Results tagged “Liberia” from Intelligent Travel Blog

When Teri Weefur learned that she would be returning to her native Liberia (after leaving in 1990 when war broke out), she jumped at the opportunity to blog about the country for IT. Here, she shares some of her favorite experiences from her time in Monrovia.

About Liberia

As a Digital Media employee at National Geographic, I have always been somewhat disappointed in the coverage of Liberia as a travel destination, and understandably so: the 14-year civil war ended in 2003, and Liberians only just elected Africa's first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2006. Today, Liberia is on the road to recovery, and the people of Liberia are determined to restore her to a nation thriving with export, agriculture, commerce, and tourism. Rich in natural resources like iron ore, rubber, timber, diamonds and gold, coffee and cocoa, Liberia teems with more than 2,000 species of flora and fauna, including the pygmy hippo, unique to Liberia, and boasts numerous waterways and beautiful rain forest vistas. One of West Africa's most pristine rain forests is the Sapo National Park, a natural wonder for ecotourists.  

I'd been hearing stories about Liberia's big comeback, and now I would be seeing firsthand the redevelopment of a country marred by death and destruction for so many years. Armed with my brand new Fuji Film s8100fd camera, and the directives of friends and family to "take lots of pictures!" I was prepared for my monumental return home.

Crunched for time, as my obligation was volunteering with the first conference in Liberia since 1979, the International Colloquium on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, I gave up trying to find a way out of the city to see the most amazing parts of Liberia. Some of the country's most beautiful sites, like Cape Mount, Blue Lake, Buchanan, and Cape Palmas, where the tented beach resort Nana's Lodge is located, were out of my reach on this trip. But what I can provide is an introduction to the country, if nothing more than to encourage you to explore for yourself.

It may not have appeared on many of our calendars, but yesterday was Africa Environment Day. To recognize the event, the South African Embassy hosted representatives from several African nations yesterday afternoon to discuss some of the initiatives their countries are working on to support sustainable environmental and economic development. After attending the session, I was impressed with the range of ideas and projects being put forward.

For example, right now Gabon is still glowing from the international attention it received while it played host to the season of CBS's hugely-popular Survivor: Earth's Last Eden series. Over 18 million people saw that the country was safe and politically stable, said Mireille Obame Nguema Moore, who was speaking on behalf of the ambassador. She said the country is now working on several projects, and aiming to become a "leader and innovator in conservation and sustainable tourism."

One major Gabon initiative was the creation of 13 national parks, achieved with the help of National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Michael Fay of the Megatransect project. The Gabon government continues to promote sustainable tourism through programs like Operation Loango, which helps train eco-guides in Loango National Park, who then act as ambassadors to the local community to promote the value of the park. They've also been working with PPG-Congo to establish a gorilla release program in the country, and have released 50 rehabilitated or orphaned gorillas into the wild. Increasingly interested in attracting the adventure tourist, Gabon is creating infrastructure to support travelers, and plans a "rainforest airport" which would be the world's first sustainable airport.