Gambia and Casamance

Travel day.

Pick-up and welcome at Banjul airport.

Direct transfer to the accommodation in Sanyang Beach.

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

We set off in the morning for Serrekunda, the largest town in The Gambia, just 3 km from the coastal resorts. It has all the typical features of a city, along with the traditional bustle of Gambian life. We visit the town’s traditional market.

We continue to Lamin Lodge, a wooden restaurant built over the water where the monkeys steal the show.

We go on to Brikama, the second-largest city in The Gambia, to visit its wood craft market. Here you can buy traditional souvenirs and watch the woodcarvers at work.

After lunch, we continue to Tanji, the largest fishing village in the country. It is a unique experience that takes us into the African way of life and the daily work of local people, with the arrival of the fishermen and the fish-smoking process.

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

We leave early for Tendaba, about 140 km away. On the way we make a few stops to learn a little more about The Gambia, visiting villages of different ethnic groups (Fula, Mandinka, Jola…).

Depending on our arrival time, we have lunch on the way or at the accommodation.

In the afternoon we take a traditional boat trip across the River Gambia and its tributaries to Bao Bolon Wetland Reserve.

We have the chance to spot a huge variety of birds and, if we are lucky, the odd crocodile.

Accommodation: Tendaba Camp or similar

We leave Tendaba early, heading for Soma (in central Gambia, on the south bank), crossing the River Gambia by the Senegambia Bridge to reach Farafenni, where we stop to see its market.

We continue to Wassu, where we visit the stone burial circles, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

Back on the road, we have lunch on the way to Kuntaur, where we take a boat to cruise River Gambia National Park, where we may spot chimpanzees (3 of the Baboon Islands are home to these primates thanks to the conservation project under way there). During the crossing we may also see hippos, birds and baboons.

We carry on to Janjangbureh Island, crossing the river on the local ferry.

Accommodation: GTHI or similar.

After breakfast, we stroll around Janjanbureh, the first capital of The Gambia, and learn about its history as a slave trading centre.

After the walk, we head back towards the south of the country, passing through Soma, where we stop at the local market. We then continue towards Kassagne, having lunch on the way before reaching the hotel.

After that, we continue to Kassagne, where the afternoon is free to enjoy the surroundings of the accommodation, and you can try activities such as taking a boat or kayak through the mangroves (depending on the season), swimming in the creek, walking among monkeys and more.

Accommodation: Abcas Creek Lodge

After breakfast we set off for the Casamance (southern Senegal). We cross the border between The Gambia and Senegal, where we complete the customs formalities to enter the country.

We continue to Ziguinchor, where we have lunch.

After lunch we head for Seleki, where we spend the night. In the afternoon we visit the village accompanied by a local guide.

Accommodation: Solidarity camp

After breakfast we set off on a boat trip along the tributaries of the Casamance towards Eloubaline.

In Eloubaline a local guide shows us the village, its streets, its sacred places and its fetishes, which protect the village in the traditions of animist culture. We also visit the impluvium houses, designed to collect rainwater.

After the visit we return to the boat and head for Edioungou, where our driver will be waiting to take us to Oussouye, where we spend the night.

Oussouye is a very important community of the Diola kingdom. In the afternoon we have an audience with the Diola king, who tells us about his life and how he was chosen.

Accommodation: chez Pierre, Aljoe or similar

We leave OUSSOUYE after breakfast for Mlomp, a village whose inhabitants are mostly animist, famous for its architecture and its two-storey adobe houses, unique in West Africa. We visit the local Mlomp museum, housed in an impluvium house, where we are shown the different instruments and tools the Diola people use in their daily lives.

After Mlomp, we continue to Elinkine (a fishing village), where we board a canoe for Carabane island.

When we reach the island, lunch is waiting for us. With our energy restored, we explore the island, admiring its ruined colonial houses, the school, its Breton-style church and the curious Catholic cemetery that runs along the beach.

Accommodation: Camp Chez Bouba or similar

The day starts with a canoe trip towards the mouth of the river. If we are lucky, we may see dolphins on the way.

We pass through the fishing village of Diogué, home to people from several African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, etc.). Because of its geographical position, Diogué was the departure point for the most important irregular emigration in the south of the country.

We take a one-hour walk through the rice fields to earn our lunch: today we eat with a Diola family. After lunch and a good time together, we return to the canoe and head for the small island of Ehidj, where we spend the night.

Accommodation: Camp Chez Leon

After breakfast, we take the canoe to Katakalousse, where we meet our driver and head for Cap Skirring.

We have lunch on the way to the hotel, and on arrival you can enjoy the pool and the lovely beach.

Accommodation: Hotel Maya or similar

We set off in the morning for Boucotte to visit the Diola culture museum and keep discovering the culture of this area. After the museum we visit its craft market.

After the market, we have lunch at a local restaurant and head for Ziguinchor, the capital of southern Senegal, where we stay overnight.

Accommodation: Le Perroquet or similar

We start the day by visiting the town centre to see everyday life in the country’s second city.

After Ziguinchor, we head for Baila, where we visit a community fruit-processing factory.

We have lunch and then head for Abene, very close to the border with The Gambia, where we stay overnight. You can see the women working with oysters and cockles.

Accommodation: Hotel Baobab or similar

We head back to The Gambia!

We start the day heading for the Gambian border, where we complete the customs paperwork, then continue to the Gambian coast. On the way we take a short walk around Kartong.

We continue to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, where we visit “Albert Market”, a market with a colonial past selling clothes, food, crafts and assorted souvenirs. We climb “Arch 22”, the monument commemorating the coup d’état of 22 July 1994.

After lunch we go to Serekunda to visit the place where traditional batik is made.

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

Free day to enjoy the beautiful beach and the surroundings of the accommodation. You can take a walk to the spot where the fishermen gather and smoke fish in Sanyang.

Today you can also choose from several activities not included in the price (traditional cooking classes or batik classes).

Accommodation: Eco Lodge Sanyang Beach or similar

Free morning to finish enjoying the lovely beach and the surroundings of the accommodation.

Transfer to the airport.