In the Western region, about three hours drive away from Monrovia sits Liberia’s heaven of surfing with a coastline adorned with varied wave lengths on the Cape Mount peninsula.
With surfing being touted as a catalyst for tourism, Robertsport, a city named after Liberia’s first President Joseph Jenkins Roberts is that place to explore.
Naturally, Robertsport’s coast contains five points, including three main points known for surfing: Fisherman’s Point, closest to town; Cotton Trees; and Cassava Point.
The architectural layout of the city contains decrepit, plantation-style houses reminiscent of area south of the United States – a historical picture clearly paints of the US ties with – which line wide avenues that lean against the hills on the town’s edge.
An abode of predominantly the Vai tribe, Robertsport is naturally blessed with a rich cultural heritage and a variety of beautiful natural sceneries ranging from Lake Piso to the city’s spectacularly clean white beaches to the rainforest –all of which make the city an ideal spot for hotels and resorts, which will bring in good returns for sector related business enterprises.
Apart from these, the city has a lot of attractions for tourists ranging from Bay Mouth – an area where Lake Piso and other bodies of water enter the Atlantic Ocean, a majestic and unique view as the gigantic waves of the Atlantic mix with the smaller waves coming from Lake Piso, to a visit to the Massatin Island by canoe, a haven for monkeys and bird species.
Bay Mouth, which is accessible only by foot, is a perfect place to sit and just relax, making it an ideal spot for a five star hotel or resort.
From the famous ruins of the allied air forces during World War II to a cultural center, Lanefort and Brunt Memorial Hall, which dates back to the early 19th century but still intact, the city is proof of the country’s rich potential for tourism.
In September last year, the Assistant Minister for Tourism at the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism, Princess Turkolon, met with Liberian surfers in Robertsport to discuss the potential of tourism in the city and the future of young surfers who are involved in the sport.
Turkolon said the mission of the ministry is to develop Robertsport since the city has already been named as a potential hotspot by some of the world’s best surfers, adding that “it will take lots of engagements and buy-ins, along with a focus from the government to make this happen.”
Currently, Robertsport City has 48 male and female surfers, aged 8 to 26, who hit the ocean daily looking for that next big wave.
Sliding Liberia, a film released in 2008 by surfing enthusiast Dan Malloy and his group of filmmakers and surfers, was the first to showcase Robertsport and its world-class waves.
Located between the picturesque Lake Piso, the country’s largest lake and the Atlantic Ocean, Sliding Liberia shocked the surfing world with waves that rivaled some of the best in the world.
The film also showed Robertsport’s natural environment, canoeing, cultural dancing and other tourism assets.
Since then, Liberia has enjoyed visits from the world’s best surfers, international media, including BBC, Time Magazine, New York Times and others, which have placed Robertsport in the category of one of the top 10 best places in the world to surf.
