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Holidays The Gambia   -   Travel information The Gambia.

Republic of Gambia  -  former British colony

Administrative divisions The Gambia : Banjul City, Lower River, MacCarthy Island, North Bank, Upper River, Western Gambia

In West Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal. Primarily an agricultural nation growing groundnuts, rice, maize, millet and other cereals, and horticulture. Agriculture and fisheries combined account for nearly 6o per cent of Gross Domestic Product.

Capital City of Gambia: Banjul. 


hotels, travel agency, travel guides, transportation / travelling to gambia

links


Hostels / Guest Houses

Somewhere2stay.com   -   Cheap Holiday Accommodation Gambia

  TFTHostels   -   Seach all hostels, book the cheapest
Hostels, Budget Hotels, Apartments, Guesthouses, B&B, and Campsites.
Hostel search engine. Search all Hostels, find the cheapest. Compare rates, reviews and recommendations. Check availability, specs and location. Book the hostel of your choice by visiting the hostel booking website.

  Malawi Guesthouse, Kairaba Avenue
  Newtown Guesthouse, Newtown Road, Newtown
  The Atlantic Guesthouse, Atlantic Road, Bakou

Hotels in Gambia

 
Centrally located hotels ranging from small family run budget accommodation to world-class five star hotels.

 

  Senegamba Beachhotel   -   20 km from Banjul, 5 km from Serrakunda
  The Kairaba Beach Hotel, Serrekunda, Tel: (220) 462940-4

National Parks

  National Parks in Gambia
Baobolong Wetland Reserve, River Gambia National Park, Bijilo Forest Park [ viele Vögelarten ], Niumi National Park, Abuko Nature Reserve en Tanji Bird Reserve.

  Baboon Island National Park  -  wildlife sanctuary

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

Airtours Holidays  -   Holidays to Gambia

Cosmos 

My Travel   -   Sun Holidays in Gambia [ Banjul ]

Thomas Cook   

  
Create your perfect trip to Gambia   -   Flight, Hotel and Car



  Hidden Gambia Holidays
Adventure holidays off the beaten track to explore up-river Gambia by boat and road. Discover the rich variety of birds, wildlife and people that live along the river banks of this peaceful West African country.
See hippos, monkeys & chimpanzees, Relax on a tropical river island, Meet the people and appreciate the culture, Fishing trips on the river and Atlantic Ocean
  Responsibletravel.com  -  African safaris & holidays
100's of holidays to Africa from dozens of leading specialist tour companies and accommodations who are passionate about conserving Africa's wildlife and benefiting its people.
  The Gambia Experience   -   specialist UK tour operator to The Gambia
  Panorama Holidays   -   from Gatwick and Manchester
  First Choice   -   Holiday in Banjul
  Unijet [ part of First Choice Group ]   -  Charter flights to Banjul
  Olympic Holidays 

Inbound

  Discovery Tours, Serrakunda
  Gambia Birding Goup   -   Guides for up river trips and on the coast
  Gambia Tours, Banjul
  Gamtours, Kanifing
  R.M. Tours, Banjul

Travel Guides Gambia / Related books

Travel Guides Gambia  [ Amazon.co.uk ]

