The hook
A rough, resilient capital named after an American president, born from the return of freed slaves to Africa, on an Atlantic coast that hides some of West Africa's best and emptiest surf.
01Why it's worth it
Liberia has a unique story: it was founded in the 19th century by freed and freeborn Black Americans, resettled in Africa by American colonization societies, whose Americo-Liberian culture, and a constitution and flag modelled on the United States', shaped the nation; the capital, Monrovia, is named after US President James Monroe. The city today is a worn, chaotic, but characterful place, marked by the hardships of a long civil war and the Ebola epidemic from which the country has bravely recovered, with lively markets, a warm and welcoming people, and faded traces of its distinctive heritage. Its real coastal draw lies up the shore at Robertsport, a sleepy town of old cotton trees and colonial ruins beside a lagoon, which has become West Africa's premier surf spot: long, clean, uncrowded waves peeling along the beaches, with basic surf camps and a mellow, end-of-the-road vibe. Liberia is a genuinely off-the-map destination, hard-travelled and rarely visited, but for the adventurous it offers a singular history and empty Atlantic surf.
02How to experience it
Get a feel for Monrovia's history and markets with local guidance, then head up the coast to Robertsport for surfing (or just watching the waves), the lagoon, and the laid-back beach scene. Go in the dry season, and approach it as genuine frontier travel, with modest expectations of infrastructure and a big appetite for warmth and adventure.