Introduction

Gambia is a sliver in the side of Africa, one of its tiniest countries, but its attractions are just as bright as any in the region. Its capital city, Banjul, is a uniquely African experience, with a streetside culture that chases away the holiday daze of glitzier cities.

And for an even more 'traditional' outlook, a quick trip upriver brings you into the Gambian heartland, where the colourful buzz of weekly markets vies with boat trips through mangrove creeks and bike jaunts to mud-hut villages for your attention.

Although Gambia is largely defined by its natural features - from the Gambia River, which runs the length of the country, to the golden beaches of its Atlantic coast resorts - the country's greatest draw lies in its people, their culture and the amiable atmosphere of daily life. Whether you're making conversation at a kerbside coffee stall or shouting yourself hoarse at a weekend wrestling match, you're sure to come away with as warm a feeling for Gambians as they tend to show to travellers.

When to Go

The best time to travel in Gambia is from November to February, when conditions are dry and relatively cool. However, around this same time of year the dry, dusty harmattan winds blow off the Sahara. December to February is the local trading season, assuming the rains come when they should, and everybody's a little more relaxed than usual, perhaps with a bit of extra money to spend, so the markets are at their liveliest. During the wet season (June to October), popular tourist areas are less crowded and cheaper, and the country still gets an average of five hours of sunlight per day. The only problem you're likely to notice is some smaller dirt roads washing away. The peak tourist season lasts from October through April, which coincides with the visits of the migratory birds.

Events

The Islamic (or Hejira) calendar is a full 11 days shorter than the Gregorian (Western) calendar, so public holidays and festivals fall 11 days earlier each year. In March then February for the next few years, Ras as-Sana is the Islamic celebration of the new year. Tabaksi (also called Eid al-Kebir), an important two-day festival commemorating the moment when God substituted a ram for Abraham's son as he was about to slay him at God's command, will be in early February or late January for the next few years. Eid al-Moulid celebrates the prophet Mohammed's birthday around May. Ramadan is celebrated during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (presently in October), commemorating the month when the Quran was revealed to Mohammed. Out of deference, Muslims take neither food nor water until after sunset each day. At the end of Ramadan (called Eid al-Fitr), the fasting breaks amid much celebration.

Though not so important as it is in Senegal, Grand Magal (48 days after Ras as-Sana) celebrates the return from exile of the founder of the Mouride Islamic Brotherhood. On a secular note, the International Roots Festival is a new but highly publicised annual celebration aimed at getting Americans and Europeans of African descent back in touch with Africa. Festivities include displays of Gambian music, dance, art and craftwork, plus excursions to historical sites - including, of course, the Roots village of Jufureh - as well as seminars and educational workshops. The festival takes place in late June and/or early July.

Other Public Holidays:

1 January - New Year's Day

18 February - Independence Day

March or April - Good Friday, Easter Monday

1 May - Workers Day

June or July - Eid al-Moulid

22 July - Anniversary of the Second Republic

25 December - Christmas

Travellers to Gambia have a range of food and lodging options before them. If you're travelling on a tight budget, as little as US$12per day is enough to get by (if you don't spend long in the Atlantic coast resorts), though upping the ante to US$15-25 can make the night's sleep and belly's fill sweeter. With US$30-50 per day at your disposal, you can stay in decent hotels, eat well and travel comfortably (whenever comfort is available), but if you really want to throw down, you can easily top US$200 a day and see how the royal half lives.

You can change money at banks and exchange bureaus in Banjul, Serekunda and some of the Atlantic coast resorts. Upcountry, the only place with a bank is Basse Santa Su. Some banks charge a commission to cash travellers cheques, but those that don't have poorer rates, so you get about the same return regardless of which you choose. The exchange bureaus on the Atlantic coast usually offer slightly better rates than the banks and don't charge commission. You can draw cash with a Visa or MasterCard at some of the bigger banks, like Standard Chartered. Black market dealers offer around 5% better rates than the banks, but the inevitable risks make it seldom worthwhile to do business on the street.

