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Tips

It is handy to know what to bring along when your going on a trip or excursion. Also what the do's and don'ts are when visting our country. To make it easy you will find many useful tips listed below. If you want to know more about Gambia, click here

Bring along

Do's and Don'ts

A bottle of water Sunscreen lotion Wear good shoes Mosquito repellent when going on nature trips or overnight excursions Cap, hat or other protective wear for the head Money, just in case you want to buy a souvenir, a drink or for tip Passport, when visiting Senegal or other countries Toilet paper, when going into the rural areas up country Towel, when going on a trip that includes a visit to a beach Sweets, pens, toys. You can buy them locally so you also support the local shops! Protect your camera with a plastic bag, in winter against the dust in summer from the rain.

Don't throw sweets or gifts from a moving vehicle to kids. They will only pay attention to the gift and not to traffic! Do ask as many questions you like to our guides, they will be happy to answer them Make sure your batteries of your camera are fully charged or have spares with you Don't take photographs of officials wearing uniforms or of official buildings like the US Embassy Give away your empty water bottle to a child, they will use it to fetch water from the municipal wells or taps. Do barter for your souvenirs when on the marktet (see on the right) Don't get involved in drugs in any way. It is illegal! Gambia is mainly a muslim country so please respect the dress code and cover the torso and for the women cover the shoulders and no mini-skirts/pants especially when going to the rural areas

Please remember that Gambia is a peaceful country with a low criminal rate but be aware of pick pockets when visiting busy places like markets. Gambia is not exception to this worldwide rule. We advise you to hire a safe in your accommodation to store your valuables. Better safe then sorry.

The beaches are unspoilt and almost endless, the Atlantic Oceon is majestic and a good place to cool down. However be aware of the sometimes strong currents. Most hotels use a flag system to indicate the swimming conditions. 

Bartering, an art!

When you go out to buy souvenirs on the marktet you will need to barter as the markets in Gambia don't work with fixed prices. In the souvenir shops in the hotels there are fixed prices as in restaurants, supermarkets etc. Also for taxi fares it is wise to barter (except the so called 'tanka tanka's).

A few golden rules:

1. Know what you want to buy and what you don't want to buy.
2. Initially offer about 25% of the asking price, you should end up paying around 50% of the asking price. But if your ok with the price then that is more important.
3. Do some research in for instance the hotel souvenir shop to get an idea about the prices
4. Never buy anything on your first day, you will overpay
5. Set a maximum price in your mind.
6. Don't discuss out loud with your partner what you are willing to pay. These sellers have good ears and also understand numbers in other languages.
7. Walking away, changing the subject, complaining about money etc are all part of the game called bartering.

Please note that certain souvenirs can be more heavy then you think. A big djembe (local drum) easily weighs 7 kilo's. Be aware that it is forbidden to take along souvenirs made from protected animals like turtle, crocodile etc.