06 May 2006 - The Guardian - Mark Eveleigh
'It's just another drive to the office for us," said Stella Marsden, as the Toyota rattled its way through our third hour of rutted dirt tracks amid a cloud of talcum-fine "bulldust".
Stella has spent most of her life living in the Gambia and knows better than most that you have to take the rough with the smooth if you want to get the best out of Africa. Tourists arrive by their thousands in this tiny West African country, looking for affordable winter sun within a travelling time that is only little longer than an M25 traffic jam. But, apart from a few birdwatchers, only a handful ever wonder what lays beyond the beach bars and hotels.
The Gambia is only a 20th the size of the UK, yet because of the terrible state of its roads the 200-mile journey from Banjul to Basse Santa Su (the dusty outpost that is known as the "capital" of the interior) can take 12 hours. I was grateful that we were only making a mere four-hour drive up the riverbank to Kuntaur village, where a motor launch was waiting to shuttle us the final few miles to Stella's "office".
Stella set up the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust in 1969, offering "survival training" to orphaned chimps to allow them to adapt to life in the wild. It has always been an uphill struggle to find funding however - and to ensure that it reached her precious chimps before the politicians got their hands on it. Late last year, the Trust opened its doors to the new breed of tourists who are keen to get an insight into the way of life on a working research station deep in the African bush.
The Gambia is reputed to be "hunted out" yet even before we had stepped on to terra firma at the research centre, I could see that its reputation might be undeserved. Along with more than a score of the country's estimated 560 bird species, we had already seen a herd of hippos, a large crocodile, two species of monkeys and the lodge's resident manatee.
The accommodation is in traditional safari tents, on secluded platforms high over the river with four-poster beds, en suite bathrooms and, most idyllic of all, an outdoor shower. Such is the level of exclusivity that shower curtains are unnecessary: the only Peeping Toms are the shadowy forms of the "marooned" chimps on Baboon Island.
"There are 78 chimpanzees living on three islands," Stella explained as we puttered out into the rushing current later that afternoon for the daily feeding. "The youngsters have been born wild but their parents were rescued as orphans." Some were victims of bush-meat hunters; others had suffered a cruel existence as photographic props on the Spanish Costas. A few had been the pets of rich western eccentrics.
"If the chimps are going to be looked after in the future, local people - and politicians in particular - need to see that they can bring revenue into the community," Stella said later, as we tucked into fresh fish and chilled Julbrew beer at the lodge's communal dining table.
In fact, the presence of the chimps in the area is already having a very positive effect on nearby Sambel Kunda village, which guests can visit in a horse-drawn chariot (a "Gambian 4x4"), for a refreshingly positive look at life in a thriving African village. The Trust has already helped raise funds for a new clinic, a horse and donkey association (where animals are cared for and owners are shown how to get the best out of these agricultural necessities) and what is becoming known as the best school in upcountry Gambia. Other options are nature walks with knowledgeable guides and early morning boat safaris up the creek, followed by a picnic breakfast on the escarpment.
When the planned landing strip is finally completed, visitors will be able to arrive in this pristine jungle outpost within seven hours of leaving the UK. But for now they must look on the dusty drive upcountry as all part of the adventure.
Just an hour from the coast, however, two English adventurers are also working to change attitudes towards Gambian tourism. When Lawrence Williams and James English first set up camp in the sacred Makasutu forest, at the end of a three-year search for the perfect West African location, the local people thought they were crazy.
"There's a monster in the woods apparently," said Lawrence. "It's this that has kept the place relatively untouched."
Lawrence's training as an architect, specialising in movie-set design, was an obvious advantage in creating what is now one of Africa's most attractive eco-lodges. The Mandina Lodge houseboats each have private pontoon terraces and magnificent hardwood beds looking straight out on to hypnotic waterscapes. Your own waitress saves you the stroll along the boardwalks to the open-air restaurant or bar, and your own guide will pick you up for safaris by dugout canoe or nature walks.
Lawrence and James are now working to unite a dozen local chiefs behind a move to turn a great stretch of the Gambia River's southern bank into a nature reserve with community-run lodges. James is the brains behind the new reserve and he believes that the area's great natural diversity (along with its wonderful climate and friendly people) will make it a favourite with walkers and birdwatchers and perhaps even host the Gambia's first horseback safaris.
"There's really no limit to Gambian potential," he said. "People just don't realise how much there is to see in this unique part of the continent. I can foresee a time when the Gambia could be the travel hub for this whole part of West Africa."
Way to go
Getting there
The Gambia Experience (0845 3302087, gambia.co.uk) offers three nights' full-board at the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust from £499pp, including road transport and guides. You can combine this with four nights' half-board on a houseboat at Mandina Lodge from £1,228pp including Gatwick flights.
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