05 January 2012 - Limited Edition - Kent - Tim Metcalfe
Walking along Sanyang beach with my feet in Atlantic surf, I fell into conversation with one of The Gambia’s so-called 'bumsters' – grifters who make a living selling trinkets to tourists. These sort of conversations usually result in an exchange of cash for an item you do not need. And that is exactly what happened here — but in the course of my chat with Kalilu Camara I learned that his dream was to become a teacher and build a school in his village of Sanyang.
Was this a line he spun to all the tourists dropping in to sample the delights of his country, I wondered? Pondering this question later it seemed to me that this young man scraping a living on the beach appeared pretty genuine. As well as wanting cash for his seashells, he also asked if I could send him a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary — once we had shared information about what part of the UK I was visitng from.
The beauty of the palm-fringed beach and the circumstances of young Kalilu summed up the contradictions you may discover on a visit to this still developing West African country. The main tourist season in The Gambia runs from November to April — perfect for getting away from the cold, damp and sometimes snowy UK. Humidity increases between July and October, and the rains arrive from August to September. So visitors can experience luxury accommodation in the tourist hotels while soaking up some guaranteed winter sun.
Coco Ocean — where our party of visiting journalists stayed — is a 'village' style resort right on the beach in the tourist area of Bijilo. Designed using a Moroccan architectural theme, it has a spa, offering all kinds of treatments, several swimming pools, bars and restaurants, with rooms and suites to suit most pockets.
Coco Ocean is billed as The Gambia's most luxurious hotel, and has attracted royal visitors from the Middle East and has proved a wonderful location for weddings with a difference, with couples tying the knot in beautifully appointed marquees on the beach. My suite was decorated Moroccan-style, with an amazingly comfortable bed, essential air-con, and a tiled bathroom with a wet-room style shower. Other suites within the resorts did have baths, should guests prefer one.
Facilities at the top-end hotels, such as the Coco Ocean resort and spa, match anything you would find at European or Caribbean resorts. Restaurants within the resort offered a mix of dishes — making good use of the local fish, while catering for European tastes. Gambia may be a Muslim nation, but the country has its own brewery, producing a fine lager called Julbrew — which became the drink of choice among most of our group. If large resort-style hotels are not your scene, The Gambia also offers many smaller guest houses and intimate boutique hotels, such as the beautiful Omakan in the village of Sukuta, owned by the charming and enthusiastic exmusic producer Peter Vanderhallen, or the elegant Ngala Lodge in Fajara. If you wished, you could spend an enjoyable winter break in the sun without moving away from your hotel. But, by not stepping outside your hotel, you would miss experiencing the colourful, fascinating and sometimes chaotic culture of The Gambia found away from the tourist areas. My trip coincided with the Muslim festival of Tabaski, in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son, Ismail, in the name of Allah. Every married man or head of household is expected to buy a sheep or other suitable animal for sacrifice.
Tabaski is a massive nationwide barbecue – with visits to the mosque and family celebrations throughout the day. Gambians wear their finest clothes and visit their family and friends. Flocks of goats lined the roadsides and the local markets were packed with people doing last-minute shopping. Imagine our supermarkets on Christmas Eve, add the smells and sounds and bright colours of Africa, and you will get the idea. I experienced the crush first-hand on a bewildering whistle-stop tour of the busy market in the conurbation of Brikama — a labyrinth of stalls and meandering alleyways. You will need the services of a local guide (your travel company will be able to supply details) but this is an experience not to be missed. Stand still long enough amid the bustle and you will also inevitably fall into conversation with friendly passers-by, mostly interested in what you are doing in their country.
English remains the main language of The Gambia, and is taught in schools, so communication is not generally a problem. You can also easily mix a beach resort-style holiday with something a little more adventurous. For example you can get back to nature within the Makasutu Cultural Forest, a 1,000 acre conservation area which is where you will find the Mandina Lodges, a unique eco-resort set in the heart of the Gambian bush. Makasutu was founded by two British men, the late James English and his nephew Lawrence Williams. Originally the well-travelled pair had the idea of setting up a backpackers hostel, but ended up successfully attempting to prevent degradation of the forest by creating a popular tourist destination. Lawrence is also a founder of the Wide Open Walls project, an innovative scheme with has brought street artists to The Gambia.
At Makasutu you can get really close to nature while staying in luxurious lodges, either floating or on stilts over the river or within jungle lodges set back from the water in the bush. The Mandina Lodges have been voted Best Overseas Development Project by the British Guild of Travel Writers. The forest is still home to the indigenous people of the area, who visitors can meet on guided walks through the bush. I enjoyed a trip through the mangroves in a dug-out canoe (known as pirogues) seeing a variety of birds and wildlife. The Gambia has become popular among birdwatchers, with the likes of Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham leading groups who want to see some of the country's exotic bird life — which includes many species of hornbills, various kingfishers, large and small, plus the fantastic glossy blue starling and some beautiful birds of prey, including the osprey.
While The Gambia may not have big cats or elephants – you will encounter many species of monkey. We were lucky enough to see some rare Western Red Colobus monkeys leaping through palm trees in the Tanji reserve. Fishing is another big attraction for visitors to The Gambia – and a perfect place to base yourself for a trip with rod and line is the new Sitanunku Lodge — a collection of simple (solar-powered) riverside lodges on the north bank of the River Gambia. It will take you a couple of hours to reach Sitanuku by boat. You might be lucky enough — as we were — to see pods of dolphins surfing the bow wave of your boat. Sitanunku is a wonderfully peaceful place, with two pools to relax in and a bar/restaurant area where you can sit in the shade of 400 year-old baobab trees populated, at certain times of the day, by green parrots. The perfect place to sit and write that best-selling novel if you have one in you. But if you are feeling more active you can loan a kayak and explore the river further. Keen anglers visiting The Gambia can hope to catch Cubera Snapper, captain Fish, Barracuda, Lady Fish, Cassava and even large rays. The river around Sitanunku is also home to big Tarpon (upwards of 150kg) which provide a real challenge. Fish is a big part of the local diet and you can enjoy it fresh from the river in the many good restaurants in the Senegambia tourist area. The variety of food on offer was perhaps the thing that surprised me most — you can try local Gambian dishes or go for a combination of European and international menus at the lively restaurants on the Senegambia 'strip'. I tried and enjoyed a Gambian speciality called Benachin — a tasty dish of fish, rice and vegetables.
Of course, The Gambia does have its problems. People are, largely, very poor and climate change could be having an impact on the country. The water table is falling and there are problems with deforestation — which The Gambia Experience is helping to address by supporting environmental management projects in villages where wood is the primary fuel source. But, only six hours away from UK airports, The Gambia provides a great introduction to West Africa, and, if you get hooked, could be the launch-pad for further exploration. Many people return to the country year-after-year, enchanted by the people and the culture. I think I could be one of them.