The Rough Guide to The Gambia  -   Richard Trillo, Emma Gregg
"The Rough Guide to the Gambia" should prove a useful companion for a visit to Africa's most accessible country. Detailed maps and plans are complemented by expert and upbeat guidance on the beaches, villages and music, the mangrove creeks and the Gambia River itself. There are first-hand reviews of pretty much every accommodation, restaurant and bar option in the country, both on and off the beaten track and for everyone from shoestring travellers to luxury tourers. The guide is also full of trademark candid insights into Gambian history, politics, music, language and culture.
Paperback 304 pages (November 6, 2003);  Publisher: Rough Guides;  Language: English;  ISBN: 184353083X.
The Good Tourist in the Gambia: A Guidebook for the Conscientious Tourist 
Ann-Britt Sternfeldt
This guide tells visitors how to enjoy the best the Gambia has to offer, and to enjoy it more responsibly and respectfully - all described clearly and simply. The Gambia offers: guaranteed sunshine and warmth; African wildlife and nature; one of the most fascinating waterways in Africa: the River Gambia; a rich and vibrant musical tradition; and the history of slavery - with buildings and monuments from time. This guide provides readers with the facts and background to the country, its wildlife and its culture. Sections in the book also include: fitting in, food and drink, cafes and bars, handicrafts, textiles, music, music and dance courses and a clear and conscientious ABC to the Gambia, helping visitors to appreciate everything the Gambia has to offer, with consideration for surroundings a primary concern.
Paperback 96 pages (June 15, 2002);  Publisher: The Good Tourist;  Language: English;  ISBN: 9197401048
Michael Tomkinson's Gambia 
The Gambia is the closest tropical country to Europe in which English is spoken and Winter sunshine guaranteed. A microcosm of West Africa, in its peoples, languages, cultures and religions. A floral and ornithological delight of gardens flamboyant with flowers, of savanna, forests creeks and beeches vibrant with birds. For the smallest independent state in Africa, The Gambia does not lack superlatives. It is however lacking in up-to-date documentation that does justice to its visual attractions as well. In this second edition of his second book on the country, Michael Tomkinson combines the colour of 300 illustrations with well -researched writing. Revised in 1999-2000, this new Gambia also sets out to mark a new departure in travel publishing.
Paperback 128 pages (June 2001);  Publisher: Michael Tomkinson Publishing;  Language: English;  ISBN: 0905500644
The Gambia: The Bradt Travel Guide  -   Craig Emms, Linda Barnett
Whether you wish to explore the lush forests or walk along the golden beaches, drink green tea in mud -walled villages or seek out the secretive hippos, this guide will help you celebrate the gateway to Africa.
Paperback 272 pages (July 2001);  Publisher: BRADT Travel Guides;  Language: English;  ISBN: 1841620408

Transport / How do I travel to Gambia

  Banjul International Airport, 24 km van Banjul
  Gambian Yundum International Airport

 
Book cheap flights to Gambia at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

  Airline Tickets /  Bargain Flights   -   Flights to Gambia / Price comparison possible

  SN Brussels Airlines
  Gambia International Airlines

Ocean going vessels can navigate upriver as far as Kuntaur, 150 miles inland.

  Maps International   -   Maps of Gambia  
Mapsinternational.co.uk is one of the largest map shops online.
  Map The Gambia [ Uni Texas  -  Perry-Castañeda Library  -  Map Collection ]


Links 

  Travel Insurance

  Government Gambia   -   Republic of Gambia   -   see 'Directory' for links

  National Tourist Guide Association

  Gambia.com   -   official website Gambia

  Banjul   -   Capital City of Gambia
In pre-independence days called Bathurst, Banjul is the capital city and seat of government of The Gambia.  Beautiful batiks, silver filigree jewellery and other craft objects are in the shops.
  Bajul   -   Gambia Ports Authority

  Central River   -   capital city is Janjanbureh on MacCarthy Island
Districts in Central River Division : Fulladu West, Janjanbureh, Lower Saloum, Niamina Dankunku, Niamina East, Niamina West, Niani, Nianija, Sami, and Upper Saloum. 
  Lower River   -   capital city is Mansa Konko
Districts in lower River : Jarra Central, Jarra East, Jarra West, Kiang Central, Kiang East, and Kiang West .
  North Bank   -   capital city is Kerewan
Districts : Central Baddibu, Jokadu, Lower Baddibu, Lower Niumi, Upper Baddibu, and Upper Niumi
  Upper River   -   capital city is Basse
Districts : Fulladu East, Kantora, Sandu, and Wuli
  Western Division   -   capital city is Brikama
districts : Foni Bintang-Karenai, Foni Bondali, Foni Brefet, Foni Jarrol, Foni Kansala, Kombo Central, Kombo East, and Kombo North / Saint Mary

