Why this ride
From Gorahun it runs 436 km to Gorahun; allow about 13 h 17 of riding. It goes by way of Gola South, Gola Central, Gola North and back through Gola Central. An island ride, so the sea is never far.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Tiwai Island and Gola North
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 436 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 13 h 17
- 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. Tiwai Island
Tiwai Island is a small, forested island in the Moa River in southeastern Sierra Leone, about twelve square kilometers in all, and it is run as a wildlife sanctuary by the surrounding villages. The river splits around it and makes a kind of natural refuge, with high canopy and thick undergrowth. It is one of the best places in West Africa to see primates, with eleven species recorded, including chimpanzees, Diana monkeys, red colobus and black-and-white colobus, and it also shelters the pygmy hippopotamus, a shy and rarely seen forest animal.
Read the complete Tiwai Island write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tiwai Island is where the day begins. Next is Gola South.
2. 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 comes up 46 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
91 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 183 km, about halfway. Next is back through Gola South.
6. back through 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
back through Gola South comes up 228 km in. Next is Tiwai Island.
7. Tiwai Island
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tiwai Island write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tiwai Island closes the day.
Leg by leg
Tiwai Island to Gola South
Tiwai Island → Gola South is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gola South to Gola Central
Gola South → Gola Central is 66 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 South
back through Gola Central → back through Gola South is 66 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Gola South to Tiwai Island
back through Gola South → Tiwai Island is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Gola Central and Gola-Tiwai Complex · 425 km