Tipping for favours rendered is part of life for 'rich' foreigners in Gambia - and, West Africa being among the poorest places on the planet, all visitors are considered rich. If someone goes out of their way to help you find a hotel, for example, an appropriate cadeau ('gift,' or tip) might be enough money for a drink. A tip of 10% is appropriate in nicer hotels, restaurants and taxis. The 'gift' becomes a completely different matter when you have to pay to get something done, and this sort of bribe - often referred to as a 'dash' - is, again, a way of life in Gambia.

One of the smallest capital cities in Africa, Banjul lies on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River, separated from the mainland by a narrow creek. Unable to grow, the city has been stagnant for years, giving it a sleepy, down-at-heel ambience, more like a large village than a national centre. If you've come to The Gambia to experience Africa, rather than a slice of Europe laid down on a tropical beach, this city is a far better bet than the nearby Atlantic coast resorts.

The vibrant heart of Banjul is Albert Market, a good place to pass a couple of hours strolling and shopping for clothes, shoes, fruits and vegetables, household goods and local handicrafts. Colourful, lively and chaotic, the market scene is Banjul at its African best. Nearby on MacCarthy Square, look for the War Memorial and the Fountain, erected to commemorate the coronation of Britain's King George VI in 1937.

Though some of its exhibits are looking a bit dog-eared these days, the National Museum of the Gambia is worth visiting for its displays of photos, maps and text about archaeology, African peoples and the colonial period. Not far off, the 35m (115ft) Arch 22 is by far the tallest building in Gambia. Built to celebrate the military coup of 22 July 1994 (led by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh, now Gambia's president), the arch provides excellent views over the city and the coast, and it's open to the public daily.

When you're ready to get out of the city itself, local pirogues (skinny wooden boats with an outboard motor) ferry visitors on the quiet waterways of Oyster Creek, the main waterway separating Banjul island and the mainland. The creek (locally called a bolong) is a popular destination for bird-watchers, anglers and anyone keen to just laze around on a boat. The dense mangroves are particularly interesting.

Abuko is unique among West African wildlife reserves in that it's fenced, well managed and very easy to reach. It has amazingly diverse vegetation for a park of only 105ha (260 acres), which is nourished by a stream that runs through its centre, allowing both riverside and savanna species to flourish. The park also boasts a wide variety of birdlife - some 270 species, many of which are difficult to see elsewhere - as well as a small animal orphanage. Some of the animals you can see in the orphanage include hyenas, lions, bushbucks and various species of monkeys. In the reserve itself, look also for duikers, porcupines, bushbabys, crocodiles and any of several species of snake.

A few kilometres north-west of Serekunda, the Atlantic coast resorts of Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Kololi make up the heart of Gambia's tourist industry. Along this 10km (15mi) stretch of beach lie some 20 hotels, complete with all the touristy trimmings of water sports rentals, a golf course and beaches ideal for swimming and sunning.

Fajara is the best place to get online in the country, and for that matter perhaps the whole of West Africa. The facilities at the internet cafes are excellent and the rates surprisingly reasonable considering the flash equipment.

The northernmost resort, Bakau, also boasts a botanical garden that's worth a look. It was established during colonial times and is looking a little dilapidated now, but it's still a peaceful, shady place that's good for spotting birds. Bakau's other focal point is the Kachikaly Crocodile Pool, a sacred site for the local people, who come here to pray, as among some tribes in Gambia crocs represent the power of fertility. Be that as it may, this is probably the closest you'll come to crocodiles anywhere in Africa without getting your leg nipped off.

At the southern end of the coastal strip at Kololi, a small wildlife reserve, Bijolo Forest Park, features a well-maintained series of trails through dense, shady vegetation, where you'll have a fair chance of seeing monkeys and numerous species of bird. It's a beautiful place to visit and well worth supporting, as it limits the extent of the area's development.

Jufureh is a small village on the northern bank of the Gambia River about 25km (15mi) upstream from Banjul. It became world famous in the 1970s following the publication of Roots, in which African-American author Alex Haley tells the story of Kunta Kinte's capture in Jufureh and transportation as a slave to America some 200 years ago. Today, Jufureh is still a tourist trap, as it's easily reached from Banjul, although it's not as busy as it was when Haley's book was still fresh.

Jufureh itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but when the daily busloads of tourists arrive, people jump into action. Women pound millet at strategic points, babies are produced to be admired and filmed, the artists in the crafts market crank into gear and an old lady called Binde Kinte (a descendant of Haley's own forebear) makes a guest appearance at her compound. Photos are produced of Haley and Binde Kinte and of the griot (storyteller) who first told Haley the tale of his family.