  MacCarthy Island

  Bakou
  Basse Santa Su   -   Capital city Upper River Division
Major trading centre for the upper reaches of the Gambia river. Handsome trading houses built at the turn of the century can be seen there.
  Brikama   -   capital city Western Division
  Brufut
  Fajara  [ beach resort ]
  Farafenni
Main ferry crossing for the Trans-Gambian highway. Link between the two parts of Senegal separated by The Gambia.
  Georgetown
The old 'second' city of colonial days and still administrative and trading centre of the region.
Georgetown is, net als Juffureh, een plaats die an important role in the history of the slave trade. De historical buildings in a better state then in other towns and villages, maar zijn slecht onderhouden. De Armitage High School , former chiefs school is hier nog steeds gevestigd.
  Janjanbureh
  Juffure / Joffure
Alex Haley, author of 'Roots' traced his ancestry back to this village. Kunta Kinta was alleged to have been abducted from here and sold into slavery in America.
  Karantaba Tenda
The great English explorer, Mungo Park, set out from a point near here to trace the source of the Niger in the early 19th century. An obelisk marks the spot.
  Kerewan   -   capital city North Bank
  Kololi
  Kotu [ beach resort ]
  Mansa Konto
  Sukuta
  Serrekunda
  Sutukoba
Once a thriving trading town and the ancient Portuguese entrepot from the interior of the continent.
  Tendaba / Camp Tendaba
100 miles from Banjul. Can be reached by road or boat. Superb place to enjoy the richly varied bird and animal life by the river.

  Wassu  -  -  Wassu Stone Circles from the 8th century
Her you find stone circles, comparable with, but smaller and younger in time  then those of Stonehenge in England. They mark the places where ancient tribes buried their leaders and warriors. Made of hewn laterite there are scores of these sites dotting the landscape

  Albreda
The main French trading post before they withdrew from The Gambia. Slaves who escaped could claim their freedom if they reached its flagpole.
  Fort Bullen  -  Barra Point
The fortress was built by the British two hundred years ago to cover the approaches to Banjul and the river. It succeeded James Island Fortress, destroyed by the French. It can be reached by direct ferry from the capital.
  Julbrew   -   Banjul Breweries Limited
  News   -   Gambian Daily Observer

Cuisine   -   Gambian Foods / Recipes

De basis van de Gambiaanse keuken bestaat uit rijst, couscous en/of cassave. Daarnaast gebruikt men zoete aardappel en verschillende groenten. En natuurlijk is er veel verse vis, kip of vlees. De finishing touch bestaat uit heerlijk pikante sausen.

Gambian dishes: Chere, Chew i Kong, Chew i Yappa, Chicken Yassa, Domoda, Fufu, Jollof Rice, Plasas, Superkanja

  Gambian Recipes
  South of the Sahara: Traditional Cooking from the Lands of West Africa  
By Elizabeth A. Jackson
Come and discover the rich and sultry blend of meats, tropical fruits, vegetables, grains, spices and oils that served as the foundation of West African life for centuries. The history of these lands is as rich as the spicy food. Learn about ancient empires and the origins of modern nations as you choose from a selection of 120 tempting dishes.
Paperback 204 pages (June 25, 1999); Publisher: Fantail
  The Best of African Cooking   -   Manjase Banda, Robin Campbell (Editor)
This book has a collection of African recipes ranging from North, West, East, and Southern Africa. Only the best recipes were selected from the various African countries. The book has recipes from countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and many others. The book has over 120 recipes with colour illustrations all using a variety of different ingredients from Africa.
Paperback 128 pages (January 29, 2004);  Publisher: Esanjam;  Language: English;  ISBN: 0954682106
  African Recipes

History of Gambia

Independent from the UK: 18th of February 1965

Gambia and Senegal became a federal nation on the 12th of December 1981, called 'Senegambia'. It ended on yhe 30th of September1989.

