BBC Holiday review The Gambia

11 April 2005 - BBC Holiday - Ade Adepitan

Ade Adepitan visited The Gambia on Africa's west coast to try a winter sun break, without the jet lag.

With a six hour flight from the UK, The Gambia is a little further than popular winter sun destinations such as Spain or the Canary Islands, but it still lies in the same time zone as the UK. For Ade, this meant that he could arrive at the hotel, unpack, and get straight down to the beach.

The Gambia has some 80 kilometres of beaches, and due to a low number of tourists, they can be quite empty. (Only 60,000 Brits holiday here each year, compared to the 4 million who flock to the Canary Islands.) The country has guaranteed temperatures higher than Europe, Florida and the Carribbean, it seems The Gambia is a well-kept secret.

Mr Modou Faux, aka Foxie, has been a working in tourism for 20 years and he's seen first-hand how the industry has grown. Tourism started in The Gambia in 1968 when a Swedish gentleman travelled there and recognised how tourism could benefit from it. It has grown enormously since then, with plans to attract a million tourists by 2010.

When choosing your hotel in The Gambia it's worth looking a little closer at the brochures or using a message board to find out a range of opinions. Due to the absence of a national star rating, the tour operators run their own unique ranking system. Ade stayed at the Kombo Beach hotel, which has a 3.5 bird rating. It's a mid-range hotel, which sits directly on the beach. He felt that things were a little makeshift, but that the hotel was small enough to get to know other guests, and had a good selection of leisure facilities. However, he found that his standard room which, in most circumstances, would have plenty of room for two, couldn't really accommodate his wheelchair. He thought this was fairly typical of most accommodation in Africa, where disabled facilities are often not yet catered for. The hotel has four restaurants, serving a variety of different meals, three bars and plenty of evening activities.

Trying out the nightlife

Compared to the hectic nightlife of European destinations The Gambia is quiet. A five minute taxi ride from the hotel takes you to Sennegambia where visitors will find plenty of restaurants offering a familiar international menu. Your money will go a long way here: a three course meal will cost you no more than 395 Dalasi or £7.50.

Back to school

Ade that if you are disabled in Africa, you must be willing to improvise. Ade joined an overland tour to visit the surrounding local villages. They drove through Serrekunda, the biggest town in The Gambia and a thriving market town. One of the more unusal stopoffs on the tour is at a local school. Many schools have formed a partnership with tour companies to allow groups of visitors to interrupt lessons in exchange for donations. Although some may see this as a token gesture, tourists funds help to support the day-to-day running of the school. The headmaster had obviously heard about Ade's success in the Paralympics and wouldn't let him leave without giving a quick basketball lesson.

Protected areas

Makasutu, also known as the Holy Forest, is about 45 miles away from Ade's hotel and is supposed to be filled with eveil spirits. It was founded by two Englishmen who were concerned by the rate of deforestation around their small patch of land. The only way to protect the area was to buy it. Ade met one of the founders, Lawrence Williams, who explained that Makasutu was the Mandinka tribal name of the area. Supposedly, hundreds of years ago, there were tribal battles on the land and as a result there's a kings head , a crown and a throne buried somewhere in the area. At Makasutu you can bird watch from a dug out canoe, walk through the restored forest or be entertained by the band, and the baboons. The local workers also have a craft area where you can buy handmade souvenirs to take home. And if you go down into the woods, you may be in for a big surprise: in the shape of a marabua, a Gambian fortune teller.

Verdict: Ade went to The Gambia with an open mind, not quite knowing what to expect. He discovered that if you're willing to leave the hotel and explore, you'll find the streets vibrant with culture and that everything is really affordable. Gambia is all about adventure and if you're willing to go on one, you'll really enjoy it.

Ends

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