Liberia: Surf, Civil War Shadows, and America’s Only Colony in Africa

November 2013 Journey

As part of a 20-day trip across Asia and Africa that included Kuwait, the UAE, Socotra (Yemen), Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, I carved out three days in Liberia. My goals were simple but unusual: learn about Liberia’s unique ties to the United States, surf along its wild Atlantic shores, and—if possible—meet the infamous warlord-turned-preacher, General Butt Naked.

Liberia’s Rainforest and Wildlife

Liberia is a small West African nation cloaked in rainforest. In fact, some of the last intact virgin forests of West Africa remain here. Deep in the country’s southern reserves, wildlife still clings on—chimpanzees, pygmy hippos, and even the elusive forest elephant. For nature lovers, Liberia is both a rare and challenging frontier.

The American Connection

Liberia has a history unlike any other African nation.

• In the early 1800s, when northern U.S. states freed African slaves, many pushed for them to “return” to Africa.

• With President James Monroe’s backing, freed slaves were resettled on the West African coast, forming what became Liberia.

• Liberia and Ethiopia stand alone as the only African countries never fully colonized by European powers (aside from Italy’s brief occupation of Ethiopia).

The freed African slaves from the USA brought with them education, money, and skills. They built homes and plantations echoing the architecture of the very Southern towns where they had once been enslaved. They created a government modeled on the U.S. Constitution, complete with elections—though only freed American slave settlers could vote, not indigenous Liberians. Ironically and tragically, they even enslaved local people and sold them to passing European ships.

Surfing in Robertsport

While staying at a surf shack hotel, a local man offered to show me Robertsport by motorbike. As we rode through the quiet beach town, he explained proudly how Liberia had been founded by ex-American slaves under President Monroe. That living connection between America and Africa was everywhere—in the buildings, in the politics, and in the cultural layers of the country. This was something that I found very intriguing. A topic that was never taught to me in high school or college in the USA, and I wanted to learn more. 

A Legacy of Civil War

Yet Liberia’s modern story is shadowed by one of Africa’s most brutal civil wars.

From 1989 to 2003, Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone were torn apart by violence. Hundreds of thousands died. “Blood diamonds” financed weapons, while child soldiers—often drugged and abducted—became frontline killers. Villages were terrorized with mass rapes, amputations, and unimaginable cruelty. Children were forced to murder their own parents.

The scars remain visible in everyday life. On the streets of Monrovia I saw beggars missing limbs, orphans wandering without families, and the haunting poverty of a country still trying to rebuild.

Meeting (Almost) General Butt Naked

Among the war’s most feared figures was General Butt Naked, a warlord who led battalions of child soldiers into battle, and also believed fighting naked and covered in baby blood made him invincible. He admits to personally killing thousands.

Today, he claims redemption. He lives in Monrovia as a born-again Christian pastor, running a small church and school for ex-child soldiers. Before leaving Liberia, I tracked down a taxi driver who knew him and arranged to visit his church.

But Monrovia’s chaotic traffic—and my taxi breaking down—thwarted the plan. I was left scrambling for a ride to the airport. Perhaps it was for the best. I wasn’t sure what I would have said to a man with such a bloody past, even one now claiming repentance.

A Country Struggling Forward

Civil war leaves deep wounds, and Liberia is still struggling with poverty, corruption, and crime. Overlanders I met told me that northern Liberia was among the hungriest, most desperate regions they had seen in all of Africa.

Visiting Liberia was never going to be easy. I knew that before I arrived. But that’s what drew me here—the complexity, the history, the challenge.

This is the story of those three unforgettable days.

The Liberian flag was designed after the USA flag

My route in Liberia

Crossing into Liberia: Bribes, Checkpoints, and a Test of Patience

From Tiwai Island to the Border

After leaving Sierra Leone’s Tiwai Island, I spent the better part of a day on the back of a small motorbike taxi. My seat was nothing more than a thin cushion, and I clung tightly to the waist of the driver as we rattled through pothole-ridden jungle roads. The heat was oppressive, the ride bone-jarring, and every few miles we were forced to stop—at police checkpoints where officials tried to squeeze money out of me.

