The Gambia is a sliver of a country wrapped around its river, with Senegal on three sides and the Atlantic on the fourth. At around 11,300 km² and 2.6 million people, it is among the smallest countries on mainland Africa, which makes it an easy place to cover without weeks of travel: a short-haul charter crowd works the coast resorts for a week of sun, while a longer trip can add the river towns upcountry in the same fortnight. Most visitors split their time between the beaches around the capital, Banjul, and a river trip east towards Janjanbureh.
Regions and main cities
The coast, often called the Kombo, is where most visitors stay. Banjul is the small capital at the mouth of the Gambia River, worth a half-day for its market and colonial-era streets rather than a base for the whole trip. The resort strip runs from Bakau and Fajara through Kotu to Serekunda, the country’s commercial centre, with the beach hotels, restaurants and nightlife concentrated along this stretch. South of the resorts, Brufut and Brikama are quieter, with Brikama serving as the gateway to the Abuko and Bijilo nature reserves and the villages of the Kombo South and Foni areas. Inland, Farafenni on the north bank is the main crossing point for Senegal-bound traffic and the start of the river road east.
Getting there and around
Nearly everyone arrives through Banjul International Airport, a short drive from the resort strip, on charter and scheduled flights from Europe. The Gambia is one of the few former British territories where traffic keeps to the right, a legacy of its long border with French-speaking Senegal, so check the layout of a rented car or taxi before you set off. Shared bush taxis and minibuses called gelly-gellys cover most routes along the coast and up both banks of the river; there is no bridge near Banjul itself, so crossing between the north and south banks there still means a vehicle ferry, but upcountry the Senegambia Bridge, opened in 2019 a short way south of Farafenni, replaced the old Yelitenda–Bambatenda ferry with a direct road crossing. The transport guide has routes and fares.
When to go
The Gambia has one dry season and one wet one. Roughly November to May is dry, sunny and the busiest tourist season, with the coolest, most comfortable weather from December to February; the rainy season runs from June to September, with the heaviest downpours in July and August, when upcountry roads can be slow going and some river-based trips pause. The weather guide has the month-by-month detail.
Money, safety and visas
The local currency, exchange habits and a daily budget are covered in the cost guide; card acceptance thins out quickly once you leave the resort strip, so carry cash upcountry. Health precautions, from malaria prevention to drinking water, are in the health guide, and the practical safety picture, including the current UK, Dutch and US government travel advisories, is kept current in the safety guide. Entry rules differ by passport, including how long a visa-free stay lasts and the cash airport tax collected on arrival and departure at Banjul; the visa guide breaks that down by nationality.