7th February, 2026

The Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (MTCA) is fully set at the Gbalamuya Sierra Leone–Guinea border in Kambia District to receive participants of the iconic Budapest–Bamako–Freetown Rally as they enter the country on Sunday, 8 February 2026. A high-level delegation from the Ministry, including the National Tourist Board, private sector partners and other MDAs, is already on ground, building excitement and momentum ahead of the rally’s historic arrival into Sierra Leone, with eight rally vehicles having already entered the country.

As part of the preparations, the Deputy Secretary, Sahr Philip Morsay, and the Deputy Director of Tourism, Travel and Exchange, Idrissa Bangura, engaged Immigration, the National Revenue Authority (NRA), and other key border authorities, alongside local leaders. In a gesture of appreciation and partnership, Budapest–Bamako Rally T-shirts were presented to authorities at the border, while stakeholders were encouraged to once again demonstrate Sierra Leone’s renowned hospitality and assured of the Ministry’s full support in delivering a smooth, dignified, and memorable reception for the rally participants.

More than 700 rally participants, travelling in over 300 vehicles including motorbikes, are expected to enter Sierra Leone as the first batch of this year’s rally finishers. The MTCA delegation will accompany them to Bureh Beach, where they will receive a vibrant cultural welcome and overnight celebration, ahead of the official finish line event at Gigibonta Car Park along Lumley Beach Road in Freetown. Sierra Leone is once again poised to rise to the moment and give the world a resounding welcome.

MTCA Communications