# West African coast airports: Banjul, Freetown and Monrovia arrivals

> Three of Africa's trickiest airport arrivals — Freetown's ferry, Banjul's taxi mafia, and Monrovia's 90-minute road. Here is how each actually works.

- Published: 2026-07-19
- Updated: 2026-07-22
- Author: Airport Exit
- Canonical URL: https://www.airportexit.com/blog/west-africa-coast-airports-banjul-freetown-monrovia

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Banjul, Freetown, and Monrovia have some of the more logistically complex arrivals in Africa. All three airports are far from their respective city centres. All three have well-organised "official" transport options that most travellers miss because the touts get to them first.

## Banjul (BJL)

[Banjul International](/airports/bjl-banjul) is 24 km from Banjul but 15 km from the Kololi/Senegambia tourist strip where most visitors actually stay. Green "tourist taxis" are GMD 1,500 to Senegambia, GMD 2,000 to Banjul — these are the ones with fixed rates painted on the door. Yellow taxis are cheaper (~GMD 800) but you must negotiate hard and drivers rarely speak much English.

## Freetown (FNA)

Here's the twist: [Lungi International](/airports/fna-freetown) is across an estuary from Freetown itself. Your options: (1) Sea Coach or Sea Bird water taxi (~$40, 40 min including transfers, the sane choice), (2) government ferry (cheap but slow and unpredictable), (3) 4-hour road drive around the estuary (not recommended). Book the water taxi at their desk in arrivals — do not book with anyone who approaches you before the desk.

## Monrovia (ROB)

[Roberts International](/airports/rob-monrovia) is 56 km from central Monrovia — the drive is 60–90 minutes. Prearranged hotel transfer is the norm and is worth the $40–60. Airport taxis are $40–70 negotiated. There is no public transport option that's realistic with luggage.

## What to know across all three

- Arriving after dark makes everything harder and more expensive. Aim for daylight.

- USD cash is widely accepted alongside local currency, especially for airport transfers.

- Book your first-night transfer through your hotel — the $20 premium buys enormous simplicity.

Related: [Francophone West Africa airports](/blog/west-africa-airports-lome-cotonou-ouagadougou).

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