My guide to The Gambia

Advantages: Surf, sunshine, great people
Disadvantages: Mosquitos

...I travelled to The Gambia in January (2004) and am still completely enchanted by the place. Its a small country at 30miles narrowing to only 15 miles wide and 200 miles long. Its centred around the Gambia River, so the country is quite lush and green compared with other African countries. It was part of the British Colony until it gained independence in 1965. Its principally a muslim country and made up of five tribes, the largest being Mandinka. **BEFORE YOU TRAVEL** There are several jabs which are recommended for travel to The Gambia but this is down to advise given by your GP. As a rule the following are recommended :- Hep A, Thyphoid, Dipheria, Tetenus and Polio which are all given free of charge, Yellow Fever which carries a charge of £35.00. Anti- Malaria tablets are also highly recommended. I know of some people who...

kez17 14.03.2004 (27.09.2004) · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

Gambia 'The Smiling Coast'

Advantages: Sunshine, Mid-haul flight, Everyone happy and helpful
Disadvantages: Friendship is not free!

...I visited The Gambia in April 2008 and must admit I had mixed feelings when I returned. Looking back now, we did have an amazing holiday, but I will admit it was far from a relaxing experience!... however we did come home with some great memories. I had read all the reviews and was prepared for the friendliness of the locals - after all they call it the 'Smiling Coast'. Everyone is friendly, wants to show you around, take you to their home. Even when you have a bit of a tan you will get approached constantly when you are outside your hotel - predominately by the local 'bumsters', who are unemployed young Gambian men eager to earn some money by showing you around and some can be very very pushy. However, we did befriend a local and this in many ways made our holiday a lot more interesting and easier. Accompanied with a well chosen...

flamegirl75 07.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

THE GAMBIA - memories that stick.

Advantages: Holidays to suit everyone.
Disadvantages: Cost.

...Many years ago, I was searching for a holiday that suited every member of my new family. I was about to marry a man with children, and our honeymoon was going to cost us a lot of money, but we sat down and talked about the different places that we could go, and ruled many out. There was Disneyland in the states which was one possibility, although this was outruled because we would come home more tired than we started off, and the holiday had to be one that catered for all of us. We wanted somewhere safe, we wanted beach, we wanted the possibility of mixing with the lovals and not having to speak a foreign language. We wanted a little luxury, definitely sunshine, as our honeymoon was to have been in January, and we went through all the brochures and were impressed with what the Gambia had to offer. Trips are pretty expensive...

thingywhatsit 14.02.2004 (01.03.2004) · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

The Gambia Experience

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, cheap food.
Disadvantages: Some hassle from locals although most tend to be really nice

...For years I have wanted to visit the Gambia but my husband was reluctant to go as the people had a bad reputation for harassing tourists. We had read on the internet that, in some areas, it wasn’t advisable to leave your hotel. This made me a bit wary as well because, when I visit a country I like to explore it, meet the locals and try the various foods. I decided to give Gambia Experience a call. They have been specialising in the Gambia for years and have recently started flying out of Glasgow, which made it even more appealing to me. The girl I spoke to was more than happy to advise me on the liveliest areas to stay in – we didn’t want to eat in the hotel all the time and were keen to visit an area with lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance. We were advised to stay in the Kololi area so we...

rustifer 21.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

WELCOME TO THE SMILING COAST OF WEST AFRICA

Advantages: deserted sandy beaches; the hospitality of the Gambian people
Disadvantages: I am not there now!

...My husband and I have visited the Gambia, West Africa several times. Originally, we chose the Gambia as we like the sun and it wasn’t too far to travel (about 6 hours flying time). Since then it has come to mean much more to us than just a holiday destination. Situated on the unspoilt West African coast, the Gambia is one of the smallest countries in Africa. Mostly flat, the country is dominated by the majestic River Gambia which meanders through tropical forest, bamboo and mangrove swamp. The Gambia is a third world country and the journey from the airport to the hotel is often a culture shock for many first time visitors to this country. You will see much poverty and begging as the standard of living for most of the local people is very much lower than our own. We usually take with us biros and notebooks as these are...

janna 11.02.2002 (30.06.2002) · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

