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Recommended Reading
Guide books
Barnett, Linda and Graig Emms. Bradt Travel Guide, The Gambia. USA: The Globe Pequot Press Inc., 2006
Bennett, Lindsay. Travellers guide to The Gambia. UK: Thomas Cook Publishing, 2009. Updated by Lisa Voormeij, this website's author.
Gregg, Emma and Richard Trillo. Rough Guide to The Gambia. New York: Rough Guides Ltd., 2003 (a 2006 edition is now available)
Kane, Katharina. Lonely Planet, The Gambia & Senegal. Lonely Planet Publications, 2006
Penney, Dr. David. Field Guide to Wildlife of The Gambia.
Manchester: Siri Scientific Press, 2009
Robinson, Andy. The Gambia. Discovering with Discount. UK: Affording Gambia VIP, 2008/2009 (this great new guidebook is also filled with 25% off restaurant coupons, the first of its kind in The Gambia! Available in most hotel shops in The Gambia and Timbooktoo bookstore). www.thegambiatravelguide.com
Local publications
Sonko-Godwin, Patience. Trade in the Senegambia Region, From the 12th to the Early 20th Century. Banjul: Sunrise Publishers, 2004
Medical
Lankester, Ted. The Traveller's Good Health Guide. London: Sheldon Press, 2002
Werner, David, et. al. Where There is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook for Africa. London: Macmillan Education Ltd., 1993
Travel and Africa
Bacquart, Jean-Babtiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa: Surveying Africa's Artistic Geography. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2004
Butcher, Tim. Blood River. London: Vintage Books, 2008
Folden, Giles. The Last King of Scotland. Random House USA, 1999
Folden, Giles. Zanzibar. London: Faber and Faber Ltd., 2003
Freemantle, Tom. The Road to Timbuktu. Robinson Publishing, 2005
Palin, Michael. Sahara. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002 (available on DVD as well)
Piven, Joshua and David Borgenicht. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel. Book Soup Publishing, 2001
Wrong, Michela. In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz. London: Fourth Estate, 2000
Recipes
Chicken Yassa (Gambian fried chicken)
1/2 cup of lime or lemon juice
1/4 cup of malt vinegar or cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of mustard
4 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and cut into large chunks (optional)
1 medium green or red pepper, chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 chicken, cut into serving-size pieces
1 green chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cup of chicken stock (can be made with maggi/soup stock cube and water)
salt and black pepper for taste
Mix a marinade containing the lime or lemon juice, vinegar, bay leaf, mustard, garlic, onions, and chili pepper.
Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade. Leave the dish in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and fry the chicken in the oil for a few minutes on each side until browned.
Add the rest of the marinade to the chicken and continue to fry for a few minutes, then add the stock, green or red pepper, and potatoes. Bring to a slow boil.
Cover the pan and use moderate heat for about 30-40 minutes. Simmer gently until the chicken is done.
Serve hot with rice or couscous. Makes 4 servings.
Domada (Gambian peanut stew, also called maffe)
1 cup of peanut butter (preferably an unsweetened variety)
1/4 of a red chili pepper, minced (optional, depending on personal preference!)
2 cups of water (less if a thicker sauce is desired)
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 maggi/soup stock cube
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
2 cloves of minced garlic
300 grams of beef or chicken, shredded and browned
Boil the water and mix in the maggi/soup stock cube. Add the peanut butter until thoroughly mixed, then add the tomato paste.
Add the garlic, pepper, and shredded meat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the lime or lemon juice in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Serve hot over rice. Makes 2 servings.
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The maximum that you can take in cash from either a credit card or a bank card is 2000D per transaction, with an 3 transaction limit (usualy).
The Gambia is relatively cheap compared to countries in Europe and North America, however, not as cheap as you may be expecting, especially in the tourist areas. On a small budget you can probably get away with spending less than US$20/day/pp (includes food, transport, and some entertainment, per person, not including accommodations).
For an average budget it will cost about US$40/day/pp, and if you want complete comfort it will cost about US$80/day/pp (including some organized trips as well).
Currently, as of March 2010, the approximate exchange rates are as follows:
US$1 = D26.75 $1CAD = D26.28 €1 = D36.75 £1 = D40.56
Check here for Gambia's current exchange rates.
Communications
Internet
There are many Internet cafes in the Kombos area with new ones springing up on a regular basis. The two main servers are Gamtel and Quantumnet. In some areas, especially near major tourist hotels, wireless Internet has been set up.
Most of the cafes have broadband though some could still be dial-up. The cost is generally about D30/hour, some places charge less, some charge more. iLink is a great Internet cafe on Kairaba Avenue and offers the latest movies on DVD for around US$5.
