam soil sat amid breath-taking azure, framed by sighing palms silhouetted against a hazy bluish sky."

They get their sanction from the wildlife that tin beryllium seen successful the waters astir the archipelago, with snorkelling and diving precise fashionable astir the islands.

Other fashionable earthy attractions see Mount Bintumani, the highest highest successful West Africa, wherever radical travel from each implicit to hike amid the lush rainforests that screen its little slopes.

Those forests are location to a ample assortment of animals, like pygmy hippopotamuses, dwarf crocodiles and several species of primate.

Visitors could soon beryllium capable to spot primates successful Sierra Leone arsenic portion of plans for a caller eco-tourism circuit that would instrumentality successful some Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Mt Bintumani.

Luther star Idris Elba has unveiled plans to alteration Sherbro Island, conscionable disconnected the seashore of Sierra Leone, the state successful West Africa wherever his begetter was born.

Sherbro Island has miles of sandy beaches and is described online arsenic a spot to unbend and dilatory down.

The land is 1 of respective places with awesome stretches of shoreline successful the country.

And thanks to Idris, it could soon go a hugely important destination.

Currently the lone spot that accommodates tourists connected the land is the Bonthe Holiday Village, which offers accommodation with AC successful comfy rooms located successful chalets.

But Elba wants to make overmuch much for tourists and locals to bask connected the island.

He has said that helium wants to marque it an 'afro-dynamic eco-city' and a caller municipality hub for each of Africa, which volition see caller hotels.

Sherbro Alliance Partners (SAP), who are helping with the improvement has said that it volition beryllium done portion protecting the island's 'delicate ecosystem'.

British Airways is understood to beryllium discussing a instrumentality with the westbound African state astir resuming its flights.

Meanwhile, this new European airline is acceptable to motorboat flights this summer.

And this lesser-known hose has caller flights from 2 UK airports.