Bo is the second city of Sierra Leone and the main city of the Southern region. Bo is one of the only cities in Sierra Leone to be untouched by the war, owing to a citizen militia which kept the rebel soldiers out for the entire 10 years.
Bo lies about 140 miles (230 km) (by road) south-east of Freetown. Like in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language is widely spoken in the city of Bo, although English is the official language spoken at schools and government administration.
The city is the primary home of Njala University, the second largest university in Sierra Leone, after the Fourah Bay College in Freetown. The city is home to the Christ the King College, one of the most prominent colleges in Sierra Leone. Bo is also home to the The Bo Government Secondary School (commonly known as Bo School), which is one of the biggest and most prominent secondary schools in Sierra Leone. The school has a history of producing some of the country's top students.
Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Bo has a tropical climate with a rainy season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. Average annual precipitation varies from 5,080 mm (200 inches). The prevailing winds are the SW Monsoon during the wet season and the northeastern Harmattan which is a dust laden wind from the Sahara Desert during the dry season. Average temperature ranges in Bo are from 21 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) all year.
PLACE TO VISIT
Though Bo is the second city of Sierra Leone, there is not a lot to see here. Most people will use it as a stopping point on the way to other places. Small scale diamond mining is present in the area and could be worth a visit.
EAT
Being a long way from the sea, the menu is rather limited in most places. Beef, chicken or river fish can be found.
HOW TO REACH
The road journey from Freetown takes 4 hours. The road is excellent to Masiaka but is in a bad state from there to about 20km from Bo. It is being reconstructed. The road from Kenema is excellent and takes about 1 hour.
