Something we don’t do very often; take a package holiday. We booked a week in The Gambia. This tiny west African country, which spans the mouth of the River Gambia, is surrounded on three sides by Senegal and the fourth by the Atlantic Ocean. Our trip to the Gambia was fairly leisurely, however, not content with spending all day by the pool sunbathing and drinking beer, we took some day trips during our stay. So, here is our fairly laid back itinerary for a week in The Gambia, which combines time to explore with time to relax by the pool/beach.
How to get to The Gambia
We flew to Banjul International Airport, which is located 15 miles southwest of the capital of Banjul and around 10 miles from the main tourist areas along the coast. Passengers must pay a security fee of $20 on arrival and on departure. This can be paid in other currencies by cash or by credit card. Hotel transfers were included in our package, so we travelled to/from our hotel by coach. However, there are plenty of taxis available outside.
Getting around The Gambia
Tourist taxis are green (as opposed to local yellow taxis). Tourist taxis offer a private service, whereas local taxis may stop to pick up/drop off other passengers along the way. If you book a tourist taxi to take you to an attraction, the driver will wait for you. Our driver also offered to accompany us and act as a tour guide. There are set prices for taxis to the main attractions, which are displayed on noticeboards.
Where to stay in The Gambia
We stayed at the Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort in Bakau. This beachside hotel has spacious rooms with patios or balconies overlooking the ocean or gardens. It also has a nice pool area and nightly entertainment. We opted for B&B, but many of the guests chose an all inclusive package. Bakau is fairly small, but does have a handful of excellent restaurants. In my opinion, all inclusive would be a mistake. We had some really good meals – several in restaurants with great views. And there’s a fridge in the room, so you can stock up on drinks from one of the nearby shops.
If you like things a little more lively, then further along the coast in Senegambia is probably a better option. Our second choice hotel was the Senegambia Beach Hotel. This hotel at the end of the strip overlooking the beach is set in tropical gardens with a nice pool area.
The Gambia 1 Week Itinerary
| Day 1 | Flight to Banjul Accommodation – Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort |
| Day 2 | Cape Point Beach Dinner and crocodile spotting at Calypso Bar & Restaurant |
| Day 3 | Senegambia Senegambia Road Senegambia Craft Market Dinner at Paradiso |
| Day 4 | Senegal Ferry to Senegal Fathala Wildlife Reserve Dinner at Indian Zaika |
| Day 5 | Banjul Denton Bridge Arch 22 National Museum July 22 Square State House Albert Market Banjul Old Town Tanbi Wetland Complex Dinner at Indian Zaika |
| Day 6 | Bakau Cape Point Bakau Craft Market National Botanical Gardens Dinner at Gibbi’s on the Beach African Cultural Show |
| Day 7 | Bijilo Forest Park Kachikally Crocodile Pool Kachikally Museum Dinner at Indian Zaika |
Day 1
Flight to Banjul
I haven’t flown TUI before. It’s not a particularly pleasant experience. First of all, I’m surprised that such a long (6 hour) flight needs to be undertaken without the benefit of seatback entertainment. Secondly, it feels like the noisiest 6 hours of my life. I am surrounded by children being kept entertained by electronic devices at very high volume. Not a set of headphones in sight. The cacophony of inane sounds is almost unbearable. And with beer at £5 for a small can, I’m not even attempted to numb the nightmare of buzzes and rings and beeps with a cloud of super expensive Heineken.
But all bad things must come to an end. Finally, after what seems like an eternity and when I think my head will explode if I have to listen to ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ one more time, we reach Banjul.
In actual fact, the flight is ahead of schedule and by the time our flight is supposed to land, we’re already sitting in the bus which will take us to our hotel. Another 46 minutes later, we are ready to depart for our ultimate destination; Ocean Bay Hotel.
Our bus sets off through Banjul towards our hotel in Bakau some 13 miles away. Once through the city, we turn off onto a road with a notice stating ‘Weak Bridge – Weight limit 7 tons’. Luckily, I don’t have Wi-Fi, so can’t Google how much a coach weighs. Which, it turns out, is somewhat more than 7 tons!
Accommodation – Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort
We reach our hotel, Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort, in one 7+ ton piece, check in a head for the bar. It’s been a long day. I’m hot and thirsty and would literally kill for a beer. Service is painfully slow and when the beer finally arrives, it’s warm. We have arrived too late to order dinner. To add to my displeasure, there is karaoke. Just when I thought my quota of unbearable noise had been reached! To make matters worse, a man comes with a hat to ask for tips for the band – we have to pay to be musically tortured.
