The Gambia Things to Do

  Ruins of the fort at James Island
by sachara
  • Ruins of the fort at James Island
      Ruins of the fort at James Island
    by sachara
  •   Things to Do
    by sachara
  • The tiny James Island in the Gambia river
      The tiny James Island in the Gambia...
    by sachara
  • James Island World Heritage Site
      James Island World Heritage Site
    by sachara
  •   Things to Do
    by sachara

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

James Island or Kuntah Kinteh Island

by sachara

In summer 2012 we visited James Island, also known as Kunta Kinteh Island. James Island is a very small island in the Gambia River. We went there by small boat from the northern riverside.In 1456 the Island after Portugal acquired the island from local rules the Oortuguese started to build a fort. The location of the island in the middle of the river was a strategic place to control the waterway. James Island is a World Heritage Site: "James Island and related sites present a testimony to the main periods and facets of the encounter between Africa and Europe along the River Gambia, a continuum stretching from pre-colonial and pre-slavery times to independence. The site is particularly significant for its relation to the beginning of the slave trade and its abolition......" .

Ruins of the fort at James Island
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Wassu, the mysterious stone circles

by sachara

In Wassu each stone circle consists of about 10 to 24 massive and reddish brown stones.The stones are between 1M and 2.5 M high and must weigh several tons, they told me.Similar structures are found in the Sahara and in Guinee. In Gambia is the largest concentration, about 40 circles between Wassu and Kau-ur.After my visit at the Wassu circles the four groups of stone circles in The Gambia and Senegal became an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, because ......"the stone circles of pillars and burial mounds present a sacred landscape which is created over more than 1500 years (probably between the 3rd century BC and 16th century AD)".

Wassu, stone circles
gENAREAL ADVICE

by jigeen

I will be there in February/March too. It will be my Gambia Trip # 15.The real Gambia is to avoid the Hotels and live in the village. There are a lot of appartments and B&B offers. If you want to travel, which I would recommend, do it on a private base with an experienced guide. Gore Island is really worth a trip! Anyway, Senegal is taking better care of their tourist attractions. On the other hand, just the basic access in The Gambia is also an experience. I remember my private trip to St. James Island. We took the ferry to Barra, then a cab to Albreda, then a fisherboat brought us to the Island. The motor was down in the middle of the river, we had to changes boats right on the water... that is what I would call an experience. Or to visit a woman's project of kanyeleng, that means women who where isolated from their families because they can't give birth. To see the way how they...

Kachikally Crocodile Park

by SamuiDean

The sacred pools at Bakau have over the years become a tourist magnet for visitors to The Gambia. Some Gambians believe that the pools have supernatural healing powers and in particular bathing with the waters can aid in fertility. There are dozens of these sacred pools in The Gambia (some without crocs) but this is the nearest to the Atlantic tourist strip. There are over 100 resident crocs of the pool. The Katchikally Crocodile Pool at Bakau, were first discovered by a wine-palm tapper, a member of the Bojang clan, over 100 years ago. The pool's crocodilian residents have since become so tame, that they allow visitors to pet them, and seem to prefer fish over red meat.Infertile women travel from far and wide from both within and outside the Gambia to visit the site where they are washed with sacred water from the pool by specially trained women of the Bojang clan. After the ritual...

Dean stroking a crocodile!
SENEGAL

by johanl

When in the Gambia, do take a trip to the south part of Senegal, the Casamance. Go on a guided trip for one day and experience the Atlantic Ocean, the different language and the husle to cross the border and to get in again........Great fun.

Wassu, stone circles

by sachara

Near Wassu are several stone circles, believed to be burial sites and about 1200 years old. Wassu with its stone circles is one of the most famous sites in Gambia.These stone circles gave me a very mysterious feeling, like also Stonehenge in England and the stones in Carnac in France did.The archaeologists don't know yet the origin of these Wassu stones, so it is still an archaeologic and anthropologic mystery. It is believed, it must be the remains of a very old and developed African civilisation, before the old Ghana empire.Besides these stone circles in Wassu there are three more large groups of stone circles. There are all together more than 1000 monuments along about 350 km of the River Gambia. After my visit at the Wassu circles the four groups of stone circles in The Gambia and Senegal became an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, because ......"the stone circles of pillars and...

Wassu stone circles
Mali & Senegal Tours with Oumar Diarra

by David&Pauline

Anyone considering a beach holiday in the Gambia and Senegal, may want to look West and venture deeper into the real Africa. Whether you just have a few spare days away from the beach or would like to spend three or four weeks travelling around the sights of Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry, Oumar can take you there. For those lucky enough to spend several months away from the cold winters of Europe and America, Oumar can take you deeper into the forests and deserts of West Africa. Oumar can speak several languages outside of French and English, including Mandinka, Bamanan and Fula , the main tongues of West Africa. This will give you entrance to people and places denied to those on a tourist package. For those looking for Music and Culture, such as the Festival of the Desert in December and the Festival on the Niger in January, Oumar can organise the trip for you. He can...

Oumar on the Smiling Coast
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Gambia is Good Farm

by johndavid1988

Close to the Banjul International Airport you find the Gambia is Good Farm yard. Gambia is Good is bringing together thousands of local farmers. The supply Gambia is Good and they in return sell the crop to the Hotels, Restaurants, Supermarkets etc. Thus providing a livelyhood for the local farmers and making the hotels etc less dependant on foreign supply. At the farm yard you can see some of the crops they are growing, get introduction into all Gambia is Good is doing and taste solar baked cakes etc. This day out is fun to do. We got to know about it through posters in Kombo Beach Hotel and we didn't want to miss this. Fantastic work Gambia is Good is doing.

on the farm yard of Gambia is Good
Cruising on the River

by johndavid1988

We came across this great website for Gambia River Cruise. We contacted them and within a day we had a trip arranged. We chartered a boat just for the 2 of us and it was just fantastic. The boat itself is huge - the crew is fantastic and the day itself is one to remember for the rest of our lives. If we ever get married we want to do it on that boat.Upperdeck with lovely deck chairs and a lounge area - below comfortable sitting area and a kitchen where the cook is preparing some finger licking food. We caught some fish, we took a dip and we saw the local women collect oysters from the mangroves. All in all just SUPERB!

Isn't this boat fantastic
Suels Saloon

by johndavid1988

On Bakau New Town road you will find a bit hidden The Saloon. This is a multi purpose place. Hair and massage Saloon downstairs, Art Gallery upstairs and there is also a lovely food place. The whole building is a gem with loads of different styles and you just keep on looking around. If you are lucky the owner will show you his garden with the most beautiful orchids and other exotic flowers.

Top 3 Hotels in The Gambia

Kombo Beach Hotel  Banjul

 1 Review and 462 Opinions  The Kombo Beach is the only hotel we have been to in The Gambia, we stayed here the first time and... 

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Kairaba Beach Hotel  Kololi

 2 Reviews and 432 Opinions  well such an extraordinarily well run venue in Gambia. German influence, very efficient. What... 

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Sheraton Gambia Hotel Resort & Spa  Serekunda

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The Gambia Things to Do

Reviews and photos of The Gambia things to do posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for The Gambia sightseeing.
Map of The Gambia