By the time I finally arrived at the Liberian border, I was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and more than ready for the ordeal to end.

Entering Liberia

Fortunately, the actual border crossing was simple. The Liberian visa I had secured in Sierra Leone smoothed the process, and within minutes I was stamped into the country. But my relief didn’t last long.

From the border, I squeezed into a shared van bound for Monrovia, and what should have been a straightforward ride quickly turned into one of the most stressful journeys of my travels.

The Gauntlet of Checkpoints

The road to Monrovia was littered with checkpoints, and at nearly every one I was singled out as the foreigner. Officers would motion me out of the van and escort me into a small room, where the “questioning” began.

At first, I tried handing over photocopies of my passport, but the more serious officers insisted on seeing the original. Once my passport was in their hands, I was completely vulnerable.

• Interrogation: One officer closed the door and began grilling me with personal questions about my job and background, suggesting I wasn’t telling the truth.

• Intimidation: When I was finally released, another officer immediately grabbed me and dragged me into a separate room, asking the same questions all over again.

• The Shakedown: The unspoken message was clear—if I provided a “gift,” my problems would disappear.

Staying Calm Under Pressure

Despite the intimidation, I refused to hand over any money. Instead, I kept my demeanor calm, respectful, and friendly. I answered their questions, never raised my voice, and showed no signs of panic.

Eventually, the officers grew tired of the charade. One by one, they released me, and I was allowed to return to the van. Each time I felt relief, only to brace myself for the next checkpoint.

First Impressions of Liberia

By the time I reached Monrovia, I was drained. My introduction to Liberia had been a gauntlet of suspicion, corruption, and psychological games. Yet it also revealed a truth about travel in post-conflict nations: entry often comes with hurdles, and patience is the only currency that works.

Monrovia

Arrival in Monrovia: First Impressions of a City on Edge

A Desperate Capital

After a long and draining journey, I finally arrived in Monrovia. The Liberian capital struck me immediately as an impoverished and desperate place, its scars from years of war and instability still visible on every street corner. The atmosphere was intimidating—an uneasy energy seemed to hum through the city.

An Attempted Theft

My unease quickly turned into a real scare. At an ATM, as I withdrew cash, a man suddenly rushed toward me and lunged for my camera bag. Instinct took over—I shoved him off before he could get a firm grip. To my relief, he sprinted away without looking back. It was a harsh welcome and a sobering reminder of how fragile safety can feel in Monrovia.

Finding a Place to Stay

I headed straight to a hotel, but options were slim. Affordable accommodations were few, and prices were artificially inflated by the influx of foreign aid workers stationed in the capital. Eventually, I found a room, though even there I felt on guard.

Locals strongly advised me not to walk around the city after dark, warning of muggings—or worse. I listened. That evening I stayed within the hotel bar, a safer place to linger and take in the stories of aid workers and travelers who had passed through before me.

Escape to Robertsport

The Call of the Waves

The next morning, I was eager to leave the tense capital behind. I hired a taxi to drive me a few hours up the coast to Robertsport, a small and laid-back beach town with a growing reputation among surfers.

My plan was simple: trade the chaos of Monrovia for the calm of the ocean. Robertsport’s waves promised not just adventure, but a reprieve from the intensity of my first 24 hours in Liberia.

The Road to Robertsport

Warnings on the Way

As we left Monrovia behind, my taxi driver offered a word of caution. The dirt road to Robertsport was lonely and remote, and he explained that in the past, bandits had preyed on travelers here. He reassured me that security had improved recently, but his words were enough to keep me vigilant, scanning the roadside jungle as we bounced along the rugged track.

