Lungi to Freetown by water taxi and ferry

Water taxi

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office names Sierra Leone Sea Coach Express Africa and SeaBird Water Taxi as the two main operators ¹. It says services are timed to flight arrivals and departures ¹. A courtesy bus links the airport with the departure point on Lungi beach ¹.

The FCDO gives a crossing time of 30 to 45 minutes, depending on boat size ¹. The National Tourist Board page gives 20 to 30 minutes ². The tourist board lists a fare of US$45, including the transfer from the airport to the dock ². That page was last modified on 9 September 2024, so the fare may have changed ².

Who runs the boats

Sea Coach Express started in Sierra Leone in 2009 with one boat, as reported by Awoko Newspaper in July 2019 ³. At that time the company said it had 40 boats and over 200 staff ³. It said a new boat terminal at Lungi had been commissioned and would be operational soon ³.

Both operators are private companies. The FCDO says the boats carry navigational aids, night lights and life jackets, and rescue capacity is limited ¹.

Ferry

A car and passenger ferry runs between Tagrin on the Lungi side and Kissy in eastern Freetown ¹. The FCDO says it takes about one hour and runs only when there is enough demand ¹. A 2009 report for the UK government put Tagrin about 20 km from the airport ⁴. It said ferry fares were fixed by the Ministry of Transport ⁴.

In 2021 the general manager of the Great Scarcies ferry and the Mahera company, Alusine Daramy, told Premier News that high maintenance costs, silting and low fares had led to reduced schedules ⁵. The US Department of State says petty crime and pickpocketing are very common on the ferry to and from the airport ⁶.

Safety advice

• Rough seas in the rainy season, May to October, can delay or cancel water taxis ¹.
• The FCDO advises against wooden pirogues, canoes and other unregulated boats without lights or safety gear ¹.
• British High Commission staff do not travel on small boats ¹.

Earlier services

In 2009 a helicopter charged US$70 and the Pelican water taxi charged US$40 for the crossing, according to the report for the UK government ⁴. A hovercraft had charged US$50 and was not running at that time ⁴. In September 2016 Westminster Group said its Sovereign Ferries vessel Sierra Princess, for up to 70 passengers, would serve Tagrin, Kissy and Government Wharf with crossings of about 20 minutes ⁷. This site has not confirmed whether that service runs today.