As first time visitors to The Gambia last month we were spoilt for choice on how to spend our 7 days there. There are so many things to do here and I'm surprised at how much of it we managed to cram in, between the few days we spent lazing around the pool! Here are 10 things that we recommend for any other first-timers to the area.
1. GO SHOPPING AT SERREKUNDA MARKET
With Serrekunda being the biggest town in Gambia, this huge market is central hub for daily Gambian life. There are hundreds of stalls packed in together selling all manner of goods from food, including fruit, vegetables, spices, meat and dried fish, to clothes and homewares. In fact, anything you would need for day to day life you could probably find there. The market runs seven days a week and, as fridges aren't common household appliances, it's busy every day with people buying fresh food for the days meals. Although we didn't buy anything it was a great experience to walk through the hustle and bustle and experience the sight of people going about their daily lives.
2. FEED MONKEYS AT BIJILO FOREST MONKEY PARK
If you're interested in wildlife a visit to this forest is a must. There are two types of monkey here. Whilst the Green Velvet monkeys are extremely friendly and happy to approach visitors, you will have to keep a look out in the trees for the more wary Red Colobus. Our guide explained that this is likely because they used to be hunted for meat and have learned to stay out of the way! There are signs at the entrance warning about not feeding the monkeys, however you can buy a couple of bags of peanuts outside for a small amount and I recommend that you do so. The monkeys are very friendly and you can hand the peanuts to them. Entrance to the park itself is very cheap at just 150 Dalasi (just over £2).
3. TOUCH A LIVE CROCODILE
For the more daring, when visiting Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau you have the opportunity to touch a real live crocodile. We were assured that they were tame and well fed but I still felt very apprehensive about being so close to such a powerful creature. The pool is sacred and we were told that infertile women come to bathe in the water hoping that it will help them conceive. There is also a museum on site which is run by the community and has many interesting cultural exhibits.
4. HAVE LUNCH WITH A GAMBIAN FAMILY
I'm pretty sure it would be very possible to eat with a different family every day of our holiday! The Gambian people are very keen to welcome you into their homes and prepare a delicious meal for you. We ate with three different families during our week long stay and each one was so delicious. The one above consisted of chicken (freshly prepared just hours before we arrived!), carrot, onion, potato and green pepper served over boiled rice. This was prepared by the wife of Musa, a tourist taxi driver that we met outside of our hotel. We also enjoyed a fresh orange and got to hang out with his family. A few days later we had a different dish of spicy fried rice with chicken and vegetables (I think it was called chicken benachin). It was all so tasty with very fresh ingredients. Hopefully next time we visit I will be able to learn how to make some of these Gambian dishes.
5. TAKE A BOAT RIDE AT LAMIN LODGE
If you're looking for something relaxing pay a visit to Lamin Lodge where you can hire a boat and take a ride up the Gambia River. When the water level is low you will be able to spot oysters on the mangroves which line the edges of the river. These are harvested and the shells are used to make paths or ground up to a powder and used to make paint. Again, if the water level is low you can also see women digging for cockles on sandbanks in the river.
6. WATCH THE FISHING BOATS COME IN AT TANJI FISHING VILLAGE
I had heard a lot about Tanji and so I was really looking forward to visiting. We arrived late in the afternoon to see the brightly decorated fishing boats coming to shore to unload their catch. This place is seriously busy and great to experience! The fish are unloaded from the boats and are then sold on from the beach. Many people come here to buy fresh fish everyday. Some of the fish are sold to hotels and restaurants whilst others are taken to Serrekunda Market to be sold. At the back of the beach are smoke houses where some of the fish are preserved.
7. VISIT A SCHOOL OR ORPHANAGE
One of the things I really wanted to do during our trip was to visit a school. Our friend Kebba took us to visit an orphanage for girls. The girls went to school in a different building but, as it was a bit too early in the morning, we didn't get to visit the school and see some of the lessons. We did however get to try some breakfast, which was a kind of creamy porridge. If you plan to visit a school it's worth taking some gifts for them. Items like pens, books, colouring books and crayons for the children are always appreciated.
8. TRY SOME GREEN TEA
The men love nothing more than to relax and chat whilst brewing up some Chinese green tea. I do like a drop of green tea so I found this particularly enjoyable and, as Gambians like their tea very sweet, their way of brewing it was right up my alley! You can read more about the green tea in this post.
9. HAGGLE AT THE WOODCARVING FACTORY
In Brikama you will find a huge market place with many stalls selling beautiful wood carvings. If you are looking to pick up some souvenirs before coming home this is a great place to visit and, rather than pay the more expensive prices charged in the tourist resorts, you can haggle with the stall holders to get the price down to bargain lows. We got a few beautiful items including a bowl, a small drum and a keyring.
10. RELAX ON THE BEACH
The Gambia has some beautiful beaches and we made sure our hotel was right at the edge of one of them. Kotu beach has everything you need. The sand is golden and the edge is scattered with restaurants serving up delicious food and refreshing drinks. There are also numerous fruit stalls where you can buy fresh fruit and juices.
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