The peaceful village of Albreda is very close to Jufureh and is usually visited at the same time. The main thing to see here is the ruined 'factory' - a fortified slaving station originally built by the French in the late 17th century. Nearby is a small shop selling some of the best batik in Gambia and a small museum with a simple but striking exhibition about the history of slavery on the Gambia River.

Because island-bound Banjul has nowhere to expand, Gambia's largest town, Serekunda, has become of the nation's de facto capital. Once a small village (its name means 'the home of the Sere family'), it's now the primary transport hub and activity centre of the country and, in contrast to the nearby Atlantic coast resorts, comes across as such - crowded, bustling and 100% African.

For first-time visitors fresh off the plane at Banjul International Airport and expecting a view of instant tropical paradise, the coach trip through Serekunda's sprawling suburbs can be a bit of a shocker. The streets are lined with shops, stores, stalls and merchants of every cast. But once you've arrived, a stroll around the town centre or its thriving main market - in reality, the town is one big market - is highly recommended for a taste of unrelenting, in-your-face, urban West Africa.

Basse Santa Su - more commonly referred to as Basse - is Gambia's easternmost town and the largest and liveliest of the upriver settlements. It's also the last major ferry-crossing point and a transport hub for the surrounding area. The most interesting sections of town are the waterfront and the market, the latter especially on Thursday, when the streets are lined with shops and stalls. The whole place comes alive nightly when the town's drink stalls open and grilled-meat shacks fire up.

Down by the waterfront, an colonial warehouse dating from 1916 has been converted into a museum, cultural centre, bookshop and restaurant called Traditions. There's a fair amount of high-quality stuff on offer, as well as glimpses of the artists and artisans at work. If the shopping bug really has you itching, several of Basse's surrounding villages host a weekly lumo (market), where traders and shoppers come from all over Gambia as well as from nearby countries to participate in the events.

South of the river in central Gambia, Kiang West National Park is one of the largest protected areas in Gambia and boasts its largest and most diverse animal population. Its habitats include mangrove creeks and mud flats (the river is still tidal this far upstream), plus large areas of dry woodland and grassland. A major natural feature is the escarpment that runs parallel to the riverbank. We're not talking the Rift Valley here, but even 20m (65ft) is significant in a country as flat as Gambia. Mammals frequently seen include baboons, colobus monkeys, warthogs, marsh mongooses and bushbucks. You may even be fortunate enough to see a roan, a large horse-like (hence the name) antelope that migrates in from Senegal's Casamance. Another is the sitatunga, a larger relative of the bushbuck that is adept at swimming or crossing water vegetation on its characteristic wide hooves.

Other animals in the park - though rarely seen - include hyenas, leopards, manatees, dolphins and crocodiles. More than 250 species of bird have been recorded here, including 21 raptors and some rarer birds such as the brown-necked parrot.

Some 10km (6mi) south of the Atlantic coast resorts is the small village of Tanji. There's not much to see here that can't be seen elsewhere in the region, but the Tanji Village Museum is worth a detour in itself. The museum is actually more like an African village, spread over a large area, with mud and thatch huts of various designs (according to styles developed by Gambia's different ethnic groups). The huts contain displays of traditional artifacts and furniture, with explanations about their use and significance. In the vegetation section, there are local plants with names in Latin, English, Wolof, Mandinka, Serer and Jola, with their properties and uses explained. There's also a nature trail and an artisan area, plus a small restaurant serving traditional food and drink and periodically hosting live music and dancing shows.

About 3km (2mi) north of the village is the Tanji River Bird Reserve, an area of dunes, lagoons, dry woodland and coastal scrub, plus mangrove patches and the reefs and islets of Bijol Island. The wide range of habitats here attracts an excellent selection of birds, including indigenous species and European migrants - more than 300 species have been recorded.

Activities

The beaches of the Atlantic coast resorts are safe for swimming and get better the farther south you go. All of the major hotels have swimming pools and rent equipment for water sports such as sailboarding, water skiing and kneeboarding. Fishing excursions can be arranged in Banjul.

