In Southeastern Sierra Leone, in the middle of the rainforest, there's a beautiful island

on the Moor River called Tiwai Island.

Tiwai means big island in the Mende language, and it's about four times the size of Central

Park in Manhattan.

If you visit the island, you'll be greeted by a wildlife chorus.

One of the sounds that you hear standing on the island is the constant sound of termites

as they go through the transforming the wood into organic matter.

Then you also hear during the daytime, you will hear the sound of the primates notifying

each other that somebody's coming.

All you hear is the one of the characteristic birds, the homebills going by over you.

My name is Bota Lair, and this is Atlas Obscura, a celebration of the world's strange, incredible

and wondrous places.

Today we're in Sierra Leone to hear how a civil war brought this beautiful island to the

brink of destruction and how it's making its comeback.

More, after this.

What is so special about Tiwai Island?

The first thing that, you know, first of all, is getting there.

That is Tommy Garnett, he's the founder and executive director of the Environmental Foundation

for Africa.

I mean, you leave the noise, the pollution of the city, and when you're about 10, 15

kilometers, you get on the forest road and you start getting greeted by the vegetation

and then the air is cooling down.

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