Liberia Travel Tips

Social Conventions
In Muslim areas, the visitor should respect the conventions of dress and the food laws, since failure to do so will be taken as an insult. Dress is casual and must be practical, but smarter dress will be expected in hotel dining rooms and for important social functions. The visitor should be aware that the cost of living is high. Sending flowers or chocolates to hosts is inappropriate; a letter of thanks is all that is required.

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
Astraeus (website: www.flyastraeus.com) flies from London to Monrovia once weekly with outbound flights on Mondays and returns on Tuesdays.

Departure Tax
US$40 in exact change.

Main Airports
Monrovia (ROB) (Roberts International) (website: www.freewebs.com/roberts-int-airport-liberia) is 60km (36 miles) southeast of the city. To/from the airport: There is no reliable public transport from the airport to the city center. Private transport should be arranged in advance of arrival. Facilities: Limited, but include restaurant and first aid facilities.

No airlines currently land at Spriggs Payne Airport (MLW) which is in the city itself.

Getting There by Water
Main ports: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper and Robertsport. The port in Monrovia is being expanded.

There are unscheduled freighter services with passenger accommodation from European ports.

Getting There by Road
Best routes to Liberia are through Guinea Republic and Côte d’Ivoire, but they are impassable during the rainy season. The northeastern route to Sierra Leone (via Kolahun and Kailahun) is currently closed.

Overview
The following goods may be imported into Liberia without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 250g tobacco products.
• 1l of spirits and 1l of wine.
• 100g of perfume and 1l of eau-de-toilette.
• Goods to the value of US$125.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
There are 60 airfields for small aircraft and a total of 53 airports, although only two have paved runways.

Getting Around by Water
There is a passenger service between ports in Monrovia and Buchanan. There is also a boat service which runs weekly between Harper and Greenville. Unscheduled coastal steamers may sometimes take passengers. Small craft are used for local transportation on Liberia’s many rivers.

Canoe safaris: Between December and March, specialist companies arrange canoe trips upriver from Greenville, a small seaport 200km (125 miles) southeast of Monrovia. Contact the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism for further details (see General Info).

Getting Around by Rail
Inoperable due to damage suffered during the civil war.

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. Difficulties in bypassing lagoons and bridging river estuaries often result in long detours and delays along the coast. Main roads are from Monrovia to Buchanan and from Monrovia to Sanniquellie with branches to Ganta and Harper. Paved roads that are in reasonable condition run between Monrovia and Roberts International Airport, the Sierra Leone border at Bo Waterside and the Guinea border at Ganta. Many of the smaller roads are still untarred. Vehicle transport is limited.

Bus: No services between main towns at present, but the Canadian government donated 25 buses in 2006 which the Liberian government had to fund freight costs for.

Car hire: Self-drive or chauffeured cars may be hired in Monrovia.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is recommended, although it is not legally required. A temporary license to drive is available from local authorities on presentation of a valid UK or US driving license and is valid for up to 30 days.

Getting Around Towns and Cities
Taxis are available and tipping is unnecessary. Public transport (including taxis) may be neither reliable nor safe.


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