Brikama sits inland, southwest of Banjul, and it is a working town rather than a tourist base: the 2013 census counted 81,007 people there, more than quadruple the 1983 figure, making it one of the Gambia’s largest towns. It serves as headquarters of the Brikama Local Government Area, the successor to the former Western Division, and is the seat of what Wikidata records as the West Coast Region. Most visitors pass through on a day trip from the coast rather than stay the night, drawn by the craft market and the forest reserve just outside town. The best window for a visit is the dry, cooler run from December through February; the weather guide has the rest of the year.
Getting oriented
The town centres on its market and the main road in from Banjul and the coast resorts, with residential neighbourhoods spreading out around it; a power station built on the edge of town in 2006 underlines Brikama’s role as a working administrative and commercial centre rather than a planned resort. It is a short run inland from the coastal strip around Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Senegambia, where almost all of the country’s tourist accommodation sits.
Highlights
The craft market and woodcarvers
Brikama is renowned for its woodcarving, and the craft market in town is one of the best places in the country to watch carvers at work and buy masks, statues and batik directly from the makers rather than a coast-side souvenir stall.
Gambia’s music town
Brikama is also known as the centre of the Gambian music industry, home to many of the country’s best-known musicians; it is worth asking locally about any live kora or drumming session during your visit, since there is no fixed tourist venue for it.
Makasutu Culture Forest
Just outside town, the privately run Makasutu Culture Forest protects palm forest, mangrove creek and savannah, combining a guided bush walk with a pirogue trip along the Mandina Bolong creek; the things-to-do guide has the detail, including the handful of lodges built inside the forest itself.
Getting around
Banjul International Airport, the Gambia’s only international airport, sits at Yundum just north of Brikama, so most visitors pass close to the town on arrival even if they never stop. Shared taxis and gelly-gellys run the short hop between Brikama and the coast resorts; the transport guide has routes and fares.
Where to stay by area
Brikama itself has little tourist accommodation: almost everyone staying in the Gambia bases themselves on the coast strip around Bakau, Fajara, Kotu and Senegambia, and sees Brikama as a stop on the way to or from the airport or Makasutu. The exception is Makasutu Forest itself, just outside town, where a handful of lodges let you stay inside the reserve; the where-to-stay guide covers both options in full.
Day trips
The coast resorts are a short drive away for the beach and the bulk of the country’s restaurants and nightlife; the Gambia overview has the rest of the regions. Makasutu Culture Forest, on Brikama’s doorstep, makes the easiest half-day add-on from town, and Abuko Nature Reserve lies a similar short run towards Banjul for anyone who wants a second reserve on the same trip.