Why this ride
418 km from Gorahun to Gorahun, about 5 h of riding. It goes by way of Gola-Tiwai Complex, Gola Central, Gola North and back through Gola Central. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Gola South and Gola North
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 418 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 06
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gola South
At the eastern edge of Sierra Leone, on the border with Liberia, there is one of the last big tracts of rainforest in West Africa. The Gola forest, which is split into several blocks, is part of the Upper Guinean forest, a hotspot of biodiversity, and its trees tower up to fifty metres, forming a dense canopy that blocks out the sun. It is home to the pygmy hippopotamus, a shy, forest-dwelling relative of the river hippo, the western chimpanzee, the Diana monkey, the red colobus, the forest elephant and the white-breasted guineafowl, and it has an astonishing array of birds, butterflies and frogs. Gola Rainforest National Park was created in 2011 to protect it.
Read the complete Gola South write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gola South is where the day begins. Next is Gola-Tiwai Complex.
2. Gola-Tiwai Complex
Sierra Leone's south-east holds some of the last big pieces of the Upper Guinean rainforest, and the Gola-Tiwai area is where the forest feels most generous. The Gola Rainforest National Park covers a broad sweep of hills and valleys, while Tiwai Island, a small wooded island in the Moa river, is a sanctuary where you can see more primates per hectare than almost anywhere in West Africa. Diana monkeys, red colobus and several other species live here, and the island is home to a population of pygmy hippos, shy animals that are rarely seen by day.
Read the complete Gola-Tiwai Complex write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gola-Tiwai Complex comes up 48 km in. Next is Gola Central.
3. Gola Central
Gola is the last big block of the Upper Guinean rainforest in Sierra Leone, and the central part of it lies close to the border with Liberia in the south-east of the country. Sierra Leone made it a national park in 2011, after decades of logging and the shock of a civil war that ran from 1991 to 2002, and it is run with the help of local communities, who receive a share of the benefits and who have a role in protecting the trees. The forest is split into three main blocks, North, Central and South, and the centre is the heart of the system.
Read the complete Gola Central write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
97 km in you reach Gola Central. Next is Gola North.
4. Gola North
Forest this tall and this old is rare in West Africa now, and the Gola rainforest in eastern Sierra Leone is one of the largest pieces left of the Upper Guinean belt that once ran from Guinea to Ghana. Gola North is the northern block of the national park, which was formally established in 2011 and runs along the border with Liberia, where the forest continues into a matching protected area on the other side. It is a place where conservation has been built on top of a very hard recent history, because the civil war of 1991 to 2002 passed through this region and left deep scars.
Read the complete Gola North write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gola North, about halfway. Next is back through Gola Central.
5. back through Gola Central
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gola Central write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gola Central sits at 193 km, about halfway. Next is back through Gola-Tiwai Complex.
6. back through Gola-Tiwai Complex
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gola-Tiwai Complex write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gola-Tiwai Complex comes up 242 km in. Next is Gola South.
7. Gola South
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gola South write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gola South closes the day.
Leg by leg
Gola South to Gola-Tiwai Complex
Gola South → Gola-Tiwai Complex is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gola-Tiwai Complex to Gola Central
Gola-Tiwai Complex → Gola Central is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Gola Central to Gola North
Gola Central → Gola North is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gola North to back through Gola Central
Gola North → back through Gola Central is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gola Central to back through Gola-Tiwai Complex
back through Gola Central → back through Gola-Tiwai Complex is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Gola-Tiwai Complex to Gola South
back through Gola-Tiwai Complex → Gola South is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Gola-Tiwai Complex and Gola North · 436 km
- Gola North and Gola-Tiwai Complex · 435 km