Discover Gambia
With Kololi Beach Resort
Your host in the smiling coast
Discover
The Gambia
with us
In order to provide our guests who wish to see the country and culture, Kololi Beach Resort works with the most reputable tour companies in The Gambia.
On this page we highlight the most popular and must see excursions to discover Gambia, while a much wider range is available that allows you to experience the full beauty and hidden treasures of The Smiling Coast.
For more information, please ask our front desk or use our contact form.
Much to see. Much to do.
The Gambia offers diverse sights and sounds which can be experienced through different excursions. Ranging from city tours, visiting historical places, local and craft markets, culture, dance and drum events, Gambian food cooking classes, to a multiple day trip to the east of Gambia or to neighbouring Senegal.
We plan. You pack.
Useful items to take during excursions include (phone) cameras, suntan oil, insect repellent, wrap-around for ladies, as well as walking shoes, hats, binoculars, sunglasses and a bottle of water (although drinks might be available during excursions). Also useful to bring along is a light snack as lunch and dinnertime in Gambia are quite late
Kunta Kinteh Island
Kunta Kinteh Island – formerly known as Fort James Island- is one of The Gambia’s most visited attractions. Here historic remnants of the slave era are clear to see, and include contours, gun batteries, and dungeons, all set to an atmospheric backdrop amid an old and a striking landscape.
This island and its related sites form an exceptional testimony to the different facets and phases of the African-European encounter from the 15th to the 19th centuries.
Kunta Kinteh Island was awarded a World Heritage status in 2003 because of the significant role it played during the transatlantic slave trade.
The excursion includes also a trip to the village of Juffreh (the birthplace of Kunta Kinteh), to the village of Albreda, and to The Gambian Slave Museum. This excursion can be done either overland (with a ferry crossing) or by riverboat from Banjul to the island. Lunch included.
Makasutu Cultural Forest
Makasutu Cultural Forest in Brikama is an easily accessible opportunity to become immersed in the Gambian nature and the magic of the forest.
Makasutu – meaning ‘sacred forest’ in Mandinka – is an ecology project and a place for people to come and learn about the local culture and people. Makasutu is a unique tropical 1000-acre reserve.
A guide leads you through the forest to watch the baboons and catch sight of some of the spectacular and very accessible birdlife. It’s also possible to visit local villages and partake in the sage advice of the wise man of the forest.
There are various canoe trips available on the river, including slow meandering explorations of the labyrinthine tributaries that characterise the area, as well the chance to watch the women collecting oysters from the exposed mangrove roots at low tide. You’ll also see fishermen casting their nets.
Kachikally Museum & Crocodile Pool
One of The Gambia’s most popular tourist attractions is the sacred site for locals in Bakau. As crocodiles represent the power of fertility in Gambia, women who experience difficulties in conceiving often come here to pray (any child called Kachikally tells of a successful prayer at the pool). The pool and its adjacent nature trail are home to dozens of crocodiles that you can observe basking on the bank.
If you dare, many are tame enough to be touched, like the famous croc “Charlie”.
At the entrance to Kachikally, an informative little museum includes some interesting displays about the history of Gambia. The museum also contains a good collection of African musical instruments, like ceremonial drums, plus a selection of traditional masquerade costumes, masks and jujus (magical amulets to protect wearers from harm). The leafy pool grounds also host a surprisingly varied birdlife.
George Town
Prior to the colonial times the city was know as Janjanbureh, in 1995 Georgetown was renamed to its former name, but many still refer to the city as Georgetown.
The Georgetown excursion gives you an idea of how people in the Gambian countryside live. It offers a relaxed way of meeting and seeing the people in a traditional village, the culture and tribal traditions.
During the tour you will visit the historic Wassu stone circle, a burial ground for important past kings of the ancient Gambia. It has a museum of Gambia’s history as well.
Next, during a boat trip you will cruise past Baboon Island, which is a Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center. During the cruise you usually get lucky and spot the magnificent hippos.
This is a 2 day tour, with overnight in one of the basic camps along or near the River Gambia and with most meals included.
Tanji Fishing Village
While colourful pirogues roll in the waves, the crowds swarm the beachfront at this charismatic fish market. It’s busier in the morning, but in the late afternoon it’s incredibly photogenic as women ferry fish elegantly to shore atop their heads when the fishermen land their afternoon catch.
The Tanji Village Museum is made up of grass thatched mud huts that hold the exhibits of ethnographic artifacts, such as traditional musical instruments and antique furniture. There is also a photo gallery section on various birds, fish, Gambian plant species and their medicinal properties, as well as local history and culture.
Visitors can also chat and intermingle with the various craftsmen working at their stations. There is also a nature track and a handicrafts area, plus a restaurant cooking up some European cuisine and traditional Gambian food and drink. The museum sometimes puts on live music and cultural dance performances in their bantaba (garden with shaded area).
Tanji is part of the excursions South Gambia and 4 wheel adventure.
Bijilo Forest
Bijilo Forest & Nature Trail, often called The Monkey Park, is just a few minutes away from the resort. There is a 4.5 km trail in the park that takes visitors through the varied habitats of forest, coastal scrubland and sand dunes. It comprises primarily of a closed canopy forest that protects a wide range of mammals, reptiles and invertebrates. The two main monkey species found here are the Green Vervet and Western Red Colobus. Over recent years due to deforestation they are also seen regularly in the surrounding areas including the Kololi Beach Resort. Over 133 bird species have been recorded in the Bijilo Forest Park, which makes the place very attractive for the many bird watchers visiting The Gambia.
Of course there is much more to see and to do
The days and departure times vary depending on the time of year. All excursions to discover Gambia can be booked either as a private excursion (surcharge) or as part of a group excursion.
Ask our front desk or use the contact form
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