The island is about one kilometre long and sits quietly in the broad river, covered in green vegetation growing up through and around the old stone walls. The ruins include the remains of buildings, walls and fortifications that date back hundreds of years. They have been carefully preserved so that future generations can always visit.
Bunce Island has a strong connection to communities in the United States, particularly in South Carolina and Georgia, where descendants of people from Sierra Leone still celebrate cultural traditions — including the Gullah Geechee culture — that trace their roots back across the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, Bunce Island is managed as a heritage site. Schoolchildren and visitors from around the world come to learn and reflect. Sierra Leone's government considers it a place of great national importance, and it is a powerful reminder of the connections between West Africa and communities across the world.