 Though
the Gambia (in West Africa) is small
it offers a wide variety of sites offering tourist excursions
and attractions. There are numerous land-based tours, mixed excursions
and river trips organised by overseas tour
operators as well as locally based ground
tour operators and freelance Official
Tourist Guides.
Starting from the coastal holiday resorts
of Kombo North you can begin with the various tourist attractions
of Banjul Capital where there
is Gambia National Museum on Independence Drive, the bustling
& lively Albert Market,
the huge arch at the entrance to the capital or marvel at some
of the colonial architecture.
A few kilometres away from the capital and towards the coastal
areas you get to the major vacation locations of Bakau,
Cape Point, Fajara,
Kololi,
(Senegambia
Strip) and Kotu where you can enjoy
local attractions of endless golden beaches
and almost guaranteed sunshine & other leisure activities
such as watersports, quadbiking, golf
and tennis. These areas are where most tourist choose to spend
there time with its numerous restaurants,
bars, shops & local night clubs particularly in the Kololi
& Senegambia areas.
At Bakau there is the Craft
Market, Katchikally Crocodile
Pool (whose crocs are allegedly said to be so tame they allow
tourist to touch them) further inland you find Serrekunda
town
with its dazzling & hectic market, Sunday Wresting and tie-and-dye
factory. There is also the Bijilo Forest
Park which is within easy walking distance from the Kairaba
or Senegambia
hotels. The destinations of Brufut Heights
and Brufut Gardens are becoming an increasingly important resort
destinations after the opening of the Sheraton, now Coral Beach
Hotel and the development of the local area's facilities.
For the more adventurous you can take a one-day or half-day excursion
further down the coast of the Tanji
Village museum &
Bird Reserve
where you can hire a boat and take an excursion among the mangroves
with amazing unspoilt scenery. You can also go for camel
safaris at Tanji which is located just after the bridge on
the left. At Kartong you can visit
the Lemonfish Art
Gallery which display works from local Gambian artists.
Micro-light flights are also available that offer visitors stunning
views of the creeks and bolong and other natural tourist attractions.
Bird watching
 is
possible even within the tropical gardens of the major hotels
and many actively encourage birds to breed on their hotel complexes.
However the Gambia has many wildlife
& bird reserves such Tanji and Abuko
Nature Reserve which is a 20 minutes drive from most hotels.
Abuko forest is also home to lions, hyenas & various species
of monkeys.
There are numerous safari camps located
up-country and most are to be found on the river banks offering
reasonably descent accommodation.
For the even more adventurous you can visit the Tanbi
Wetland Reserve
which is located directly south of the capital. It is a large
expanse of creeks & mangrove swamps with plenty of opportunities
for cruising, bird watching and
fishing.
Fishing excursion opportunities are
endless. You can choose both sea or creek fishing as well as the
river itself where you can hire a boat from numerous tour
operators located at Denton Bridge.
Further inland still you get to Brikama
with its craft market & factory and to the north east you
get to the Makasutu Culture
Forest  which
lies next to the River Gambia.
On its shores there is the luxury eco-lodge of Mandina
River Lodge. To the east of Brikama you can visit Lamin Lodge
in Pirang Forest Park which has
a small river running through it and is an unspoilt Eden and ideal
for naturists.
Some of the Gambia's most ancient monuments are located inland
near Wassu, where circles
of stones mark 1,200-year-old burial grounds. Way up river you
will get to the Baboon Island which form part of the River
Gambia National Park. See also River
information.
On the north bank which you can reach by ferry
from Banjul there you can visit
Fort Bullen at Barra Point and
Jinack Island which is part of
the Niumi National Park
where you can do a spot of dolphin spotting. On the river bank
itself further inland try out the 'Find Your Roots Excursion'
which is a one day pilgrimage to the village of Juffure
made famous by Alex Haley's book 'Roots'. Nearby there is
the slavery museum at Albreda, not far from the shore the ruins
of Fort James Island.
Other
Places off the beaten track.
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