Getting Around
Villages, towns, and well-known areas of The Gambia
To get an idea of some of the areas referred to in the various sections of this guide (and when using public transport), below is a list of some of the villages and areas and their descriptions, plus a map.
Bakau - village located at the most northwest area of the South Bank, referred to in two parts, 'old town' and 'new town.'
Banjul - capital of The Gambia.
Brikama - large village 25min drive east from the coast.
Brufut - area of new housing development and construction, 10min drive south of the Senegambia area.
Cape Point - area, northern part of Bakau.
Fajara - village area on the coast where many ex-pats and NGO's reside.
Gunjur - small fishing village.
Kairaba Avenue (also referred to as the 'pipeline' road) - a main road from Fajara to Serrekunda, lined with local shops and restaurants.
Kartong - small fishing village and most southern village in The Gambia, next to the Senegalese border.
Kololi - village and main tourist area, most of it on the beach.
the Kombos - area consisting of districts occupying a peninsula of around 900sq km, edged by the mouth of the River Gambia to the northeast and 50km of the coast to the west.
Kotu - village with many hotels and restaurants on the beach.
Palma Rima - basically a street in Kololi with a hotel bearing the same name and various restaurants and bars.
Sanyang - small fishing village.
Senegambia - central area of the main tourist strip, located in Kololi.
Serrekunda - largest and most populated village in The Gambia.
South Bank - area referred to as anywhere on the south side of the River Gambia.
North Bank - area referred to as anywhere on the north side of the River Gambia.
Tanji - small fishing village.
traffic lights - an area named for what used to be (up until 2005) the only set of traffic lights in The Gambia, located at the junction of Kairaba Avenue and the Bertil Harding Highway (also known as the 'coastal' road)
Tujering - small village.
Westfield - area in Serrekunda, also known as the 'Westfield' Junction, a busy junction and location of a major taxi garage (where all the taxis and busses congregate, waiting to fill up with passengers).
Official Divisions/Districts of The Gambia
Lower River (Mansa Konko)
Central River (Janjanbureh)
North Bank (Kerewan)
Upper River (Basse)
Western (Brikama)
Banjul (Banjul, Bakau, Serrekunda)
Driving your own vehicle
You can hire a vehicle from various rental agencies, you can purchase a vehicle depending on your length of stay, and/or you could hire a driver. Although this is a former British colony, vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road.
Expect both good paved roads and potholed and muddy 4X4 trails and make sure you have all the proper documentation on hand (driver’s license and vehicle insurance) and equipment (fire extinguisher, reflective triangle, and all things in order on the vehicle) as road checks and thus an opportunity for law enforcement to “fine” the driver are very common throughout the country.
Dogs, cats, monkeys, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, and of course people can be found wandering across the road at any moment’s notice, as are other unforeseen hazards so cautious driving is essential. During the rainy season many roads become flooded and impassable.
The Presidential convoy can come by at any time so be prepared for this also (as soon as you hear any sirens, pull to the side of the road and wait for the convoy to pass before continuing). The convoy will consist of various speeding SUV's, the President's Hummer (black with heavily armed men in the back), and police vehicles (bright blue).
Gas stations are common in the Kombos area but are scarce upcountry. At times there's also a shortage of fuel that can last for days or more. Petrol (essence) is the unleaded variety and then there's diesel (gas oil) which is the most common fuel in The Gambia.
Public transport
It is amazing how most of the vehicles deemed for public transport are a small bump away from ending up in a scrap yard, yet somehow they manage to last forever, even if the doors are falling off, the tires are completely bald, and none of the lights are working. Be careful when using public transport and if in doubt, wait for another ride to come along. Seatbelts are few and far between...
Note: tipping is not required nor suggested when using public transport.
Taxis
There are two types of taxis; tourist taxis (painted green) and shared taxis (painted yellow with green stripes). The tourist taxis are often found near major hotels and other tourist areas and have a flat fee for their destinations, seen on the billboards outside the tourist taxi stands.
Although cheaper than at home, the prices charged by the tourist taxis are much higher than those charged by the shared taxis.
