• Application Deadline

    CLOSED

  • Price

    CHF 1395

What’s awaiting you

This study trip shall bring you closer to a country many have difficult associations with. With a troublesome and tragic past – colonial rule, civil war and the Ebola outbreak a few years ago – the people of Sierra Leone look optimistic into the future and the country wants to show the world: this is a place worth visiting. We want to follow this call and get to now the country’s beauty and complexities. We will get insight into that troubled past, reflect and discuss scars left by colonialism and civil war but also look at the roots of the new-found optimism, visions for the future and contemporary questions of political and economic development. Of course, nature is an inextricable part of Sierra Leone and breathtaking nature it is. We will also focus on the topic of eco-tourism with it’s opportunities and challenges.

  • Bringing the culture of Sierra Leone closer to the participants
  • Interact with locals and learn the basics of one of the languages of Sierra Leone
  • Teaching participants about sustainable tourism in Sierra Leone
  • Tell the participants a little more about the political and social conditions in the country and their connections to the past
  • Show the group that Sierra Leone is a country worth visiting.

Meet the Organizers

Nadine Walder

I am Nadine and was born in St.Gallen. At the age of 21, I moved to Lucerne to study and obtained my Master’s degree in Social and Communication Sciences. I’m 28 years old. Today I work in different areas – online marketing, human rights education and search engine optimization. Working on the Internet is my home. I am diverse and very interested in travelling to other cultures, which is why I would also like to organize a study trip to Sierra Leone. I was in Sierra Leone for the first time in February/March 2017. I also wrote my master thesis about Sierra Leone and therefore have a lot of background knowledge about the country.

Michael Steiner

I have lived in Lucerne and Horw for about 10 years and am 31 years old. After my apprenticeship, I studied mechanical engineering in the fields of thermo- and fluid dynamics as well as energy and environment. Until recently I worked at Explosion Power in Lenzburg. The company develops and sells Shock Pulse generators worldwide. Accordingly, I was often on the road professionally in the past. In general, I love travelling, both professionally and privately, as well as adventure and the new. I was in February/March 2017 for the first time together with Nadine Walder in Sierra Leone and the visit left a lasting and rewarding impression on me.

Sebastian Günther

I am Sebastian Günther and was born in Merseburg, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany), moved to Lucerne in 2011 after completing my architectural studies and have lived in Kriens since then. I am 35 years old and work as an architect mainly on tourist projects. My interests are mainly in the natural sciences and sociology. When Nadine told me last year about her plan to organise a study trip to Sierra Leone, I was immediately enthusiastic about the idea and agreed to support her and Michael.

Detailed Programme

  • 08.02.2019

    • Arrival at Lungi Airport in Freetown (in the evening)
    • Moving into the Ocean View Hotel and dinner in the accommodation

  • 09.02.2019

    • Get to know our guide Alimamy Mansaray and explore Freetown with him
    • Visit to the University of Sierra Leone and colonial buildings
    • Possibly one hour of lessons in Krio or Mende

  • 10.02.2019

    • Drive to Bo (approx. 4 hours), sightseeing and moving into the Sahara Hotel & Restaurant
    • Explore Night Live of Bo

  • 11.02.2019

    • Drive to Kenema (approx. 1 hour) and visit the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Kenema
    • Continue to Tiwai Island (approx. 1h30min), free program and overnight stay on the campground

  • 12.02.2019

    • Guided hike in the sanctuary
    • Pilot project on sustainable tourism, lecture with someone from the Visitors Center

  • 13.02.2019

    • Drive to Makeni (approx. 4 hours), visiting Makeni and lunch
    • Drive to Kabala (approx. 2 hours) and visiting the Center for Youth Advocacy and Assistance

  • 14.02.2019

    • Guided tour through Kabala by Allo (optional)
    • Drive to the Tacaguma Chimpanzee Sanctuary (approx. 4h30min) and guided tour, tour starts at 4 p.m.

  • 15.02.2019

    • Drive to the Banana Islands and sightseeing
    • Free program (e.g. Scuba Diving, sport fishing etc.)

  • 16.02.2019

    • Return to Freetwon and visiting the Katanya Women’s Development Association or, if possible, visiting a school
    • Free afternoon, time for sightseeing

  • 17.02.2019

    • Farewell breakfast and lunch, possibly last time to Lumley
    • Return journey / end of the trip

Applications for this trip are closed.