Gambia

Introduction viii PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION 1 Chapter 1 Background Information 3 Facts and figures 3, A historical background 5, Economy and infrastructure 12, People and culture 14, Sports and games 19, Language 20, Religion 21, Education 22 Chapter 2 Natural History 23 Geology and geography 23, Habitats 24, The wildlife 29 Chapter 3 Practical Information 43 When to visit 43, Tourist information 43, Tour operators 44, Red tape 44, Getting there and away 45, Safety and hassles 46, What to take 49, Money 50, Getting around 53, Accommodation 55, Eating and drinking 56, Public holidays 57, Media and communications 58, Interacting with Gambians 59 Chapter 4 Health 63 Preparations 63, Common medical problems 64, Other safety concerns 68 PART TWO GREATER BANJUL AND KOLOLI 69 Greater Banjul and Kololi: An Overview 71 Highlights 72, Getting around 73, Other practicalities 73 Chapter 5 Central Banjul 75 History 75, Getting there and away 78, Orientation 79, Security 79, Getting around 82, Where to stay 82, Where to eat and drink 83, Other practicalities 84, What to see and do 85 Chapter 6 Bakau and Cape Point 88 History 88, Getting there and away 89, Where to stay 89, Where to eat and drink 92, Entertainment and nightlife 93, Other practicalities 93, What to see and do 94 Chapter 7 Serekunda, Fajara and Kairaba Avenue 97 History 99, Orientation 99, Getting there and away 99, Where to stay 100, Where to eat and drink 103, Other practicalities 104, What to see and do 105 Chapter 8 Kotu and Palma Rima 109 Getting there and away 109, Where to stay 111, Where to eat and drink 113, Entertainment and nightlife 115, Other practicalities 115, What to see and do 116 Chapter 9 Kololi and Environs 119 Northern Kololi 119, The 'Senegambia' Strip 122, Bijilo Forest Park 128, Bijilo and Sukuta 128 PART THREE THE COASTAL BELT 131 The Coastal Belt: An Overview 133 Highlights 133, Getting around 134, Other practicalities 135 Chapter 10 Brufut, Tanji and Surrounds 137 Brufut 137, Tanji

Philip Briggs has been exploring the highways, byways and backwaters of Africa since 1986, when he spent several months backpacking on a shoestring from Nairobi to Cape Town. His association with Bradt started in 1991 when he wrote the first guidebook to South Africa to be published after the release of Nelson Mandela. Over the rest of the 1990s, Philip wrote a series of pioneering Bradt Guides to destinations that were then - and in some cases still are - otherwise practically uncharted by the travel publishing industry. These included the first dedicated guidebooks to Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana and Rwanda, all of which are now in their 4th-7th edition. More recently he wrote the only guidebook to Somaliland, also published by Bradt. He first visited The Gambia in the late 1990s as part of an extended trip to West Africa and returned there twice, most recently in 2008 to research an overhauled new edition of the Insight Guide to The Gambia and Senegal. He has visited more than two dozen African countries in total and written about most of them for specialist travel and wildlife magazines including Africa Birds & Birding, Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Travel Africa and Wanderlust.