Gambia Things to See & Do Guide

Freelance guide Junkung "JJ" Jadama can arrange custom tours of any duration for groups or individuals. He specializes in bird-watching, nature and cultural tours. Phone: 220-998-4157. http://www.gambiabirdguide.com.

Day 1—Arrive Banjul.

Day 2—Banjul. Try a half-day cruise on the river.

Day 3—Take a ferry to Barra and visit Juffure for the Roots tour. Return to Banjul to overnight.

Day 4—Relax on the beach at Bakau or Kolole (Senegambia area).

Day 5—Morning bird-watching at Abuko National Park. Spend the afternoon visiting the Batik Factory and Katchacally Crocodile Pond or shopping in Bakau.

Day 6—Depart Banjul.

If more time is available, add beach time, longer trips up the river or an overland jaunt to Dakar, Senegal.

If you travel on your own outside Banjul, expect to endure a certain amount of discomfort and be prepared to encounter transportation delays and accommodations that are less than luxurious. Always check with your embassy regarding the current security situation and the condition of the roads.

The Gambia's sleepy river capital, Banjul, and the surrounding area (the towns and beaches around the capital are sometimes collectively referred to as Kombo) offer good food, beaches and great bird-watching, all of which can make it worth a stay of a couple of days. The area is the focus of the package-tour industry, so it offers plenty of accommodations and services (which will be particularly welcome if you've been spending time in less-developed parts of Africa).

While in town, visit the Albert Market (African market) and the National Museum (prehistoric, historic and ethnographic displays). Religious sites include the interesting Catholic cathedral, the smaller St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral (it has a corrugated metal roof) and the Great Mosque (the majority of Gambians are Muslims).

Changes in the political landscape of Banjul have brought additions to the physical landscape. Completed in 1996, a monument called Arch 22 commemorates Yahya Jammeh's 1994 coup. The 115-ft-/35-m-high arch, complete with eight Doric columns, contains a museum full of such underwhelming artifacts as the chair Jammeh sat in to announce his coup. In front of the arch, a large bronze sculpture depicts a Gambian soldier rescuing (or, as cynics suggest, kidnapping) a child.

Be on the lookout for informal soccer games, games of cricket at the Victoria Recreation Ground, cows coming home from pasture (via the beach) and people preparing fish for the market. On weekend afternoons, you can see wrestling matches (sign up for one of the organized trips that leave from the hotels).

Resorts can be found nearby in Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Kololi. Serekunda, a town just south of the capital, has a more authentic West African atmosphere than the resorts, and it's only a 10-minute ride to the beaches. Local tour companies operate a variety of day trips and cruises, including bird-watching excursions, trips into Senegal and ventures to nearby Bijilo Forest Monkey Park, Katchically Crocodile Pond and Abuko Nature Reserve. Abuko is an impressive park 15 mi/20 km southwest of Banjul and may be visited on an organized tour, but we prefer to go by bush taxi or minibus so we can walk the reserve's trails in relative solitude. Most visitors will see red colobus and green vervet monkeys, Gambian sun squirrels and other small wildlife. However, far more amazing are the 200-plus species of birds that either live there permanently or winter there. A stream surrounded by a forest runs through the center of the reserve. Banjul is 125 mi/200 km west of Georgetown.

Founded in 1823, this decaying African town is built on a European-style street plan. Georgetown's heyday was during the steamship era, when it was a trading center. It has a famous boys school and the country's main prison (they are not related). Though this may not sound particularly attractive, we liked the town's languid atmosphere.

About 20 mi/32 km northwest of Georgetown is Wassu, the site of 11 stone pillars thought to date from the eighth century. These stones vary from tiny stumps to 10-ft-/3-m-high monoliths, and very little is known about their origin. Georgetown is 125 mi/200 km east of Banjul.

U.S. author Alex Haley found that his ancestor Kunte Kinte was born in Juffure, and Roots tours now go up the river from Banjul to visit this village. There's even an annual International Roots Homecoming Festival in June that celebrates reuniting members of the African diaspora. (The atmosphere in Juffure can be a little touristy, which is to be expected in a place that frequently hosts busloads of foreigners.)

On the river, a five-minute walk south of Juffure, is Albreda, which was an old French and then British trading post. On the south bank of the river across from Albreda is Fort James Island, site of a 17th-century fort. All three places may be visited as one excursion. On the north bank of the river, 15 mi/25 km east of Banjul.

This tourist camp is the jumping-off point for treks and trips by speedboat and jeep into mangrove and wildlife areas. Great for anglers, nature lovers and bird watchers (look for a huge pelican nesting site near the camp). 80 mi/125 km east of Banjul.