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Bradt Guide Gambia
Ref: BRA036
The authors of The Gambia are deeply passionate about the place they have made their home, and they use their local knowledge to take you beyond the obvious. Whether you choose to explore the lush forests or walk along the golden beaches, drink green tea in mud-walled villages or seek out the secretive hippos, this guide will help you celebrate the rich diversity of a land labelled 'the gateway to Africa'.
About this Destination
The beauty of The Gambia is quite dazzling. From the bright dress of the people to the exquisite and varied birdlife, this welcoming, English-speaking country is drenched in colour.
The Federal Republic of The Gambia has been called 'the gateway to Africa', and in many ways this is true. First and foremost, it is a tiny country, one of the smallest in Africa, and every part of it is easily accessible, even during the shortest of visits. Secondly, the official language is English, which makes it very easy for anglophone visitors to get along. Thirdly, it possesses an amazing diversity of landscapes and habitats for such a small place. These range from shady, lush forests festooned with creepers to mile upon mile of golden, sandy beaches; from vast areas of brooding mangroves to the broad expanse of the river, which defines the country physically. Alongside this, these is also a rich variety of wildlife, some of which is easy to see and can hardly be missed, such as the troops of monkeys which crash through the treetops or swagger across the roads, or the huge monitor lizards that stalk the grounds of hotels.
Author's Note, by Craig Emms and Linda Barnett
The Gambia is a hodgepodge of different peoples and different religions, yet they all seem to get along with each other and to tolerate one another. The people are also extremely friendly and pleased to see visitors to their country, and this is particularly so the further that one travels from the heavily populated urban and mass-tourist areas near the coast. It is here, as you travel inland, that you suddenly realise that you are in Africa - the real Africa, away from the hotels and air conditioning, the fancy restaurants and the hassle. Cattle, goats and chickens wander across the pot-holed roads, small wheeled carts plod along lethargically, drawn by donkeys or bullocks, while their drivers sit relaxed and their passengers sprawl, often asleep. Small villages of rounded mud-walled huts with grass roofs sit astride the roads. Men sit beneath huge shady trees, brewing pots of green tea, while brightly-dressed women walk elegantly by carrying huge bundles or pots on their heads with seemingly no effort at all, and crowds of smiling children wave and shout. Everywhere people are working in the fields, not with tractors and machinery, but with their hands and simple hand-tools. This is the real Africa. A land and people that don't appear to have changed in centuries.
Craig Emms and Linda Barnett are professional ecologists currently resident in The Gambia.
£12.95
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