The shared taxis are seen all over and can be hailed down at anytime for either a ‘shared ride’ where you catch a ride along selected routes with up to 3 other passengers for a flat fee of about D6 per person per route, or you can hire an empty shared taxi for a ‘town trip’ in which you pay a fee decided on before you get into the taxi and you are driven to your destination of choice solo. Sometimes the tourist taxis will also negotiate their prices but not very often.
If you are catching a shared ride make it clear that you are paying the local price (D6 or so per designated route) again before you get into the taxi. You should also ask which direction the taxi is going before you negotiate the price of course. So you could say for example after hailing a taxi down, ‘Salam malekum, Bakau? Six six uh?’ Meaning, 'peace be with you, are you going to Bakau? Six Dalasi right?'
Taxis will honk if they have room for a passenger, put there hand up or ignore you if they don't have room, or they will yell out of the window asking if you need a taxi. Hailing a taxi is easy. Just stand on the side of the road and with your arm out, pointing your fingers down. Sometimes a regular vehicle will stop and offer you a ride, maybe even for free. Do not point/use your thumb when hailing a taxi as this is apparently an obscene gesture.
Bush taxis
These are generally what minibuses and vans are referred to (though bush taxi can also mean the shared taxi variety). Bush taxis function the same way as the shared taxis, though likely the ‘town trip’ offer will be less common, and about 13 passengers will be squeezed in this time instead of just 4.
A young boy will be accompanying the ride in the bush taxi yelling and pointing out of the window which direction the ride is going to and letting the driver know (by knocking on the side of the vehicle) that there are passengers wanting to get on and off. This ‘apprenti’, his official title, will also provide the passengers with change. The cost of the bush taxi is the same as the shared taxi, with fixed prices for selected routes.
Geli geli
These are the larger busses that are often white or blue with colourful decorations and can be found at the taxi garages (an area where taxis assemble to fill with passengers for longer routes), functioning the same way as the bush taxis, though the geli geli’s offer longer trips to Brikama, Janjanbureh, Basse or even outside of the country for example.
Note: On some public transport trips, especially the longer ones on a geli geli, there will be a charge for your luggage. Perhaps only about 10% of what the actual trip costs, depending on the size of your luggage.
By bicycle or foot
There are several places near the major tourist hotels that have bike rentals, varying in quality, and are at reasonable prices of about US$5 for the day. Although cycling is usually a relaxing way of travelling, in The Gambia it’s not an ideal activity due to the poor conditions of the roads, lack of cycling paths, and the dangerous driving that occurs all too often. Though apparently a cycling club does exist.
Of course you could walk your way around the country, as many locals do, however, you will need a lot of water and a lot of time. Occasionally you could catch a ride with a donkey cart if you are lucky...
Ferries
There are 4 ferry crossings to get passengers and vehicles across the River Gambia as there are no bridges. The main crossing is at Banjul on the South Bank crossing to Barra on the North Bank and it operates daily from about 7am to 11pm. For foot passengers it costs about D5/one way, for vehicles it costs about D145/one way.
The crossing can take up to one hour, while the actual wait for the ferry can take several hours or more, especially if you are trying to get a vehicle across.
Other crossings include Farafenni on the North Bank crossing to Soma on the South Bank, and there are numerous other smaller crossings such as from the North Bank or South Bank to Janjanbureh (Georgetown) on MacCarthy Island which runs during the day as long as there are passengers to fill the ferry up with. Not to worry however, as these small ferries only fit about 2 (for the South Bank push-pull ferry) or 4 (for the North Bank ferry) vehicles per trip anyway.
Taking any of the above ferries is an experience not to be missed, learning patience, understanding the need for development, and enjoying all the smells, sights, and sounds of real African life along the way.
Pirogues
Another form of transport to cross the River Gambia or any of the smaller rivers and creeks is by pirogue. These wooden dug-out canoes and boats are privately owned fishing boats that offer the service of carrying passengers in times when the ferries are too much of a wait or when a new experience is calling.
Pirogues range in size and decoration and can be dangerous during rough weather so take precautions and if possible wear a life-jacket (if it is even provided).
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