Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
In the late 1800’s, the widowed ‘Queen Nyarroh’
of Barri, fell in love with the Chief of Koya, who lived on
the opposite side of the Moa river, behind Tiwai Island.
As a gift of love, Queen Nyarroh gave half of Tiwai to the
Koya Chief, so the Chiefdoms would share ownership. Tiwai
was identified as a special biosphere for wildlife conservation
in the late 1970’s and later, on the request of the
Barri & Koya peoples, who recognized Tiwai’s value,
gained official status as a wildlife sanctuary.
© Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
- Used with permission
COMMUNITY CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
Tiwai is a community conservation program, managed by the
Tiwai Island Administrative Committee (TIAC), which
represents both communities, government, Universities &
conservation organizations. All funds raised go towards running
the project as well as supporting the Community Development
Fund, to help finance community initiated programmes.
NATURE RESEARCH
 In
order to better understand Tiwai’s special environment,
the Department of Biological Sciences, Njala University College
(NUC), is coordinating a wide range of biological research
on Tiwai, including a full inventory of all plants living
on the island.
© Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
TIWAI ISLAND FACTS
- Tiwai in Mende language means ‘big
island’
- Tiwai Island is Sierra Leone’s first & only
community conservation programme
- At 12 sq kms, Tiwai is one of Sierra Leone’s largest
inland islands
- The first written Mende language, ‘Ki-ka-ku’
was invented by Kisimi Kamara, in Vaama … 3 kms from
Tiwai Island
- Over 135 different bird species, including 8 types of
hornbills can be found on Tiwai
- Tiwai has one of the highest concentration and diversity
of primates in the world … 11 species
- Tiwai’s wild chimpanzees use stones as hammers and
tree roots as anvils to crack open hard nuts
- The rare pygmy hippopotamus is a solitary animal, eating
the swampy vegetation on land & in the river
- Over 700 different plant species live on Tiwai
- The Gola Forest Reserves, which host
the last significant patches of rainforest in Sierra
Leone, spread east of Tiwai to the Liberian border
- In the rainy season, the Moa River offers opportunities
for white-water rafting, for the brave hearts!
BOAT TOURS
 The
Moa River journeys from Guinea, close to
the tip of the river Niger, traveling south across Sierra
Leone & flushing out in to the Atlantic Ocean. The wide
open river hosts a cluster of islands, including Tiwai. You
can take a river tour in canoe or motorboat, watching birds
fly overhead or river turtles surface. For explorers, night
tours search for the elusive and extremely rare pygmy hippopotamus.
© Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
THE BEACHES
At the tip of Tiwai’s northern edge lies one of two
stretches of sandy beach. Access to the beach is seasonal,
as in the rainy season, the sandy mounds are hidden underwater.
You can enjoy
a cooling swim in the fresh water … look out for river
otter paw prints as they sometimes like to play on the sand.
FOREST WALKS
 Webs
of trails weave through the Tiwai forest, allowing visitors
and researchers to explore up to 50 km of
walking paths. If you move silently through the forest, you
can glimpse some of the rarest and most colorful primates
in the world, such as the diana and colobus monkeys.
© Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
WHAT TO BRING
Tiwai is a unique rainforest island where visitors can camp
in prepared tents surrounded by an evergreen forest &
the sounds of hornbills and monkeys calling from the canopies.
While Tiwai Island offers basic camping services
for visitors, you will have to bring some equipment with you;
- bed sheets & a blanket (it can get very cold at night
in the rainforest!)
- toiletries (soap, toothpaste etc.)
- drinking water (pump water is available )
- torchlight
- food (ONLY local food – rice & sauce –
offered ) Local food is prepared by one of the community
members for those who wish to order food. Please remember
that the nearest small shops are 15 km from the island!
Artisan crafts are on sale at the visitors centre. You are
also encouraged to help collect ecological data, by marking
all wildlife sightings on the board map, Visitors Centre.
Contact Information
National Tourist Board Office
15 Tikonko Road Bo
Tel: 00232-(0)76-613402
or
Conservation Society of Sierra Leone
4 Pyke Street
Freetown
Tel:00232-(0)22-229716
Bookings can be made through either of these and directly
through the Tiwai office:
Tel: 00232-(0)76-755146
email: tiwai_island@hotmail.com
All images on this page: © Tiwai
Island Wildlife Sanctuary - Used with permission
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