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Excursions to Tourist Attractions in Gambia |
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 Though the Gambia is small it offers a wide variety of
sites offering
tourist excursions & attractions. There are numerous land-based
tours, mixed excursions & river trips.
Starting from the coastal
holiday resorts
of Kombo North you can begin with the various tourist attractions of
Banjul Capital where there is
Gambia National Museum on Independence Drive, the bustling & lively
Albert Market, the huge arch at the entrance to the capital or marvel
at some of the colonial architecture.
A few kilometres away from the capital and towards
the coastal areas you get to the major vacation locations of
Bakau,
Cape Point,
Fajara,
Kololi, (Senegambia strip) &
Kotu where you can enjoy local attractions of endless golden
beaches & almost guaranteed
sunshine & other leisure activities such as watersports,
quadbiking, golf and tennis. These areas are where most tourist choose to spend there
time with its numerous
restaurants, bars, shops & local night clubs
particularly in the Kololi & Senegambia areas.
At
Bakau there is the
Craft Market,
Katchikally Crocodile Pool (whose crocs are allegedly
said to be so tame they allow tourist to touch them) further inland
you find
Serrekunda town with its dazzling & hectic market, Sunday
Wresting and tie-and-dye factory. There is also the
Bijilo Forest Park
which is within easy walking distance from the
Kairaba or
Senegambia
hotels. The destinations of
Brufut Heights and
Brufut Gardens are becoming an increasingly important resort
destinations after the opening of the
Sheraton beach hotel and the
development of the local area's facilities.
For the more adventurous
you can take a one-day or half-day excursion further down the coast of the
Tanji Village
Museum & Bird Reserve where you can hire a boat and take an excursion
among the mangroves with amazing unspoilt scenery. You can also go for
camel safaris at Tanji which is located just after the bridge on the
left. At Kartong you can
visit the
Lemonfish Art Gallery which display works from local Gambian
artists. Micro-light flight are also available that offer visitors
stunning views of the creeks and bolong and other natural tourist
attractions.
Birdwatching
 is possible even within the tropical
gardens of the major
hotels and many actively encourage birds to breed
on their hotel complexes. However the Gambia has many
wildlife & bird
reserves such Tanji and
Abuko Nature Reserve which is a 20 minutes
drive from most hotels. Abuko forest is also home to lions, hyenas &
various species of monkeys.
There are numerous safari
camps located up-country
and most are to be found on the river banks offering reasonably
descent accommodation.
For the even more adventurous
you can visit the
Tanbi Wetland Reserve which is located directly
south of the capital. It is a large expanse of creeks & mangrove
swamps with plenty of opportunities for cruising, bird watching
fishing.
Fishing excursion opportunities are endless. You can
choose both sea or creek fishing as well as the river itself where you
can hire a boat from numerous
tour operators located at
Denton Bridge.
Further inland still you get to Brikama with its craft market &
factory and to the north east you get to the
Makasutu Culture Forest
 which lies next to the
River Gambia. On its shores there is the luxury
eco-lodge of
Mandina River Lodge. To the east of
Brikama you can visit
Lamin Lodge in
Pirang Forest Park which has a small river running through it and
is an unspoilt Eden and ideal for naturists.
Some of the Gambia's most ancient monuments are located inland near
Wassu,
where circles of stones mark 1,200-year-old burial grounds. Way up
river you will get to the Baboon Island which form part of the
River Gambia National Park. See also
River information.
On the north bank
which you can reach by
ferry from
Banjul there you can visit Fort
Bullen at Barra Point and
Jinack Island which is part of the Niumi
National Park where you can do a spot of dolphin spotting. On the
river bank itself further inland try out the 'Find Your Roots
Excursion' which is a one day pilgrimage to the village of
Juffure made famous by Alex
Haley's book 'Roots'. Nearby there is the slavery museum at
Albreda. Not far from the shore the ruins of
Fort James Island.
Other Places.
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