Arrival in Robertsport

After hours of jolting over dirt roads, we finally reached Robertsport—a town with a history as old as Liberia itself. Founded in the 1800s, the settlement carries the sleepy charm of a small town in the American South. The difference was striking: instead of oak trees and farmlands, Robertsport was wrapped in thick tropical rainforest, fronted by endless golden beaches, and cooled by Atlantic trade winds.

But Robertsport’s beauty also bore scars. Alongside the palms and surf breaks stood bombed-out buildings, their walls still pocked with bullet holes and shrapnel from Liberia’s brutal civil war. The contrast was surreal—tranquil waves rolling onto beaches, framed by reminders of violence not long past.

Robert Sport, Liberia Surf Camp

Surfing in Robertsport

A Village of Surfers

Robertsport has slowly become Liberia’s unlikely surf capital. Aid workers who once came here during and after the war brought surfboards with them—and when they left, many of those boards stayed behind. Now, village kids have grown up riding the waves, and some are impressively skilled.

At the beachside tent camp where I stayed, boards were available for hire. There were no foreign tourists, only a couple of African overlanders passing through, which gave the place a quiet, untouched feel.

Riding the Atlantic

That evening, I paddled out into a heavy beach break. The waves were strong and clean, rolling in under the fiery glow of the setting sun. I caught a few good rides, the salty spray stinging my face as the shoreline of palm trees and crumbling colonial buildings drifted by in the distance.

But in the end, the surfing wasn’t the highlight of my time in Robertsport.

Touring a War-Torn Town

The most memorable part of my stay was exploring Robertsport with a local guide. Perched on the back of his motorbike, I was taken through the town’s scarred past.

• Abandoned buildings still bore bullet holes, collapsed roofs, and scorch marks from the war.

• Stories of survival painted a vivid picture of what life had been like when rebel groups swept through, and when ordinary people had to endure unimaginable hardship.

Through his words, I learned not just about Robertsport, but about Liberia itself—its history, its resilience, and the ways its people are trying to rebuild from the ashes of war.

Robersport Surf Beach

Village net fishing Roberstport

Sunset

Abandoned buildings from before the war in Roberstport

Old Pioneer Tree

The Old Pioneer Tree

Among the many stories my local guide shared, one stop in particular stands out. He brought me to a towering tree in the center of Robertsport—one of the oldest living witnesses to the town’s history.

Locals call it the Old Pioneer Tree. Etched into its bark is the fading signature of one of the freed American slaves who helped establish Robertsport in the 1800s. Standing before it, I felt a tangible connection to the town’s beginnings—when newly arrived freed African-American slave settlers tried to carve out a new life on this remote Atlantic shore.

The tree, scarred but still alive, was more than just a relic of history. It was a symbol of resilience, bridging the past and present, much like Liberia itself.

Graveyard in Robersport with many victims from the war

The Old Presidential Palace, Robert Sport

Abandoned buildings from before the war in Roberstport

Plantation Buildings from 1800s Robersport

Map of Guinea

Robersport Streets

Old Wooden Statue of Priest in Church Overlooking Robert Sport at an abandoned Catholic Church

Friendly Boy, Robersport

Departure from Liberia

Choosing the Easier Way Out

Originally, I had planned to continue my journey overland back into Sierra Leone. But after days of exhausting motorbike rides, endless checkpoints, and the chaos of Monrovia, my patience for rough travel had worn thin. Instead, I opted for the simpler route—a short, inexpensive one-hour flight back to Freetown.

The decision felt like a relief. Sometimes in travel, pragmatism wins over perseverance.

Reflections on a Short Stay

My three days in Liberia had been intense—at times overwhelming—but unforgettable. From the desperate energy of Monrovia to the scarred beauty of Robertsport, the country had left me with more questions than answers.

I hadn’t yet reached the wild southern reserves where pygmy hippos, forest elephants, and chimps still roam some of the last untouched rainforests of West Africa. That adventure will have to wait.

For now, my brief glimpse of Liberia would have to hold me over until I return to explore its deeper wilderness and history.