Cycle Guide The Gambia

Surrounded almost entirely by Senegal, The Gambia more or less is the same, except that they speak English. As it is divided by a river into North and South, you can either cycle through it in one day, or follow the river to explore the inner depths of the country.

Visa

You can visit Senegal visa free for 3 months.

Border crossings

The Gambia

North side

Karang (OSM)
Farafenni (OSM)

South side

Seleti (OSM)
Missira (OSM)

Quick facts

Language	English, local languages
Currency	Dalasi (2019: €1 =GMD 56)
Religion	Islam
Climate	Tropical
SIM card	Africell
GDP-rank	#177 (of 192 countries)

See & Do

Serekunda

iOverlander / OSM

Serekunda is quite a popular destination for tourists, so you will find many Western style bars and restaurants. There are plenty of things to do around Serekunda, such as visiting the Atlantic Coast Resorts, Bijilo Forest Park, Abuko Nature Reserve (OSM) or the Makasutu Culture Forest.

Senegambia stone circles

iOverlander / OSM

The African Stonehenge, only smaller stones, but much more locations. It’s the largest concentration of stone circles in the world. In The Gambia, the main sites are in Kerr Batch (OSM) and Wassu (OSM).

Sleeping

Wild camping

Some places have accomodation, but it’s expensive. Think about 600 GMD for the cheapest price.

Formal Camping

A great way of meeting locals and sleeping in your own comfortable bed. Ask anyone in a village and they will search a spot for you.

Ho(s)tels

Some places have accomodation, but it’s expensive. Think about 10.000 CFA for the cheapest price.

WS / CS

Not very common, only big cities offer CS hosts.

Other

Bike shops

Unknown, but the best chance is somewhere in Banjul or Serekunda.

Food & Drinks

Onroad: Porridge (±20 GMD)
Local food: Rice with casave, domoda
Local drink: Baobab juice

Safety

Generally safe to cycle, be cautious in big cities.

Routes

North to South via the coast (gpx)

Video

Blog

#11 – The smiling Gambia

As soon as daylight struck the first trees I packed my stuff and moved towards the border to The Gambia. Now, there was a lot of vegetation in the area I was passing, and I even had to get used to the shadows that were dropped on me regularly. For […]