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| Mambo waterfalls |
While serving on Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone, I used one of the days off to hike to the Mambo Waterfalls. The location is convinient, as the trip from Freetown is about half hour - depending of course from where you drive and when in the day. Heavy rainfall is very usual during the wet season, and may also affect travel times. During this day, it was overcast but we did not get any rain - what a luxury!
I earlier posted about my work as a firefighter on Global Mercy, a hospital ship that was serving in Sierra Leone. Apart from service, I managed to find time to visit some of the places around the area. Sierra Leone is usually not on people's immediate visit list, and I sincerely hope it will change, so more people will come here as tourists as opposed to now - most foreigners seen here are either business runners from Lebanon and other countries with considerable import to Sierra Leone, or volunteers for different international NGOs. The lack of tourism makes it even more exciting to go sightseeing, as there are no crowds and the experience gets even more exclusive. I made a post about visiting some of the beaches of the country, and those stunning places were mostly deserted.
Another beautiful place I've visited was the Mambo Waterfalls. I've seen different names used for the waterfalls, but they refer to the same place near Freetown. The more exact location, if you have been visiting the beaches, is between Lakka Beach and Sussex Beach, which are visible from above. The main road (Peninsular highway) runs about a kilometer away, following the coast. From there, it's another kilometer's drive inland, towards Northeast.
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| A great nature getaway from the big city |
The easiest way to get there is by car. You should not attempt to grab a keke, it's a long distance on the highway and it's just not safe. If you donät have access to your own car, you should be able to get a taxi. If you have your own, you can drive as far as you get, until the road deteriorates to the point where it becomes unsafe to drive. Stop before that, and park the car. There are lots of locals around, busy with their daily lives, so the best way is to approach them politely, say hello and ask where the best spot for parking would be. Usually, if you are just there for a couple hours, parking along the side of the road would be totally fine.
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| An unexpected encounter. This little friend must have escaped a crueler destiny, judging from the tail. |
As we came there with the Mercy Ships car, a local person approached us. He greeted us eagerly and told us that Mercy Ships are doing a very good job, and thanked us. Surely, Mercy Ships are a well-recognized name around Africa, and a lot of people approach us. Mercy Ships cars usually pass check-points without queueing, and get a positive attitude because of all the work done. This man however had a more personal relation to Mercy Ships. It turned out that his wife had received a life-saving surgery a couple years ago. She was alive and well thanks to the organisation. He sincerely thanked us as representatives for Mercy Ships. It was very humbling, and made us very happy that the results of the collective work are so tangible.
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| A Mercy Ships volunteer walking alongside a local guide. |
We left the car and continued upwards. Village houses gave way to more greenery, the road went from very sttep to just slanting, and suddently we were in the jungle.
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| All the magnificent residents of the bush |
There are local guides or guards that take care of the paiment (the sum varies depending on whether you are a seasoned traveller or a naive tourist), and the guides will follow with you. They are really just young people from the village. Take the time to ask them about their lives, the nature and culture around here, their dreams and aspirations. You may hear stories of extreme poverty and unemployment in order to get some extra tip, but yet again, it definitely is a problem around here that one should be aware of. How can new jobs for the youth become the reality? How can education get a boost? Ask the locals, maybe they already have the answer. And yes, a small tip is custmary regardless.
The waterfall area is lush and green, and you will see a lot of exciting plants and insects. Do not hope for any exciting wild life. Sure, Sierra Leone is home to leopards, pygmee hippos and other cool animals, but not here. Try bird watching instead if you're into it! And check out all the beautiful butterflies.
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| A visitor checking out a curious butterfly... or rather, a curious butterfly checking out a visitor. |
You will cross a brook and continue to the waterfall area, and suddenly you'll see and hear it. It's not a strenuous hike but most standards. I would consider trail running there.
Once at the waterfall, you'll be tempted to take photos - and to grab a swim! Keep in mind that you are in a country that is quite conservative, so you will not want to flash your sexy bikini or go skinny dipping. But most will already know that, after all it's important to do some research about local dress codes before you go travelling.
For swimming, you'll have the upper pool, just at the arrival spot. If you scrable towards the wall, you will be able to walk behind the waterfall, but expect to get very wet of course.
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| The water droplets cool the air and offer a break from the heat |
The water rushes down from the main pool, and ends up in yet another pool below, before continuing is a river. I've read somewhere about the possibility to just swim and jump right down into the next pool, but when I saw the rocks below it appeared as too risky. Of course, the matter depends on the amount of water, whether it's dry or wet season, how much it has rained recently etc. But unless you have looked at the rocks in detail and know excatly what's there, do not attempt jumping in. Help is far away, and may not arrive in time. There may not be medical care readily available. Wounds will get infected in the tropical environment and may take ages to heal, and you might get all kinds of complications. So, not to sound negative, but even the most extreme adventurer has to make a risk assessment. And this is just not worth taking a risk. After all, you can just bathe in one pool only. It's really enough for any cool photos you wanted to take.
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| This little guy was posing by the upper pool - how could I say no to a photo? |
We shared a snack with the guides, they liked the dried fruit and nuts I brought with me. Then, we got back. Bought some plantain chips on the way from the road-side sellers, and got back to the ship. A nice short outing, a good start for exploring the nature. There is just so much to do, and Sierra Leone keeps the secrets deep. But you have to start somewhere!
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| On the way back from the waterfalls |