Cycling is not only good exercise, but it can be a great way to get around and tour Gambia. Bikes are available for rent - anything from a lightweight mountain bike to an ancient, single-gear, sit-up-and-beg roadster - in many tourist areas.

Football (soccer) is Africa's most popular game, and informal pick-up matches can be found in just about any town or village. Foreigners are usually warmly welcomed, and joining a game may be one of the best ways to meet the locals. If you bring along your own ball (which could be deflated for travelling), you'll be the hit of the day. Wrestling is also very popular, with a sort of anything-goes mentality making the sport that much more exciting. Matches are held year round.

Even amateur ornithologists will delight in the bird-watching possibilities to be had in The Gambia. Your best bet is to head to one of the country's national parks or reserves in the early morning or late afternoon. Migratory birds make the rounds between October and April.

History

As early as AD 500, towns and villages based on agriculture and the knowledge of iron were dotted across the West African region. As the first millennium progressed, trade increased significantly between the regions north and south of the Sahara.

In the 14th century, the Empire of Mali - founded by Sundiata Keita, leader of the Malinké people - encompassed the area from the Atlantic coast of today's Gambia and Senegal all the way to Niger and Nigeria. This vast empire controlled nearly all the trans-Saharan trade, and contact with the rulers of the Arab states to the north led the Mali rulers to embrace Islam with great enthusiasm. By the mid-15th century, the Mali empire was waning in influence, and a group of Malinké people migrated into the valley of the Gambia River. They brought Islam with them and became known as the Mandinka.

In the early 15th century, Prince Henry of Portugal began encouraging navigators to sail down the coast of West Africa, hoping to bypass the Arab and Muslim domination of the trans-Saharan gold trade, which by that time was the cornerstone of Portugal's finances. Gambia's first contact with Europeans came in 1456, when these navigators landed on James Island about 30km (19mi) upriver from the sea. Although the Portuguese didn't establish a settlement, they continued to monopolise trade along the West African coast throughout the 16th century. In their trading posts, salt, iron, pots and pans, firearms and gunpowder were exchanged for ivory, ebony, beeswax, gold and slaves. (It's been suggested that the Gambia River's name stems from the Portuguese word cambio, meaning 'exchange,' or, in this context, 'trade'.)

By 1530, Portugal had established settlements in Brazil, and over the next 70 years large commercial estates there led to a demand for labourers, which the Portuguese began to import from West Africa. Although slavery had existed in Africa for many centuries, the Portuguese developed the trade on a massive scale and maintained a virtual monopoly on it until the mid-16th century, when Britain joined the trade. By the 1650s, Portugal had been largely ousted by the French and British.

The first European settlement in Gambia was made by Baltic Germans, who built a fort on James Island in 1651. Ten years later, they were displaced by the British, who were themselves ever under threat from French ships, pirates and the mainland African kings. Fort James lost its strategic appeal with the construction of new forts at Barra and Bathurst (now Banjul) at the mouth of the Gambia River, which were better placed to control the movement of ships, though Fort James continued to serve as a slave collection point until the trade was abolished.

Britain declared the Gambia River a British Protectorate in 1820 and for many years ruled it from Sierra Leone. In 1886, Gambia became a crown colony, and the following year France and Britain drew the boundaries between Senegal (by then a French colony) and Gambia.

With the slave trade at an end, the British were forced to come up with a new source of wealth to support the fledgling protectorate, which led to the planting of groundnuts (peanuts) along the river. The harvested nuts are crushed to make oil, which is exported to Europe for use in food manufacture. In the 1950s, Gambia's groundnut production was beefed up as a way to increase export earnings and make the country that much more self-supportive, and today groundnuts remain the chief crop of both Gambia and neighbouring Senegal.

In 1965, Gambia became independent (although Britain's Queen Elizabeth II remained as titular head of state), and without any official explanation the The was added to its name. Around the same time, two events occurred that enabled the tiny nation to survive and even prosper. For a decade after independence, the world price for groundnuts increased significantly, raising the country's GNP almost threefold. The second event had an even more resounding effect - Gambia became a significant tourist destination.