We retire to our room which has a patio, slightly cooler beer and significantly less karaoke. Once I have finished my beer and consumed my body weight in mini cheddars, I am finally relaxed…
Day 2
In the morning, we awake to a stiff breeze; it’s almost like being back in Bournemouth. Apart from the temperature. And the monkeys.
We head for the breakfast buffet for some proper food after yesterday’s dinner which consisted solely of mini cheddars. The man at the next table makes the mistake of choosing a banana. Monkeys appear from every direction as if activated by some sort of banana detector.
As we arrived after dark, this is our first chance to explore our surroundings. We paid extra for a sea view, which wasn’t readily apparent yesterday, but we are, in fact, only 100 metres from the sea. We opt to spend our first day in and around the hotel.
Cape Point Beach
We take a walk along Cape Point Beach. It’s picturesque but I wouldn’t want to do much more than paddle here.
The shore is lined with a row of juice bars where you can purchase a wide arrange of fruit juices to cool you down on a hot day.
The old man wanders into Bakau and locates a mini mart with a super fierce fridge – no more warm beer for us. We spend the afternoon on our sea view patio relaxing and drinking cold beer.
Dinner and crocodile spotting at Calypso Bar & Restaurant
We appear to be pretty much the only people at our hotel who have not opted for the all inclusive package. Undeterred, we set forth to find a local restaurant for dinner. We don’t have to venture far to reach Calypso Bar & Restaurant, which boasts dinner overlooking a crocodile pool. There are indeed crocodiles, which you can watch from the comfort of poolside seats.
But the highlight of the evening are the enormous number and variety of birds descending on the pool in search of their own dinner.
Oh, and the food is good too. I opt for Fish in Foil, which is pretty much as described; fish and vegetables cooked in a foil parcel.
Much, much later, we walk back along the beach accompanied by the exotic sound of drummers. We have not ventured far, but I have enjoyed my first day in The Gambia.
Day 3 – Senegambia
We get up and head for breakfast. I stop several times on my way through the hotel gardens to photograph the flora and fauna.
After a morning of reading, swimming and sunbathing, we catch a tourist taxi to the nearby resort of Senegambia, which is 5 miles further along the coast from Bakau.
Senegambia Road
The heart of Senegambia is a pedestrian street, Senegambia Road, running from the highway to the beach. You can wander at leisure along this popular strip of restaurant and bars (tourist taxis are permitted access to pick up and drop off passengers).
Senegambia Craft Market
At the end of the road is Senegambia Craft Market. Here, you will find dozens of stalls selling handicrafts and souvenirs. Be prepared to haggle.
Dinner at Paradiso
On a friend’s recommendation we choose Paradiso for dinner. I order the chicken Yassa; chicken in a spicy onion sauce. It’s very tasty.
Time for a couple of beers while we wait for the prearranged time to meet our driver for the return journey.
Day 4 – Senegal
This morning the old man sets off early for his day trip across the border to Senegal. I am not accompanying him because you need 3+ months on your passport to enter Senegal, which I don’t have. There was a time when I would have shoved a few dollars in my passport and hoped for the best. But I now consider myself too old to deal with the hassle of traipsing all the way to the border just to be turned away. Or worse still, detained for attempting to bribe a Senegalese official. So instead, I spend a quiet day by the pool swimming, and reading. Then back to my room for some monkey baiting with my stash of emergency Oreos. Note: in order to enter Senegal, you also need to show a Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate.
Ferry to Senegal
The old man went on a trip organised by the Tui Rep. They were taken by coach to the ferry crossing in Banjul. The coach was late in departing meaning that they actually missed their target ferry and had to spend an hour and half milling around the port.
Fathala Wildlife Reserve
After crossing the River Gambia by ferry, getting that all important (for the old man) passport stamp they were picked up by a second coach which took them to Fathala Wildlife Reserve. I say wildlife reserve; it’s actually just an area of scrub which they have cordoned off, then imported a couple of rhino (one of which subsequently killed the other), a few giraffe and other animals. After a truck ride round the park and lunch, they turned round and headed home.
Dinner at Indian Zaika
As he is fairly late back, we head for the restaurant closest to the hotel; Indian Zaika. This is a fairly unusual occurrence for us – usually, when in a foreign country, the old man is insistent that an integral part of the experience is only to eat the cuisine of aforementioned country. So an Indian restaurant in The Gambia would not usually be an option.
As it happens, the food is really excellent, in fact I’d go as far as to say one of the best curries I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve lived in Pakistan and Bradford, so that’s saying something!
