What it is
A small island about 30 km upstream from Banjul, holding the remains of a fort first built in 1651 and fought over by English, French and other traders for a century and a half. Erosion has taken most of the island; it is a fraction of its eighteenth-century area and the ruins now stand close to the water. Juffureh and Albreda are villages on the north bank opposite, with a former trading house and a small slavery museum. UNESCO listed the island and the related sites, including Fort Bullen at the river mouth, in 2003.
Why go
The island was a collection and holding point for captives shipped down the river and out into the Atlantic, and later a base for British anti-slavery patrols after 1807. It was renamed in 2011 after the ancestor Alex Haley wrote about in Roots, published in 1976; Haley traced his descent to Juffureh, and while historians have challenged the detail of that genealogy, the book drove sustained return travel to The Gambia and the site is where that started. Visits combine the museum at Albreda, the village, and a landing on the island itself.
When to go
Reached by boat from Banjul or Denton Bridge, roughly two hours upriver, or by road to Barra and on from there. Dry season for road access to the north bank. Go early: the river trip is exposed and there is little shade on the island. Expect to be received by the village and to pay a guide fee; agree it at the start.
Most people stay Day trip, or 1 night.