Yes, the Gambia is one of the easier West African countries to backpack alone: English is the official language, distances are short and shared transport runs everywhere along the main roads.
Most travelers start in
Serrekunda or
Bakau, where guesthouses run about D1,000 to 2,500 (US$14 to 35) a night. Gelli-gellis cost D15 to 30 per hop around the coast, and bush taxis reach
Tendaba in 3 to 4 hours and
Janjanbureh in 5 to 6 hours. Expect persistent approaches from “bumsters” offering to guide you on the beaches; a firm, friendly no works. Budget travelers manage on US$25 to 45 a day.
Five to seven days covers the Gambia well: two or three on the coast and three or four upriver.
With 2 days, stay around
Bakau and see Banjul, Kachikally and the
Tanji fish landings. With 3 days, add the ferry to
Juffureh and a morning at
Makasutu Culture Forest. Five days lets you ride 3 to 4 hours to
Tendaba, continue to
Janjanbureh for two nights and boat into River Gambia National Park before a 5 to 6 hour return. A full week adds slow beach days at
Sanyang or
Kartong.
Yes, you can travel the whole of the Gambia without a car, using gelli-gellis, bush taxis, ferries and hired boats.
Around the coast, gelli-gellis link Banjul, Serrekunda, Bakau and Brikama for D15 to 30 a ride, and town taxis cost D100 to 300 for short trips. Bush taxis leave Brikama and Westfield for
Soma and
Janjanbureh (5 to 6 hours, roughly D400 to 700). The Banjul to Barra ferry takes 30 to 60 minutes on the water but often longer with loading. For
Makasutu or
River Gambia National Park, hire a taxi or boat for the day.
The Gambia’s must-visits are the Atlantic fishing beaches, the Roots village of Juffureh and the river wildlife upstream.
On the coast, prioritize
Tanji Fish Market in the afternoon,
Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau and a swim at
Sanyang Beach, all within 20 to 60 minutes of Serrekunda.
Banjul needs half a day for Albert Market and Arch 22. Across the river,
Juffureh is a day trip by ferry. With 4 or more days, head 5 to 6 hours upriver for the chimpanzee islands of
River Gambia National Park and the stone circles at
Wassu.
If time is short in the Gambia, skip the far east around Basse Santa Su and the resort strip’s package-tour nightlife.
Basse Santa Su sits 7 to 8 hours from the coast and offers little that
Janjanbureh does not.
Farafenni is mainly a border and transit town. On the coast, the
Senegambia bar strip in Kololi is easy to leave out, and the
Brikama Craft Market can be swapped for the stalls in Albert Market. With only 2 or 3 days, drop the upriver trip entirely and spend the time between Banjul, Bakau and Tanji.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for The Gambia in seconds. Try it out!
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