Destinations - Where to go in Liberia

Bong County was created in 1964. The capital is Gbarnga, named after an old farm in the location. Gbarnga was used by Charles Taylor as the base for his rebellion against the Presidency of Samuel Doe in the early 1990s.

The 300 foot tall Cape Mount became the landmark for settlers in the region. Theodore Canot formed the settlement in 1840. The name comes from Cape du Mont, a French word meaning the Cape of the Mount. In 1461, Pedro de Sintra, a Portuguese explorer charting the West Coast of Africa, saw the prominent feature of the cape and chose its name. The area was the capital of the Kingdom of Koya. Grand Cape County accommodates the National protected area of Lake Piso Reserve.

Grand Bassa County is one of the three original counties that first formed the Republic of Liberia. It was established in 1833 and its capital is Buchanan City, named for Thomas Buchanan, an American who served as the first Governor of the Commonwealth of Liberia. It is home to 4 Liberian Presidents. Buchanan has the second busiest seaport in Liberia.

What many do not realize is that the location of Grand Kru makes it the perfect destination for vacations, retirement homes, and quiet escapes. The eastern part of the county is straddled by the Atlantic, while the western part consist of lush rainforest that has some of Liberia’s finest mammals, giving the county beautiful sceneries. The small populations of the county also give visitors peace of minds that cannot be experience in other populated counties. One of the best forests in Liberia is located here.

It has three National proposed reserves, Wologizi Mountain (99,538 ha (245,960 acres)), Wonegizi Range (37,979 ha (93,850 acres)) and Foya Forest (164,628 ha (406,800 acres)). Known as the “bread basket of Liberia” in 2011, the area of rice plantation was 40,500 ha (100,000 acres), 16.961 per cent in the country, production stood at 8570 metric tonnes. Cassava plantation was 9090, which was 7.4 planted in the country. Production at 11250 metric tonnes. Cocoa plantation was 11250, 29.1 per cent in the country. Lofa is known for the beautiful handwoven country cloth.

Margibi County is famous for its beaches and laid-back lifestyle, as well as numerous rubber plantations, paramount among them being the Firestone Rubber Plantation.

Montserrado is the smallest county, but largest by population of Liberia. On December 11, 1821, officials from the United States arrived aboard the vessel Alligator under the command of Captain Robert F. Stockton at Mesurado Bay. Stockton and Dr. Eli Ayers negotiated to acquire the land in and around the bay from the native chiefs for a settlement by free negroes before sailing to Sierra Leone to pick up these colonists. On January 7, 1822, the former slaves arrived and settled Providence Island under the American Colonization Society, and by April they had moved to the mainland. Within the next two decades, approximately 3,200 ex-slaves arrived.

The name of the county "Nimba", originated from "Nenbaa ton" which means slippery mountain where beautiful young girls slip and fall. Mount Nimba is the highest mountain in Liberia. Nimba is the second largest county in Liberia in terms of population. Nimba is also one of the richest in Liberia. It has the largest deposit of high grade iron ore. Other natural resources found in Nimba are gold, diamonds, timber, etc. In the late 50's, Nimba's huge iron ore reserve was exploited by LAMCO-the Liberian-American Swedish Mining Company.