Day 5 – Banjul
We get up and follow what has become the usual routine; enough breakfast buffet to see us through till dinner. Then read, swim, sunbathe, repeat.
In the afternoon, we take a taxi to visit Banjul. A quick Google of sightseeing in Banjul does not fill me with inspiration, but we set off for the capital nonetheless.
As capital cities go, it’s very small. The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa. It’s really just a sliver of land either side of the River Gambia, surrounded on three sides by its much bigger neighbour, Senegal. This area around the river was originally colonised by the Portuguese in the 15th century. A couple of centuries later, the British took control. In the 18th Century, the area along the Gambian coast was central to the slave trade. Captured slaves were taken to James Island in the middle of the River Gambia, close to where European ships could moor up in order to trade and collect their cargo.
In 1807, the British abolished slavery and determined that no one else should continue the practice in their sphere of influence. It was decided to fortify another island further up river in order to prevent ships from approaching James Island. Thus, the city of Banjul came to be.
This little capital city on a river island has a population of just 34,500. This includes the president, Adama Barrow. This means you cannot just wander into Banjul.
Denton Bridge
The only road onto the island is heavily guarded and you must pass through a police checkpoint in order to proceed across the Denton Bridge. Built in 1986, this 210 metre long bridge, which spans the Tanbi Wetland Complex, is the only road connecting Banjul to the mainland. Once we are through the checkpoint, we continue along the Banjul-Serrekunda Highway until we reach our first destination; Arch 22.
Arch 22
Arch 22 is an arch which spans the highway at the start of Independence Drive. The 36 metre tall arch (the tallest building in The Gambia) was built in 1996 to mark the military coup of 22 July 1994, when Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh overthrew the democratically elected Gambian government.
For 100 Dalasis (around £1.30) you can climb the 150 steps round a spiral staircase in one of the arch’s 8 supporting columns to reach a viewing platform in the roof.
Ex president Jammeh has subsequently been deposed and fled into exile taking the contents of the central bank with him. Hence, the arch has fallen into disrepair. Where once were a restaurant and gift shop is now just junk and rubble. However, you can still climb to the the top, from where you can see the whole of Banjul and its environs – along Independence Drive to the town, with the port and the River Gambia beyond.
Inside the arch, the museum documenting the events of the coup is still mainly intact.
National Museum
Next up, we drive the short distance to the National Museum of The Gambia. It’s rather tired (that’s being generous), but documents the region’s history from prehistoric to relatively recently. So it is still worth a visit.
If you’ve always wanted to see a sailing ship made out of doilies, this is your chance…
July 22 Square
Our final stop is near July 22 Square. The Square contains a World War I memorial and a fountain dating from the 1930s. From here, we take a circular walk past the State House and Albert Market, through the old town and back to the car.
State House
The State House, the official residence of the president, is heavily guarded with plenty of soldiers to deter trespassers and photographers – oops!
Albert Market
We continue on through Albert Market. Since its founding in the 19th century, Albert Market has been Banjul’s main commercial hub. If you love shopping, this would be a great place to spend some time. The market is split into three separate areas;
- the tourist market selling clothes, jewellery, arts and crafts
- the produce market, selling fruit and vegetables, meat and fish
- the wholesale market selling almost anything else you can think of
Personally, I hate shopping, so we don’t delve too deeply, just take a few photos and move on.
Banjul Old Town
Heading towards to the ferry terminal is the Old Town; a collection of decrepit colonial buildings and Krio-style clapboard houses, lined with traders selling all manner of goods. It’s noisy and chaotic and quintessentially African.
Tanbi Wetland National Park
Apparently we have exhausted the sights of Banjul, so we drive back to our hotel, stopping en route at Tanbi Wetland National Park. This wilderness site is located just on the southern entrance to the mouth of the River Gambia. It covers a total area of about 6,000 hectares (of which mangroves make up 4,800 hectares).
Dinner at Indian Zaika
The old man likes to constantly try new places, but I enjoyed last night’s curry so much that he agrees (somewhat reluctantly) that we can visit the same place twice. So we enjoy another stonkingly good curry.
Day 6 – Bakau
Today we have a quiet day planned exploring the local area of Bakau.
Cape Point
After breakfast, we go for a walk along the beach to the end of Cape Point, where the River Gambia meets the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the ocean waves come crashing in perpendicular to the beach as they meet the mouth of the river.
