The Gambia: most of the country in 2 days!

The Gambia is a small country. You can drive around the whole thing in a day if you want to. But there’s no point in doing that, because all you would see would be the road, some trees, and houses. Driving through the towns takes approximately five seconds. So when the time came to explore the countryside, we wanted to take it a bit slower than that. And bring a tour guide who could answer any history, agricultural or other random question our 7-headed group would throw his way (he was great! Arch Tours).

Inevitable ferry rides

The Gambias geography—a country wrapped around a river—and dearth of bridges means that you have to take ferries every so often. We headed to Banjul where we got on the next ferry across to Barra. The car had to wait for the next ferry, which gave us a great opportunity to see Fort Bullen. This dilapidated fortress served as a strategic military outpost against slave traders and later during WWII. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.

World Heritage sites

We drove to Farafenni, where we all piled on a donkey cart, looked like total fools, and had a good laugh about it. It felt less ridiculous when we realized this is a pretty normal mode of transport in that area. Hardworking donkeys everywhere! Then we drove to Wassu, where we admired and debated the mysterious Stone Circles. Another UNESCO World Heritage site. It looked like a pretty obvious burial ground to me, but then there’s no fun in being a skeptic all the time.

Apes & hippos

After a lovely benachin and chicken lunch by the river we visited Baboon Islands inside the River Gambia National Park, a sanctuary for endangered wildlife and a chimpanzee rehabilitation spot for dozens of rescued apes. They were swinging in the trees and playing in the water when we came by on our little boat. Nearby, three hippos were lazily bathing in the water.

Colonial history

We spent the night in Janjanbureh, which is over three quarters of the way inland and near the bridge we took the next morning to return to Banjul via the southern highway. This city is the second largest hub in The Gambia after the capital, but you wouldn’t think it from the looks of it. We toured a former slave market, saw the chains, and the kids learning a lot. Hopefully.

Rural family life

On the way back we stopped by a local family to “see how they live.” I thought (skeptical me!) this would be some kind of pre-planned affair where the same family is getting a small fee to receive tour group after tour group to tell them what they want to hear. Actually, the tour guide randomly selected a family that happened to sell charcoal on the side of the road where we stopped for a little bathroom break.

The family was headed by a friendly man, typical for a Gambian, with two wives, parents, and seven children. Some of those had children too, and the grand total was 28 people. They plant crops according to the season, the girls go to school (as evidenced by the textbooks they were carrying around) and they sit under the banyan tree a lot to eat and talk. No electricity.

Apca’s lodge

Lunch was at Apca’s lodge, probably the nicest lodge on the Gambia river. We spent a weekend there recently, paddle boarding, playing board games, and chasing mud skippers. It’s Ramadan so that made everything more quiet than normal, but it’s also tourist high season so it the tourist industry just hums along. Plus it’s The Gambia, always a pretty quiet place from what I can tell!

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