Gambia
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
It is important to always carry some form of ID, either your passport or a photocopy, on long journeys, as there are several checkpoints along the way, and the officials can be difficult if they want to be.
The immigration office has now moved to OAU Boulevard, between Hill Street and Serign Sillah Street. A visa extension costs D200 for seemingly as long as you want, and if you are lucky, you can get it processed straight away. If youâ??re unlucky, you may have to come back in a few hours, or even a few days. However, there are no long forms to fill in, so with a smile and a bit of pleading, you should be able to get it done on the spot without too much hassle.
Hamish Duncan, UK (Oct 01)
Travel Tips
ATMs are placed at a few banks - but you can only use Visa credit cards and only withdraw a total of cash D2000. Mastercard or any other credit card cannot be used in the whole of the Gambia. The banks will not cash it either - and not even for a fee!
Marcus Probst, Denmark (Feb 05)
There are very, very few independent travellers in Gambia, like virtually none. I was there for 1 month and met 1 other lone female backpacker. She had travelled for 5 months in Burkina Faso and Mali and met 1 other female lone backpacker in that time! Gambia was quite the hardest travel I did because when I arrived, I had every African man in Serekunda out to marry me, take me to bars, wanting to have sex with me and other usual hassles. There were quite a few British package tourists in Gambia who stayed at the resorts at Kololi, Fajara, Bakau, etc. but they weren't doing independent travel as such. There was very low chance of meeting up with other independent travellers and exchanging information or travelling together.
Debbie Ling, Australia (Feb 03)
It seems in Gambia that minibus drivers employ another person to shout out the destination, and to herd people onto the bus. These people aren't touts as such (ie. they don't expect extra payment) and so when the minibus stops a guy will come off and herd passengers on - this is his job!
Guy Hagan, UK (Jun 01)
Moving About
Very bad roads and almost no public transport to Georgetown and Basse Santa Su. There was almost no public transport to these places, only a few trucks and bush taxis. We rented a jeep with a driver - it took us 8 hours to get from Serrekunda to Georgetown and, according to the locals, this was very fast. The road is very bad and most of the trip we had to drive beside the road. From Georgetown to Basse the road is good and it will take no more than an hour. We have heard that the roads at the northern bank of the Gambia river are better, but then you have to cross the river with the ferry from Banjul to Barra.
Roy Hoogmoed, The Netherlands (Nov 04)
Here is some info about a new ferry service in West Africa connecting Banjul (The Gambia) with Freetown (Sierra Leone) via Conakry (Guinea). It started on 31 January 2002. The ship is called the "Eastern Phoenix". The voyage takes a minimum of 48 hours and is aimed mainly at local business travellers. The same journey overland could take the best part of a week and is unsafe, not least due to a war of independence in Senegalese Cassamance and the presence of still not disarmed rebels in Sierra Leone. (And never mind the bad roads.)
Warning: Barra on the north bank of the Gambia river (and traffic from Senegal) are linked to the capital Banjul by a ferry whose last sailing is around 7pm. Bad roads and border delays often mean that passengers miss the last boat. You then have the option of staying the night in Barra or, what most people do, take a large wooden motorised pirogue across. You pay extra to be carried out on the shoulders of big men to avoid getting wet. These boats are low in the water and overloaded and there are no life jackets. One such boat "split into two and capsized" mid channel on the night of 14 February 2002 with possibly scores of fatalities.
Seamus Martin, Ireland (Mar 02)
Transport Shared taxi
Serekunda - Senegambia D3
Serekunda - Banjul D4
Serekunda - Bakau D3
Bakau - Banjul D4
Long distance
Banjul - Brikama D6 (45mins)
Banjul - Soma D35 (3-4hrs)
Banjul - Bansang D65 (6hrs)
Banjul - Basse D75 (7-8hrs)
You do not need to pay extra for your bag, although sometimes you may be asked. Some people do, some donâ??t. The road to Brikama is under construction at the moment, and this may involve long detours. The road as far as Soma is fairly poor, and this part of a journey upcountry is variable time wise. Beyond Soma, the road is better, and it normally takes about 3 hours to get to Basse.
Ferry - the ferry is still unreliable, allegedly going every 1-2 hours. It costs D5 each way, as do the pirogues: safe on a calm day.
Hamish Duncan, UK (Oct 01)
Scams & Warnings
When you travel to the Gambia a lot of people will ask you the same questions like 'Where are you from?' or 'What is your name?'. When you answer these questions there's a little conversation and then a guy will usually walk with you. It's very hard to get rid of these guys! On a trip to Bakau we had such a guy following us all the way to the famous Kachikaly Crocodile Pool. We said many times to him that we did not need a guide and that we figured out the way by ourselves. Nevertheless he demanded money for his 'guiding' when we got to the pool. When we did not give him money he threatened us and waited at the entrance. The only thing to prevent this happening is to make clear, not only that you don't need a guide, but also that you don't pay anything.
Roy Hoogmoed, The Netherlands (Nov 04)
Visitors to the Abuko Nature Reserve should (if they feel the need to make a further donation) not hand money directly to persons in the reserve building, but rather place it in the donations box or else it is unlikely to ever benefit the reserve. In general in The Gambia, an offer to sign a visitors' list in exchange for a donation is rarely an official one but rather a tourist 'scam'. Speaking of scams, the 'roots' trips offered by many tour operators/guides can prove a particularly hassle-rich experience even by Gambian standards.
G S Kingston, UK (Aug 03)
Be prepared for confrontation with police at every one of the checkpoints that are often just a couple of kilometres apart. A demand for a bribe is the sole concern of each officer. Bribes are in the form of "vehicle tax", "road tax", "district tax", etc. When I demanded at one point to see their receipt book for the claimed road tax, I was shown nicely printed receipts for "parking tax". Negotiations take considerable time, and after a day of these you find it simpler to pay just to make progress.
John Waddell, Australia (Dec 02)
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