Gambia

spender

Any thoughts on the Gambia, would appreciate your tips or opinions. I am going there in February and taking two teenagers.

bcl999

It'll cost you a fortune in Malarone!

SteveJW

What age are the teenagers, not a lot for them to do

Be prepared to be hassled by the bumsters

Everyone will want to be your friend and have a familly they want you to meet

As bbl999 said don't forget the malaria tablets, friend of ours didn't take them and caught malaria, almost a month in some specialist hospital in Liverpool

Good side
Nice beaches
Plenty of sun
Friendly people, if you can get past the bumsters
Nice places to eat

Which area are you going to

We stay in the Senegambia area, the sea can be rough and despite the reclamation project several years ago, the beach is erroding faily rapidly

You will either love it or hate it, we have been back 19 times

Enjoy

DUKE

Have a look on tripadvisor & the Gambia forums. I was looking there myself a few days ago & there seemed loads of interesting stuff to do.

spender

We are going to the Lacio Atlantica (think I have spelt it). Will the doctor prescribe Malarone for the teenagers who will be 13 and 14. I am a bit concerned about the 14 year old daughter but was wondering if I was worrying unduly!

bcl999

This seems to be the same hotel as I was at 5 years ago- though it was called the Corinthia Atlantic Beach then. Looking at Trip Advisor, it certainly seems to have been upgraded. A recent review calls it "luxurious" which wouldn't have been my description and someone metnions the "good food" so looks like that has improved too. It does have its own beach just a few steps from the pool area, so you are spoilt for choice in that respect.

It is in Banjul proper whereas most of the other hotels are further out. The main hospital is opposite. It's a short walk to the Banjul market though you will be hassled from door to door. You may find it easier to let one local tag along as your "guide" as you then don't get pestered by others wanting to do the same.

I ended up there one December as a change from my usual Red Sea break. I didn't know about the malaria problem until after I had booked. I wouldn't go back, partly because there are so many other places to go where malaria is not a problem (and particulalry the resistant version they have there which requires either Malarone or take your chances with a cheaper drug which can cause sun sensitivity, defeating the purpose of a winter sun holiday!)

I only went on one excursion which was the day trip to Senegal. Booked via the tour rep and quite expensive but turned out to be run by a local company who, am I sure, were paid a mere fraction of what was charged. The trip turned out to be on a lorry with a ladder at the rear to gain access to the seating area. It was an experience, no question, with them taking us out into the mangroves in an open boat at midday with the sun at its highest and a kid passing out with the heat. I thought Senegal was much nicer though - maybe the French influence. They certainly left them with decent roads whereas we seem to have left The Gambia with more potholes than tarmac.

I don't know about age restrictions with Malarone. Alll I can say is that you have to go private all the way e.g. a private prescription from GP which cost me £12 and the tablets to cover a week-long stay were another £28.

Voyager2002

I like The Gambia, although I was there for work rather than holiday...

Please see your family doctor to discuss malaria protection. A range of drugs are available, and while malarone is the most expensive it is not the only one that works. I think a previous poster referred to Doxy, which is cheap but increases your sensitivity to sun-burn. I recently used Doxy for a trip to West Africa and had no problems, but I don't like sun-bathing. I did spend quite a lot of time hiking, so exposed to the sun, but wore a hat and covered my sleeves. The cost saving (as opposed to Malarone) was considerable.

Note that my doctor does not charge for the prescription for anti-malarials, so yours might not either.

Have a look at a guide book: there is a wildlife reserve on the outskirts of Banjul, easily accessible by public transport or taxi. Loads of excursions are possible: book from a local agent rather than through your hotel unless you like paying mark-ups. Despite the comment above, most of the roads around Banjul are actually in pretty good shape.

Warning: swimming in the sea can be very dangerous (powerful rip-tides, and the water gets very deep a short way out). Only swim in places where there is a lifeguard.

bcl999

Like I said earlier, you take the chance with the type which can cause sun sensitivity. The person who told me about it was my GP's nurse as it happened to her and she had to cover up for her whole holiday.

As for the state of the roads, my only experience of them was the trip north to Senegal in the lorry I described above. The difference between them was so marked, I could tell when we had crossed the border even with my eyes shut!

However, maybe I'm perverse e.g. my overwhelming memory of Luxor in Egypt is the smell of horse sh*t due to all the horses & caleches along the Corniche. As for Rio de Janiero, it was the state of the pavements - they were even going on about them on the national TV news when I was there. It doesn't surprise me flip-flops are so popular in Brazil, they can't risk heels!

SteveJW

Maybe I was a bit hasty saying nothing to do, been that many times that you forget what there is to do

Hotel certainly looks like the old Atlantic, which became the Corinthian, located behind the Royal Victorian Hospital (RVH)

Stayed at he Atlantic about ten years ago, rather run down but you could see it must have been a wonderful place in its time. The pictures certainly look as if some money has been spent on the old lady

My doctors make you visit the practice nurse, who determines which drugs / injections you require. She only looked it up on the Internet. She pressurised me into having Yellow Fever injection at greaat cost, apparently one case in about five years. The nurse emails the doctor who then writes a private prescription, mine doesn't charge

Trips I would reccommend / places to see

Senegal
My memories of this trip was the difference in behaviour of the children, in The Gambia they would fight over anything you gave them, in Senegal they would break a biscuit in half to share it

Denton Bridge
Take a boat trip up the creeks, Champagne and Caviar, well some cheap plonk

Albert Market in Banjul
An experiance

Arch 22 in Banjul
Memorial to the revolution, you can go up the inside


Roots Trip
We all know its a con, but it's not a bad day out. Kunta Kinti cannot have that many descendants

Charlie the Crocodile
Everyone must have seen Charlie at Backau

Michelles Seafood Retaraunt in Banjul
If it's still there
We had Tiger Prawns about five inches long, we thought they were large, our companion said they were size three, the largest size being zero

Abouko Nature reserve or the Monkey Park in the Senegambia area

Night Life
Appears to centre around the Senegambia / Fajara / Serekunda
About 10 miles from Banjul

Secret is find a taxi driver you can trust, negotiate a price for the return journey plus a couple of hours waiting

We will be there in November

Sorry for the long winded post

Hope you enjoy

Voyager2002

Mainly, I agree with Steve at #9.

Yellow fever: this is an unusual disease, but if you catch it then it is likely to kill you. Most countries in the region check your vaccination certificate at the airport and you can't enter the country without it! I can't remember whether that happens in The Gambia, but there are good reasons for being this strict. And at least the jab lasts for ten years.

The comparison between Senegal and Gambia: maybe that is just the difference between an urban area (or somewhere that gets lots of tourists) and a place that is less developed. I thought that there was a lot of sharing and community spirit in some of the more remote places I got to in The Gambia. I don't really know about Senegal, but have heard some horror stories about muggings and crime in Dakar, the capital.

I stayed near Senegambia so I never had any issues with transport back, but there seemed to be lots of taxis even late at night, so I wouldn't bother paying a driver to wait while I had fun.

Moby

'Orrible place....don't go...full of bums and hawkers on the beaches etc and young African men looking to ponce off middle aged western women.