Nightclubs and bars in The Gambia

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Me and Pete went here with our two finnish friends and our driver Kara. Im happy that Kara was with us because he sent away one suspicious guy who wanted to give his opened beer to Pete, as being a muslim he couldnt drink it. Kara knew that the beer was dopeyed. Like always the villain of the bar was after Pete..
But otherwise I really like this "club". Music was nice - european music, latin music and african hits. Dancefloor is big and there is a balcony. Evening was a bit quiet but It was alright with me.

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We went there on wednesday when it was a ladies night. It costed something small to get in but cant remember what. Place was crowded with some tourists here and there. Music was very danceable and I had such a good time. Somebody was trying to screw with my boyfriend, again, taking him outside the place when he was looking for a toilet.
Eaven my over 60 year old mom liked the place. I think it stays open till 4am.

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Sadly Rasta Garden has closed down but Kotu Township has some great evening venues. A must visit is Maria’s Bottle Shop, right in the shadow of Kotu power station. Despite living in probably the worse site for noise pollution that we have ever come across, the people on Maria’s street are amazingly happy and will show you the time of your life. Most of us would be resentful that we’d have to live in conditions that can only compared to spending your life under the wing of a 747, supplying power to rich neighbours, while you only have candles and batteries but not a bit of it. These people are glad of the opportunity to live somewhere that has understandably low rent and celebrate the fact that they have escaped the rural poverty that is creeping over the countryside. The Gambia is suffering from losing a large percentage of their ground nut production to cheap American owned imports into Europe. Peanuts are all most Gambians have but most depend on us tourists spending our money with them. So, what better way to help the people than enjoying yourself in places like Maria’s Bottle Shop? If you want some loud pulsating Reggae, Ragga or the latest sounds form Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, there’s a great local club open every Saturday. You’ll need someone like Lucas to guide you there though as it’s located in a warren of side streets. It’s open until about 4am but closed around 3.15am when we were there, when a few locals scaled the walls to gain free entry and a Wild West style brawl broke out, no guns though! The club is very close to Kotu’s Marie’s Pub, Gambian’s seem to think that if one establishment is successful, then steal the name and set up your own. This place is very civilised, with un interrupted electricity and being a Christian establishment serves up plates of fried pork, sold by the kilo and washed down with very cheap beer to the accompaniment of some of the cheesiest music you’ll hear anywhere. Boney M and Abba must be the world’s most popular bands!

Dress Code: It doesn't come any more casual than this, anything goes here. The best nightlife can be found in the company of your Gambian friends in the pubs they use themselves and okay I know we have to pick up the tab but everyone shares the happiness.

We stayed in Banjul where there is little or no nightlife, but a short taxi ride will take you to Sennagambia where you will find all the nightlife you could possibly want. Lots of resaurants, some with live music. You can have a good night out if you are into that sort of thing, I would rather be in bed by twelve and get up early to photograph the sunrise over the river Gambia.
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It is perhaps as well to know there are quite a few "Ladies of the night" around the the area, there are also AIDs in The Gambia so be aware!!!

A small casino with american roulette, black jack, baccarat en poker. Nice and relaxed atmosphere. There are tourist and i guess asians and arabs that are living in Gambia trying their luck.
They also have one-arm-bandits.
We were lucky and left with a bit more money then when we arrived

Dress Code: no beach wear allowed

Just a nice location for a drink and a dance. We had a lovely time, although the crowd only started to come very late...around 2 pm. We stayed on and met very friendly people all looking for a good night out. Many tourist but also a lot of locals.

Nice mix, nice crowd, great host and good music!

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It is not at all uncommon to come across seemingly spontaneous local dancing -- day or night. The performers can be casually dressed in 'western attire" or splendidly outfitted in colorful local garb. Feel free to stop and enjoy -- we were always welcomed with a smile, albeit quite a few stares, as well!

Dress Code: Casual!

Great way to spend an evening. Located half an hour away from the resorts, Makasutu is a great place to spend an evening watching a local dance troupe go through the many different tribal dances.

Infectionous energy - you'll soon be joining in.