Economic growth translated into political confidence, and in 1970 Gambia became a fully independent republic. Troubles in the 1980s began with falling groundnut prices, while the government of President Dawda Jawara did little to diversify the economy. Several coup attempts were quelled with the assistance of Senegalese troops, who were integrated with Gambian troops in 1982 as the Senegambian Confederation, while Jawara made some noncommittal noises about an eventual Senegambian country. In 1989, the confederation was dissolved and both countries imposed severe border restrictions. Tensions ran high well into 1990.

A protest by soldiers over late salaries in July 1994 turned into a coup d'etat, led by a young lieutenant, Yahya Jammeh, who appeared in public wearing combat fatigues and dark sunglasses - a look that did little to endear him to the international community. A new military government was formed, and Jammeh announced that he would remain in power at least until 1998. After suffering the fiscal repercussions of the British Foreign Office's advice to British tourists to avoid the country, Jammeh pragmatically switched tack and announced that elections would be held in 1996. A new constitution was introduced, ushering in the Second Republic, and Jammeh was the clear winner of the election.

Despite periodic allegations of corruption among his party's officials, Jammeh remains in power and has brought some degree of stability to the country. Tourism is back in a big way, and the Gambian infrastructure is improving, as evidenced by the modern Banjul International Airport. Expectations among Gambians are high, though it may prove difficult for the government to implement all of its promises.

There was civil unrest in Banjul and Brikama in early 2000 as Gambian security forces were put on the alert following violence in the streets of the capital, Banjul. Six people were killed as a student demonstration called to protest against police brutality degenerated into a pitched battle between demonstrators and police forces. Schools and colleges were temporarily closed and riot police patrolled the streets. More recently things have calmed down, although tension still simmers among the local populace.

Culture

Gambia's main indigenous groups have a highly stratified society wherein status is determined by birth. At the top of the social heap are traditional noble and warrior families, followed by the farmers, traders and persons of caste - blacksmiths, leather workers, wood workers, weavers and griots (GREE-oh). Griots are the lowest of the castes but are highly respected, as they are in charge of passing on the oral traditions and are usually the only ones who can recite a family or village history. Slaves occupied the lowest rung of the social ladder, and although slavery is now long gone, many descendants of former slaves still work as tenant farmers for the masters of old.

The overwhelming majority of Gambia's population is Muslim, though many practitioners combine their faith with traditional animist beliefs. It's not uncommon to see Gambians wearing a small leather pouch around their neck, arm or waist; called gris-gris (pronounced 'gree-gree'), these amulets are thought to ward off evil or bring good luck. Devout Muslims sometimes hedge their bets by keeping a small verse from the Quran inside.

Great importance is placed on greetings. Wolof and Mandinka people, for example, greet one another with a ritual that lasts up to half a minute, starting with the traditional Islamic greetings Salaam aleikum and Aleikum asalaam ('Peace be with you,' 'And peace be with you.') This is followed by several more questions about the other's family, home life, village, health et al. The answers - which are almost always that things are fine, even for people on death's door - are often followed with Al humdul'allah ('Thanks be to God.') In the larger cities, traditional greetings sometimes give way to shorter versions in French or English, but they're never forgotten. If you learn a few stock greetings in the local lingo, you're bound to be a big hit with the locals.

Food in Gambia is generally of a high quality. The smallest, simplest local-style eating house is called a chop shop and generally serves plates of rice and sauce, with one or two variations available daily. Grilled and roast meats, usually mixed with onions and spices, are sold in shacks called afra, while a variety of street vendors hawk anything from bread-and-mayonnaise sandwiches to bowls of sow or kossam (yoghurt) and latcheri (pounded millet). Benechin is a dish of rice cooked in a fish and vegetable sauce, while plasas is meat or fish cooked with vegetable leaves in palm oil and served with fufu (mashed cassava). Tea and coffee stands are ubiquitous in larger towns, and JulBrew is the national beer.

Gambia's richest artistic tradition is music. For many centuries, musicians and griots, or praise-singers, have kept alive the tales of families and clans, giving peoples such as the Wolof and Mandinka their strong sense of history and identity. Many griots sing accompanied by tunes on the kora, a kind of harp, and the Mandinka are particularly noted for their skill in crafting these instruments.

