Skip to main content

Things to know before traveling to Africa's smallest inland country - The Gambia

Senegal - The Gambia (Amdallai) Border Post.
Welcome to The Gambia, a tiny country that is enclaved by Senegal and is cut through by the river Gambia. The Gambia is Africa’s tiniest inland country, taking up a distance of 48 kilometers at its widest.
The official language in the Gambia is English, with other languages spoken by different tribes. The other languages such as Wolof, Aku’s Creole (Pidgin English) and Mandingo.

The Gambia is a country that understands tourism and has for many years focused on travel and tourism. Most of the travelers from the Gambia come from Europe, specifically the UK as this was a British colony.

Kanilai Ferry crossing the River Gambia.
Currency
The Gambian currency is the Gambian dalasi since 1971 which replaced the Gambian Pound. 

You can also pay in Euros or US Dollars in certain establishments but remember that you can’t exchange the money out of Gambia unless at land borders that enter into The Gambia.
A post shared by Katchie Nzama (@thesolowandera) on

Banking
The most convenient Bank with a foreign card is EcoBank. This has not changed and remains the same across west and central Africa.

*** Please check the current exchange rate at your time of travel before traveling. 

Connection
Most hotels in the city will provide you with Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi is uncapped but there is no guarantee that it will always work. I had bought an Orange sim card at the airport. None of the guys spoke English so you may write your request down and they will help you with a smile while teaching you some French or Arabic. 
Transport from the border. 
Getting Around
The yellow and green taxis are really cheap as a local mode of transport around Banjul. Unless you hire it and negotiate with the driver to take you somewhere specific which would be out of his route.
For longer distance trips, you would get a sharing mini bus. Most of the places you would have to go to you have to use the ferry to cross. This can be annoying and delay you if you trying to keep a schedule. There are no set times for the ferry, and getting on will usually be a moment of pushing as there are a lot of people trying to get from one point to the next. Give the ferry situation a good 2 hours for the wait as well as for crossing. The crossing alone won’t take more than 20minutes depending on which ferry you will get on that day, there are 2 different ferries.


Getting off the ferry in Banjul from Barra.
What to wear
Muslims constitute 90% of the Gambian population, although the country thrives off tourists and tourism it is always important to dress conservatively and respect the cultures and religion of each country. Your shorts and vest will be ok but I would not advise you to wear that to the rural areas. This is not just for the Gambia but for any country you travel to. Also, not the short shorts that almost has your buttcheeks hanging out. But feel free to bring those out for the nightlife.

What to eat

Well, this is the home of the Jollof. Jollof rice is a dish very popular in West Africa. Jollof is a name that comes from the Wollof people of Sene-Gambia (Senegal and Gambia) and it means one pot, everything is cooked together one pot. So that is the number one dish I would recommend but I was also in the Gambia during mango season and those were some of the juiciest, sweetest mangoes I have ever tasted.

What to drink
I am generally on the safe side and opt to drink bottled water at all cost.

The local brew is called Julbrew. There is also STAR beer that you will find in all West African countries and every country claims it as their local brew.


Visa and Travel Documentation
I got my visa in Pretoria before I traveled for the price of USD35. It takes 2 working days for the visa process and the embassy staff is super friendly and very helpful. Also, I was the first person to ever apply for a Gambian tourist visa. They were also shocked why I would want to travel there. But they told me about their Jollof ad I went there with my stomach ready.
You will need a yellow fever certificate. The beauty of this certificate is that you only have to go back to your travel DR after 5years to renew it.

The docking station at the Juffure village.
Weather
The Gambia enjoys a Subtropical weather. They have 2 seasons like all of West Africa – Dry or Rainy season. It is usually warm throughout the year, but you would have to just double check the weather upon your dates of travel. During the dry season, the temperatures can go up to 43 degrees Celsius. That is from November to May.

Skin Care
Remember your sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and loads of mosquito repellent. 
The Gambia is a malaria-prone country.

#BreakingBorders is sponsored by Simeka Capital Holdings.

x0x0
#TheSolowanderer

Labels

Labels:
Location: Banjul, The Gambia

Popular posts from this blog

Finding Ugandan beer from the source - Nile Special Lager. A 6 day itinerary

November 2019 was the beginning of Africa through beer out of South Africa. Together with SAB World of Beer we ran a competition to encourage South Africans to visit Africas only beer museum in Newtown Johannesburg. The winners got a chance to travel to Uganda with me as their guide discovering the beers in Uganda from the source of the Nile.  I have a 6-day itinerary for your adventures in East Africas adventure capital. The itinerary applies for both affordable and luxury travel.  ***Please note that these amounts shared are merely an estimate and guidelines towards the cost of your travels. View this post on Instagram Country #35 I wont lie, on landing in #Uganda I cried. I just couldnt hold back the tears. Realizing that this dream is my life. My career. I am super grateful for having such an epic job. This week, I will be exploring the Pearl of Africa. There will be dance, food, beer, culture and a l...
Read more

Morocco - A country I am certain to never return to.

Morocco is a North African country characterized by mountain regions, desert, and a lengthy coastline from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco is a monarchy where the royal family has full control over the government. Rabat is the capital city, but Casablanca is the largest city. Chances are your flights will fly into Casablanca as they have the larger airport and that is cheaper than flying into other airports. Like any other North African country, you will learn or you most probably know about the history of the Arabs in Morocco. Most people assume north Africans are Arabs. There are no Arabs in Africa. There are descendants of Arabs, but Moroccans are the Berber or Amazirgh people. Also, talking about the Amazirgh can offend some people the same way you cannot talk about Western Sahara. 93% of Moroccans are religious and the majority are practicing Sunni Muslims. I spent the last few days of Ramadan in Morocco in 2017, the interesting thing ab...
Read more

Leeuwenhof Lodge x Thesolowanderer Holiday Giveaway Competition Rules/ Terms & Conditions

This Holiday Giveaway (“Competition”) is run by  #Thesolowanderer  (“Promoter”) and is open to all persons of 18 years or older and resident in South Africa, except the employees and their immediate families of Promoter and Leeuwenhof Lodge, advertising and promotion agencies, associated companies, and staff.  These rules may be amended by notification at any time during the Competition and will be interpreted by Promoter only. Participation by all entrants (“Participants”) constitutes acceptance of these rules.  This Competition will be run on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Competition will run from 25 October 2020 to 31 October 2020 (“Competition Period”). The winners will be announced by 15 November 2020. Winners will be notified via their social media platform of choice used to enter the competition.  There is a two-night holiday getaway for a couple to be won to the value of R10 000 at the end of the Competition Period.  To enter, Participants m...
Read more