The walk is both interesting and soul destroying. The number of people begging on the beach is a constant reminders of the country’s crushing poverty (around 50% of the population live below the poverty line). And the pollution is terrible the beach is strewn with all manner of junk. How long will it be before we kill our oceans?
We walk to the end of the point to the Atlantic proper, then back via the mini market to stock up on drinks. Something that upsets the locals is the prevalence of such a high proportion of all inclusive holiday makers, whose presence contributes so much to Tui and so little to the local economy. So, we walk to the mini market each day for our snack and beverage requirements. The shopkeeper is obviously doing well from us, as he has started adding extras to our basket after we’ve paid.
Bakau Craft Market
We continue our walk through Bakau craft market. The market here is not on the same scale as that of Senegambia, but there’s still plenty of tourist tat on offer.
National Botanical Gardens
We continue as far as the National Botanical Gardens, which aren’t all that, then return to the hotel for an afternoon of swimming, reading and sunbathing before we head off in search of dinner.
Dinner at Gibbi’s on the Beach
This evening I have to kick my curry habit and we decide to go to Gibbi’s on the Beach, where they serve traditional Gambian food on a veranda overlooking the ocean.
You can eat and drink beer whilst watching the sun set over the wetlands and listening to reggae music – another reason why going all inclusive is a bad decision! The sun sets on a different side of the restaurant than we’d expected. The old man goes on at great lengths about how the sun is in the wrong place!
Tonight’s dinner is chicken Benachin – chicken cooked in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce, served with rice. Very tasty!
African Cultural Show
After dinner, we return to the hotel for the evening’s entertainment, described as an acrobatic culture show. It turns out be pretty spectacular with drumming, acrobatics, break dancing, even a contortionist who manages to squeeze through the head of a tennis racquet.
This highly entertaining show has been the highlight of the trip so far. With the exception of the contortionist – that made me feel quite sick. But when I wasn’t about to throw up, I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening of African food and culture.
Day 7
It’s our last full day in The Gambia. We consider a trip to Kunta Kinteh Island; an island in the River Gambia where slaves were held prior to being sold to European traders. Obviously it wasn’t called that at the time, having been renamed after The Gambia’s most famous slave from Alex Haley’s book/TV series Roots. It’s not far, only 20 miles, but quite a trek because you have to drive to Banjul, cross the river by ferry, then drive back along the opposite shore, then take a boat to the island. We decide that’s too much palaver in the searing heat, so opt to visit some more accessible local sites.
Bijilo Forest Park
In the afternoon, we set off with our driver, Lamin. First stop is Bijilo Forest Park, which is basically a monkey feeding photo op for tourists. Once you have paid your 150 dalasi (£2) entry fee, you can purchase peanuts and/or bananas to feed to the monkeys.
The park is quite large, but it’s fairly pointless walking too far because all the monkeys congregate round the entrance waiting for tourists to appear and feed them.
The old man purchases a bag each of bananas and nuts and enjoys feeding the rather tame monkeys their treats.
Kachikally Crocodile Pool
Next stop is Kachikally Crocodile Pool. This is actually only a mile from our hotel, but requires venturing off the main road, further into residential Bakau.
It’s prey grim; with a putrid open sewer running along the side of the road.
At the end of the road, we encounter a fleet of police cars and fancy vehicles. Amidst all this poverty, the Mayor of Serekunda is taking the Mayor of Wisconsin to see the crocodiles.
Our driver is super excited about bumping into the mayor. As it’s a special occasion, they’ve dug out the albino crocodile for visitors to touch. Our driver says we’re very privileged – seeing the albino crocodile is rare and lucky.
We pay our 100 dalasi (£1.35) entry fee, and enjoy the spectacle of a hoard or dignitaries and their security escort all taking it in turns to touch the albino crocodile.
Kachikally Museum
Whilst we wait for the huge convoy to reassemble and make its way back along the tiny street, we visit Kachikally Museum.
The museum consists of a series of huts which tell different aspects of the area’s history. The first hut is predominantly about female circumcision, with photos from the Maccarthey Circumcision Festival. Maccarthey was the former British governor of West Africa. Next…
We manage to reverse back up the narrow street without falling into the sewer, which is somewhat of a relief, and return to our hotel.
Dinner at Indian Zaika
In the evening, one last trip to Indian Zaika. We stop on the way back through the hotel to check out tonight’s entertainment. The best way to describe it is when, as a kid, you put your 45 rpm record on 33 rpm. So we return to our room and round off our last night in the Gambia with beers on the patio overlooking the ocean.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more guides from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Travel Guides list here.
- Trip taken: November 2022
- Updated: June 2023
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