Afrinkong
Mangrove, Savanna and Gallery Forest
Salt mangrove at the mouth, freshwater swamp in the middle, dry savanna at the top.
THE GAMBIA · Tourism
The River
Three hundred kilometres of river with a strip of land either side, six hundred bird species, chimpanzees on the river islands, and the beaches that made it Europe's first West African destination.
West AfricaRegion
27Tourism experiences
A river with a country around itKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
MountainsFlat
The highest point is fifty-three metres. This is river country, not hill country.
Photo Tomás Asurmendi / Pexels
WaterfallsNone
No falls. The river drops so little across the country that the tide runs a hundred kilometres up it.
The Gambia Itself
Tidal for half its length, and every town on it is a landing.
Eighty Kilometres of Atlantic
Kotu, Kololi and Cape Point, and the quieter sand south towards Kartong.
Photo Hakim LEVEL / Pexels
Bijilo and Abuko
Small forest reserves close to the coast, with colobus, vervets and a great deal of birdlife.
Photo Taryn Elliott / Pexels
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
Six Hundred Bird Species
In a country you can drive across in twenty minutes. It is one of the great birding places.
Chimps at Baboon Islands
A rehabilitated chimpanzee population on river islands, watched from boats only.
Photo K / Pexels
Eco TourismCommunity Birding
Village guide associations have run the birding here for decades, and the money stays.
Photo K / Pexels
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
Mandinka, Fula, Wolof, Jola
Four main peoples in a country of three million, and a griot tradition across all of them.
The Griots
The Jali families hold the histories, and the kora is how they are told.
Photo Bobby Dimas / Pexels
Benachin and Domoda
Benachin — one-pot rice — and domoda, groundnut stew with lamb.
Photo FOX ^.ᆽ.^= ∫ / Pexels
Kankurang
A masked figure of the Mandinka initiation, and a UNESCO-listed tradition.
Photo Errich Cross / Pexels
Traditional Arts & CraftsBatik, Carving and Baskets
Tie-dye and batik along the coast, and coiled baskets from the upper river.
Photo Rizky Rafael / Pexels
Kunta Kinteh Island
A slaving island in the river, eroding, and the reason a great many people come.
Stone Circles and the Slave Route
The Wassu stone circles are a thousand years old; the river route is four hundred.
Photo Etuate / Pexels
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
Banjul and Serekunda
A small capital on an island, and the much larger market town that outgrew it.
Photo Jagaba Denis / Pexels
ArchitectureColonial and Compound
Colonial Banjul, and the walled family compounds that are the real unit of Gambian building.
Photo LekePOV / Pexels
Local LifeThe Fish Landing at Tanji
The boats come in mid-afternoon and the beach becomes a market in twenty minutes.
Photo BULE / Pexels
Easy for Everybody
Short flights, short distances, warm shallow sea and a country used to visitors.
Photo Peter Holmboe / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Upriver by Boat
Four days up the river from Banjul to Janjanbureh, watching the country change.
Photo Mustafa ezz / Pexels
Birding on Foot
Abuko, Tanji and the Kotu creek — three of the best birding walks in Africa, all near the beach.
Long Established
Everything from big beach hotels to small river lodges, and forty years of practice.
Photo K / Pexels
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Photography / Scenic ViewsRiver Light
The upper river at dawn, when the mist sits on the water and the fish eagles call.
Photo K / Pexels
Hidden GemsKartong
The far south, a river mouth, a crocodile pool and almost nobody.
Why Visit This Country
Why The Gambia
Six hundred bird species and four hundred years of river history, in a country you cross in a day.
Why The Gambia
Six hundred bird species and four hundred years of river history, in a country you cross in a day.
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