Telephone
There are four mobile network providers in The Gambia, Africell, Comium, Qcell, and Gamcel. You can purchase SIM cards at the grocery stores and bitikos for around D100, depending on the provider and current promotion.
Credit scratch cards can be purchased in the same places. Gamtel offers land-line calls, both internal and international, and public tele-centres are found all over the country.
Post
Postal services are available, though mailing letters and postcards out of The Gambia is not reliable. Receiving mail while in The Gambia is not reliable either and can take months to arrive, if at all. Most buildings and homes do not have an actual address so post boxes are commonly used instead.
General Tips
> Purchase a good travel guide with local maps (see the recommended reading section).
> Be prepared to hear "hello, how are you?" all the time and take the time to ask the same and answer back "fine, fine" at the very least (just be weary of the bumsters). The Gambia is a friendly country and Gambians like to chat with others, especially with visitors. It also a social norm to first have such a conversation about how someone is doing before conducting any further business.
> Gambians (not many though, fortunately) can be rude to visitors, as can people in any country. And when they are rude they can be very racist and vulgar. If you attempt to get into an argument with a Gambian you will quickly find yourself surrounded by more Gambians yelling and screaming and making a scene. Many Gambians love drama. It's best to just walk away and ignore rude comments and gestures.
> Relax! The Gambia is on GMT (Gambian Maybe Time) and life just moves at a slower pace here. Understand this and you will enjoy your time here a lot more. Also keep this in mind when ordering food at a restaurant or planning to go on an excursion.
> Have a sense of humour. This will go a long way with your interactions with Gambians.
> Asking Gambians for directions can often be a problem as Gambians do not want to be rude and say that they do not know, and so they will either answer "yes" to any of your questions and/or send you in an unknown direction. Also, when a Gambian explains that a certain distance is only a 5min walk, this generally means it can be anywhere from a 1min to a 60min walk.
> Travellers should not photograph government buildings, airports, military installations or embassies. People, for that matter, do not like being photographed either, so it is better to ask permission first (you may get a "no" or be asked for money).
> Always carry around some form of ID, either your passport or even a photocopy as you may be asked at any time to produce your ID, especially when on the road (even when in a taxi).
> Photocopy all your ID (passport, driver’s license, etc.) and leave a copy with a family member at home, and keep two copies for yourself in separate places.
> Drink enough water (even if you are not thirsty), at least 3 litres of non-alcoholic fluids a day, and at least 5 litres if it is very hot or if you have diarrhoea. Keep re-hydration sachets in your first-aid kit for in case of the latter.
> Use insect repellent! Especially on your feet and ankles if the skin there is exposed and especially at dawn and dusk if you are outside.
> Use sunscreen! You don't want to look like a lobster hiding from the sun after your first day here.
> Most items for sale in The Gambia can be bargained for, other than items with price-tags already on them such as in grocery stores, also some fruit, vegetables, and tapalapa sandwiches that may have fixed prices, and items in the bitikos. Services for that matter can also be bargained for, for example, taxi fares, pirogue fares, guide services, etc.
Bargaining in the markets is especially needed as most vendors will give you a "first price" that will be likely triple of what you can actually end up purchasing the item for. For example, if you ask a vendor how much something is (good to say in the local language, they may give you a better price) and he/she says "500 Dalasi", you can return your offer by saying "I pay you 150 Dalasi."
The vendor may laugh and say he/she hasn't sold anything all day and that you are their first customer. Then another offer will come from him/her, "300 Dalasi" and you can eventually settle on about half or a third of what the original first price was.
Try to not be too interested in what you are purchasing and walking away after hearing too high of a price can sometimes encourage the vendor to lower his/her price even more. Also, purchasing more than one item can often result in a better 'bulk price.'
Remember though, if you really like something, it may be worth paying a higher price for it. Sometimes an item can be unique and original and paying US$5 would not do the workmanship justice.
Common prices for some items:
rubber flip flops - D25
sarong - D150
beaded bracelet or necklace - D25
small wooden sculptures of animals - D50
plain tapalapa - D5
small bottled water - D10
> Eat plenty of yoghurt for several weeks before you begin your travels. This will give your stomach a good dose of healthy bacteria needed to fight off all the new bacteria your body will be exposed to when in a new environment. Local yoghurt is also available.
> Pack iodine in your first aid kit, this can be used not only as an effective disinfectant but also as an effective sanitizer of drinking water (3 drops per litre, let stand for 30 minutes).
> Keep tissue paper and travel wipes (wet-naps for example) on you at all times. Although some public toilets will have toilet paper/roll, many will not or have simply run out. Also, as power and thus water outages occur quite often, its always a good idea to keep some moist tissues with you, especially those with antibacterial properties.
Back to Guide to Gambia Main Index
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