The Gambia was once part of the Ghana and Songhai Empires. In 1588, the claimant to the Portuguese throne, Antonio, Prior of Crato, sold exclusive trade rights on The Gambia River to English merchants; this grant was confirmed by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I. In 1618, King James I granted a charter to a British company for trade with The Gambia and the Gold Coast (now Ghana).

  History of the Gambia   -   Wikipedia
  Nova Scotia Gambia Association
Canadians & Gambians Working Together on Programs for Youth
  Songhai Empire
From the early 15th to the late 16th century, the Songhai Empire was one of the largest African empires in history. This empire was centered around the city of Gao, and its base of power was on the bend of the Niger river in present-day Niger and Burkina Faso. Outside of this, the Songhai lands reached far down the Niger river into modern day Nigeria itself, all the way to the Northeast of modern day Mali, and even to a small part of the Atlantic coast in the West.
  Tanje Village Museum
Come by and walk through a small open-air village museum, which is made to model the situation of Gambian homes of about a hundred years ago. As a visitor you can enter the houses and have a closer look and feel of the various ways of common household activities and situations.

Music, Culture & Entertainment

Roots  -   Alex Haley
This is the extraordinary account of Alex Haley's own 12 year search for his family's origins. Tracing his ancestry through six generations, he discovered a 16 year-old youth, Kunta Kinte. It was this young man who held the key to Haley's deep and distant past
Paperback 688 pages (January 21, 1994);  Publisher: Vintage;  Language: English;  ISBN: 0099362813
  Cora Connection   -   The Manding Music Traditions of West Africa
  Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa
By Eric Charry
most comprehensive source available on one of Africa's richest and most sophisticated music cultures. Using resources as disparate as early Arabic travel accounts, oral histories, and archival research as well as his own extensive studies in Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and the Gambia, Charry traces this music culture from its origins in the thirteenth-century Mali empire to the book studios of Paris and New York. He focuses on the four major spheres of Mande music--hunter's music, music of the jelis or griots, jembe and other drumming, and guitar-based modern music--exploring how each evolved, the types of instruments used, the major artists, and how each sphere relates to the others.
  Mandinko: The Ethnography of a West African Holy Land
The portrait of the Mandinko that emerges in this case study is one of a particularly religious people who have a deep sense of their own history and of their importance to the history of their particular region of West Africa.
By Matt Schaffer and Christine Cooper
  The Roots of the Blues, An African Search by Samuel Charters
American author and musicologist Charters sets out on an adventure's in the Gambia. Hoping to find the link to American Blues, he discovers something quite different. This book is not a comprehensive scholarly work, such as Eric Charry's book "Mande Music," Instead it is more of a travelog. Join the author on his long excursion overland from Banjul upriver in to the Gambian 'provinces,' up to Dakar, Senegal, to join the Bamako -Dakar International Express train, and then down the West African coast via boat for a stop in Freetown. As you travel with Charters, you discover the music of the griots and many stories of West Africa.
  Village Pulse Outpost   -   recordings of Mandinka drum music
  Kora

Web Portal / Gambian Search Engine / Directories / Related stories

  The Gambia: close up and cheap wintersun [ October, 8, Timesonline ]
It's a place to chill out: there are only six sets of traffic lights and a couple of ATMs in the entire country

  Visit the Gambia
Fact Sheet, Getting There, Accomodation, Restaurants & Bars, Excursions, People & Culture, Shopping, Getting Around, Gallery, Wildlife, Historic Sites, Eco-tourism, Events, Roots, River Gambia and more
  Gambianet
  Gambia Resource Page
  Hooked on Gambia   -   Fishing in The Gambia
  Mandarin Productions   -   small company specializing in bird song CD's
Bird Song of The Gambia and Senegal recorded by Clive Barlow, John Hammick and Pat Sellar
  Nijii  -  Homepage of Momodou Camara from Nijani in the Central River Division
The Bantaba | Culture, Serrekunde, Gambia Daily News, the Stone Circles and more
  The Gambia -
  West Coast Radio

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