Makeni is the natural staging point for the north of Sierra Leone. Kabala is the closest major day trip, a hill town two hours further north with cooler air and walks up to Wara Wara mountain. With more time, the Outamba-Kilimi National Park, on the Guinea border, offers chimpanzees, hippos, and a network of forest rivers — plan on at least two days for the round trip.
For the truly ambitious, Mount Bintumani in the Loma Mountains is the highest peak in West Africa west of Cameroon, at 1,945 m. Reaching the base requires a long drive on rough tracks, and the climb itself takes two to three days with a local guide. It is one of the great unsung treks of the region.
