The Gambia is a country I haven’t traveled to (yet). Distance, I’ve only come ‘close’ to the Gambia when I was in Cabo Verde in 2019. I’d love to visit the Gambia as part of a bigger (overland) West Africa trip.

I hope that you can find posts about the Gambia on this page in the future. For now, perhaps read about other countries, such as Cabo Verde, Spain, or Morocco?

Things I’d Like to Do in the Gambia

• Hitchhike with the locals, even if it’s just a short distance. Though English is the official language, there are over a dozen native languages spoken by various groups, so I hope to pick up some local words as well
• Travel to the capital city Banjul. I’ve looked at hotels, but the historical city doesn’t have much. So it’s more likely I’ll visit it on a day trip from the nearby bigger towns of Serekunda and Brikama
• In Banjul, I’d love to see the King Fahad Mosque, the cathedral, the Karadeniz Power Ship, and the Albert Market. Depending on how I arrive in the Gambia, I’ll either have already seen Fort Bullen in Barra across the Gambia River or still make a day trip there
• Go kayaking on the Gambia River or anywhere else (Tanji or somewhere with mangroves). I’ve seen quite some businesses that offer rentals or tours, which gives me hope for a country that should probably have a lot of boat traffic. I miss kayaking on rivers!
• I’d absolutely love to take a boat in the eastern part of the Gambia upstream, where the river water is not affected by the tides. There are also interesting river islands there, such as MacCarthy Island and Baboon (Chimpanzee) Island
• Visit one of the three sacred crocodile pools. Though I might not want to pet them (you can), I’d love to learn more. See map where they are
• Travel off to the Gambian stone circles of Senegambia. Some of them cross the border into Senegal, but there are also two sites just in Gambia
• For relaxation, I’d like to visit some nice beaches such as Cape Point and Kotu. There’s also a botanical garden in Bakau
• Visit the ruins of Kunta Kinteh Island and Fort James to learn about the British slave trade and Dutch colonization. The island is also under heavy erosion due to rising sea levels, so the clock is unfortunately ticking on this historical site. Boats depart for the island from Albadarr and the nearby museum in Juffureh is also worth a visit
• Either see or visit the Bijol Islands, not far from Tanje
• Cuisine-wise, I don’t have much to look forward to as a vegetarian as most Gambian dishes are fish or meat. But I’d love to try a vegetarian maafe (peanut stew) with lots of veggies and thiakry for dessert. I’d love to try out a new grain, such as findi/fonio. And if I find easy vegetarian dishes in the Gambia, I’ll be happy to report back
• Visit some remote parts of the Gambia, such as Fatoto in the far east and Kartong in the southwest
• Hit up some nice natural parks, both mangroves by the river delta and the savannah inland. Kiang West National Park seems to be the main one, but I have all the others on my map below as well