Along with other countries of the Sahel, Gambia's literary tradition is based on the family histories and epic poems told over centuries by griots. In recent times, a number of contemporary writers have emerged, although their numbers are few compared to other West African nations. William Conton is Gambia's best-known novelist; his semi-autobiographical 1960s classic The African was an influential bestseller in many parts of Africa. Lenrie Peters is another Gambian author with a similar background to Conton's - both were born of Sierra Leonean parents. His best-known novel is called The Second Round, though he's perhaps better known for his poetry, which has been fittingly described as 'surgical.' Other contributors to the Gambian literary scene are Ebou Dibba, author of Chaff on the Wind, and Tijan Salleh, whose main collection of poetry is called Kora Land.

Environment

With a total area less than that of the Bahamas or the US state of Connecticut, Gambia ranks as one of the smallest countries in the big lump that is West Africa. Its boundaries resemble a long and winding length of intestine, roughly 35km (20mi) wide and 300km (185mi) long, with the Gambia River, the country's most notable geographical feature, dividing the nation lengthwise neatly in two. Gambia's western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean; otherwise, the country is entirely engulfed by Senegal.

The country's landscape is so flat that in the Gambia River's 450km (280mi) meandering course, it drops in elevation only about 10m (30ft). The river ecology is easily divided into two distinct zones, estuarine and freshwater, which in turn largely determine the peripheral vegetation pattern. Salt water sneaks in some 150km (95mi) upstream, as far as Kantaur in the dry season (November to June). In the lower estuary, mangroves dominate the riverside, with extensive reed belts in the in-between zone, while where the water is fresh, the banks are lined with gallery forest. Away from the river, The Gambia's position in the southern Sahel, a semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert, means natural vegetation is more or less limited to dry grassland and open savanna.

Over 600 species of bird have been recorded in Gambia, a concentration well out of proportion to its small size. Abuko Nature Reserve is the best place close to Banjul to go looking for them, but there are five other national parks and reserves where the fauna is equally abundant. Tanji River Bird Reserve on the coast is an important stopover for migrating birds, particularly waterfowl, which return in large numbers each winter from Europe. The River Gambia National Park is the place to see monkeys and chimpanzees; Abuko Nature Reserve is also a good reserve to see monkeys.

The Gambian climate is characterised by a long dry season (from November to May) and a short rainy season (from June to October), with August by far the rainiest month. The country's average daytime high temperatures range from 24°C (75°F) from December to February to 30°C (86°F) from June to September. Temperatures are mildest along the coastline, and the amount and duration of rainfall lessens as you head inland. Humidity is only a problem just before the rains begin in June.

Getting There & Away

The Gambia's main airport is Banjul International, about 20km (12mi) southwest of the city centre and 15km (9mi) southeast of the Atlantic coast resorts. It's served by scheduled and charter flights to and from Western Europe and other African states, with connections to other parts of the world. An airport tax of US$7 is levied upon leaving Gambia and is payable in any hard currency.

With Senegal surrounding Gambia on all sides save the western coastline, getting in and out of the country by land used to involve a change of vehicle at the border. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. There are bush taxis and buses available to most destinations in Senegal for a reasonable cost. If you're driving between Banjul and Dakar or Ziguinchor, Senegal, the roads are tarred.

Getting Around

There are two main routes through the country: the tar road along the southern side of the river and the dirt road along the northern bank. Transport upcountry along the southern side is mainly the business of the Gambia Public Transport Corporation buses, while northern-side travel is mostly by bush taxi.

Local taxis are widely available, with fares depending on the distance and duration of the trip. 'Town taxis' are painted yellow and are used mostly for local trips around Banjul and the Atlantic coast resorts. 'Tourist taxis' are painted green and can go anywhere in the country.

The Gambia River used to be the primary transport route between Banjul and Georgetown, but not any more. There are private charters available for those who wish to follow the ways of old. River Gambia Excursions runs a passenger-boat service along the Gambia River between Tendaba and Georgetown, but the trip can be taken from the Georgetown end only as part of a 14-day tour. A high-speed riverboat linking Banjul and Georgetown should now be operating.

Car rental agencies are present in the major tourist areas, and, despite the country's British heritage, driving is on the right. For the eco-conscious, hiring a bicycle for a few days or a week is a perfect way to get around this flat, bike-friendly country. Rentals are available in tourist areas, and where no formal facilities exist, locals are sometimes willing to rent theirs out to visitors.