The Gambia is a strip of land roughly 50 km wide following the River Gambia inland for 400 km, surrounded by Senegal. It is the smallest country on mainland Africa and the easiest to cover, because everything is on or near the river.
Two distinct kinds of trip happen here. One is the package beach holiday on the Kombo coast, flown in from northern Europe from November to April, which has been the mainstay for fifty years. The other is upriver: Kunta Kinteh Island and Juffureh for visitors tracing the slave trade and Alex Haley's account of it, the chimpanzee islands in River Gambia National Park, and birding that is exceptional for the effort involved, with well over 500 species recorded in a country you can drive across in an hour.
Be honest about the coast. The Senegambia strip is developed and commercial, hustling on the beach is persistent enough to have its own local term, and sex tourism is a documented part of the resort economy. Travellers who want the river and the birds should be routed away from the strip, not through it.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Nov-Feb | Dry, warm days and cool nights. The peak season, and the best for birds: European migrants are present alongside the resident species. Harmattan haze can reach the country and drop visibility for days at a time. |
| Mar-May | Still dry and getting hot, particularly upriver. Fewer visitors, lower rates, and river trips still comfortable. Late in this period the heat inland is significant. |
| Jun-Oct | Rains. Humid, with heavy storms. Many coastal hotels close for the season, upriver dirt roads become difficult, and boat schedules thin out. Birding is still good and the country is green. |
Before you go
- Visa: requirements vary a good deal by nationality; several, including Commonwealth and ECOWAS passport holders, do not need one in advance. Check your own position before booking rather than assuming.
- Health: yellow fever vaccination is required for entry and certificates are checked. Malaria is present year-round with higher risk in and after the rains. Confirm current requirements close to departure.
- Money: the dalasi (GMD). Cash is the norm; cards work in some coastal hotels and almost nowhere upriver. ATMs are concentrated in the Kombo area and Banjul.
- Getting around: the south bank road runs most of the length of the country and is paved for much of it, but journeys upriver still take most of a day. The river itself is the better route where a boat is available. The land border with Senegal is crossed constantly and is straightforward; the ferry at Banjul can be slow.
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