Gamble With The Grub And Get A Runny Bum

Advantages: cheap,not too far,beautiful
Disadvantages: sizzling runny crevice if you don't take care with the sun and food

...The Gambia is probably the cheapest long haul destination available and clear blue skies and piping hot temperatures are guaranteed. A six hour flight will take you to another world on another continent for under £300.00 if you shop around. I first went in the early 80's and found it unspoilt and enchanting,I then visited again some 12 years later and it was just the same. Gambia is an African country and not without poverty so you do have to take a little care. Malaria pills are essentail and you need to take them well before you go.A yellow fever jab is no longer compulsory but you'd be a daft dodo not to have one. The vaccine is live so you can't just pop along to the quacks and get it on demand.A phial of vaccine serves 10 so if you go as a couple and nobody else in your area wants a yellow fever jab when you do you have to...

janehammill 27.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

The smiling coast

Advantages: sun sea sand and more only 6 hours away
Disadvantages: Locals bombarding you as soon as you leave hotel

...I visited The Gambia in October 1999. I took my two children then aged 16 and 13 with me and we all agree this is the best country we have visited. We had a very pleasant 6 hour flight, and the minute we left the plane, we were hit by the atmosphere of this lovely country. As we were searching for our coach to take us to our hotel we were bombarded by young children asking for our newspapers and magazines, which we later found out they sold to other holidaymakers the following day. There were men and women on stilts trying their best to entertain us. The journey from the airport to our hotel was a real eye opener. We were staying at the Hotel Senegambia in Kololi. At the time there were no roads as we know them, although I did hear a new road was being built which would bypass Serekunda, which I think is a great shame as...

Alison3 23.08.2002 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

A real Gambian Experience, Do's & Don'ts

Advantages: only 6 hours away, completly different world, friendly, great beaches and culture
Disadvantages: some hassle in busy tourist places

...This year I visited with some friend for the first time, but surely not the last time, the lovely country of The Gambia. Before leaving we orientated ourself on the internet and through the travel agents and we decided to only book a flight and arrange the accommodation directly for the first 2 nights in Gunjur Beach Lodge. This was a fantastic choice as it was perfectly located on the beach but also in the middle of the day to day life of the Gambians. We stayed the whole week in the lodge as it was just perfect for us. We are not the kind of tourist that want to have busy shopping streets, cafees etc around us. We want peace and tranquility. We visited the resorts, had a good time there but enjoyed our little spot in Gunjur. If you stay in the resorts of Kololi, Kotu, Cape Point etc and you want to have a chill out day (or 2) you...

traveladict1000 25.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

My best holiday

Advantages: The weather, the people
Disadvantages: The lack of flights during the summer

.... The heat intensity at night was at points sometimes unbearable at this time of the year therefore airconditioning would be essential. Restaurant in the Gambia are very cheap and there is a big choice(including Indian, Chinese, Italian and other general restaurants). You can eat out for as little as £2 for a good sized meal. The more expensive restaurants will cost you around £5 for a meal. Taxi rides in the Gambia are cheap - you will need to pre arrange a price, but they can be a bit scary as the cars often seem unroadworthy. The roads in thbe Gambia are not really established so taxis are one of the best ways to get around. Most of my holidays were spent on the beaches although I did visit some of the more touristy places. The crocodile pool was the one that sticks in my mind. You drive for about half an hour through some...

sambouc 09.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia

Great Beaches

Advantages: great beaches, lovely food
Disadvantages: far too much hassle from beggars etc.

...Sun, sea and sand are the main attractions for holidaymakers. Bird watching, with a huge number of species to spot, is another major attraction. Most locals speak English but visitors should be aware of the many beggars that hang out round the hotels. They can be very persistent to the point where tourists begin to dread leaving their hotel complexes. The beaches are splendid - soft, fine sand, unpolluted and generally uncrowded. All beaches are public but hotels claim stretches of sand, providing security guards and loungers. High, frequent Atlantic breakers coupled with strong undercurrents demand caution. Most beaches have a flag system indicating safe times and areas for bathing. Wood carvings, jewellery and brightly patterned materials are popular buys. The best bargains are to be found in markets where bartering is...

teen 12.10.2000 · Read review
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Review of General: The Gambia