What it is
A run of Atlantic beach and hotels west of Banjul, from Bakau through Kotu to Kololi and Brufut. The Senegambia strip in Kololi is the commercial centre of it, with hotels, restaurants, bars and craft markets in a few hundred metres.
Why go
It is where the flights land and where the hotels are, and the beaches are wide and warm through the northern winter. The more interesting reason to be here is birds: Kotu Creek and the bridge over it are a well-known site, Abuko Nature Reserve is a small patch of gallery forest 25 minutes inland with kingfishers, hornbills and monkeys, and local bird guides are among the best value in Africa. Tanji fish market and bird reserve are a short drive south.
When to go
November to March, which is when the charter flights run and when the migrants are in. Say plainly what the strip is: developed, commercial and persistent with hustlers on the beach, who will introduce themselves as guides. Hotels north at Bakau or south at Brufut and Tanji are quieter. Arrange bird guides through your hotel or a recognised association rather than on the sand.
Most people stay 3-4 nights.