The Smiling Coast

by Maxine Bates

The Gambia was never a destination I'd considered before, but three Mensans wanted guaranteed sunshine for an Easter holiday and it appealed being half the price of The Caribbean with no jet lag as West Africa is on the same time zone as the UK. The only disadvantage is having to take malaria tablets as The Gambia is considered a high risk malarial area, though we didn't see many mosquitoes travelling in the dry season. But better to be safe than sorry!

The Gambia is approx. six hours flying time from the UK and situated on the west coast of Africa surrounded by Senegal. The River Gambia, from where the country acquires its name, flows from the capital Banjul 200 miles inland to Georgetown. The Gambia is considered a third world country, hence tourism is still developing. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are the main source of income with nearly 85% of the population working within this sector. The number of tourists visiting The Gambia has been increasing each year and the government are trying to encourage the growth of hotels and other services.

The main resorts are Kololi and Kotu. We stayed at the Palm Grove Hotel at Banjul Beach, which is not really a resort but situated on the Banjul Highway midway between the capital and beach resorts. The bedrooms were spacious with a large lounge area with satellite TV and mosquito nets over the beds. The grounds were pleasant with wood carvings produced by local craftsmen and the private beach overlooked a lagoon with free canoes and surfboards.

Stepping out of any hotel means being hassled by the local 'bumsters' who want to be friendly and extract money from you by giving you directions, taking you to their family shop, finding you a taxi, etc. You do not feel threatened as if you are going to be pickpocketed or similar, but the 'bumsters' can invade your space and the continual questioning can become very tiresome after a few days. "What's your name?" "Is this your first visit to The Gambia?" "How long are your staying?" "What's your occupation?" "Would you like a Gambian husband?" (!!!)

We took several excursions organised by JMC and all were very good. The orientation tour took us into Banjul to climb Arch 22 for wonderful views of the city and river as well as a visit to a batik factory, handicraft market (lots of hassle from the vendors!) and to stroke Charlie the crocodile at the sacred pool. The "Roots" trip included a cruise along the river to the village where the book/film was based. We met the village chief - surprisingly a female - and lots of children who wanted to hold our hands. We were told the school would appreciate pens, books and sweets, but to pass them on to the guide for distribution to avoid rioting amongst the youngsters and getting scratched in the chaos! There was also chance to visit the poignant small museum depicting the slave trade and to spend a short while on James Island where prisoners were kept awaiting transportation to the New World. We briefly spotted dolphins swimming next to our boat and the crew worked hard to keep us supplied with a buffet lunch, snacks and drinks.

One day we hired an official guide and taxi driver from outside our hotel to take us to the Bijilo Nature Reserve. These guides are easily identifiable wearing a brown uniform with an OTC (Official Tourist Guide) badge. For only a few dalasis an hour they are excellent value and deter the 'bumsters'. (£1 = approx. 25 dalasis) Entrance to the nature reserve cost only 20 dalasis per person and for me, as a monkey lover, this was excellent value as we got chance to hand feed wild velvet monkeys. After walking amongst the trees for nearly an hour we were beginning to give up hope of seeing any wildlife when suddenly we were surrounded by approx. 50 monkeys of all sizes. A wonderful experience! Our guide, William, also pointed out various birds and let us borrow his binoculars for closer inspection. The Gambia is well known for birdwatching.

Evening excursions were the best way to leave the hotel without the hassle. "Bushwackers" was an organised bar crawl around Kololi including an energetic African dance show, an English karaoke bar (presumably for the homesick!), a free tequila slammer in a Mexican bar and two nightclubs. Our final evening was memorable taking a sunset cruise through mangroves, whilst listening to a traditional musician on deck, to famous Lamin Lodge. Many of the locals we met were called Lamin, which is the name regularly given to the first born male. The lodge is built on wooden stilts and we dined on a sumptuous buffet of lady fish, tender pork, oyster sauce and much more. After the meal there was another display of African dancing with chance to participate! On the coach journey back to our hotel we passed night markets which were a hive of activity, presumably because the temperatures had dropped from 100 F. We also went through the only set of traffic lights in the country!

I would recommend The Gambia for an unusual winter sunshine holiday and a taste of Africa. It is a poor country yet the people always have a smile for you. Visit before it becomes a tourist trap.


First published in VISA issue 46 (summer 2002).