Hello Nairalanders, happy weekend;

I was discussing with my friend the previous night on some nearby African countries (esp. West African countries ) where one could spend the weekend and a friend suggested Gambia,with the little info I know about Gambia - A small West African country with less than 2.5 million people minding their business and living a simple life, lol, also it has nice beaches and tourist sites for fun seeking extroverts .


Well.... i thought,since it's a West African country and I have my passport, it's a zoom!.

I brought this here to know if I will be needing any other minor documents like medical reports etc,also to likely meet Nigerians in Gambia on this forum and to meet other interested or intending travelers like me.


I will be going by road tho and plan to spend just few days.

I will appreciate information about best route, safer transport company, currency changing unit,
security measures, etc

Information(s) ,experiences,warnings,pros and cons shared would be greatly appreciated.Thank you in anticipation.

The country is also known as "The Gambia"

Lalasticlala

justwise

DisGuy

Following, I am interested, still flexing my office leave, The Gambia isn't bad , travel gurus over to you.

HoneyBee23:
Following, I am interested, still flexing my office leave, The Gambia isn't bad , travel gurus over to you.

No problem, we might go together

ThinkWISELY:



No problem, we might go together

Hmm, well yea, with my hubby too

HoneyBee23:


Hmm, well yea, with my hubby too

.

So me plus 2 extra interested people, that's cool

You will need your Vaccination card (Yellow card) in addition to your passport, you can get it at any government hospital, it should be less than 7k with the injection that comes with it.

As for the best route, take a bus from Mile 2 or Sango to either SEME or IDI IROKO but l will prefer the latter. IDI IROKO border is more OK than SEME while exiting the country to Republic of Benin. Make sure you stamp your passport at every border both entry and exit this is extremely important. From there take a taxi to Cotonue alight at Tokpa Market which is the last Bus Stop anyways, ask any Okada rider you are going to Senegal park, they will take you there it is a long journey prepare for 3 days from Cotonue to Dakar. from Dakar, you should be able to get a ferry to Banjul in Gambia.

They spend Dalasi in Gambia which is a bit higher than Naira you should be able to get a better exchange in Senegal, just make sure you have enough CFA, because from Cotonue to Senegal, you will only spend cefa in that route. From Cotonue- Burkina Faso- Mali to Senegal so change your money to Dalasi in Senegal it is better that way. Enjoy your trip and always stay out of trouble note you will pay the immigration officers at every border post of each country around 5k CFA each both entry and exit in most cases but you should negotiate with them and beat the price down.

good4all40:
You will need your Vaccination card (Yellow card) in addition to your passport, you can get it at any government hospital, it should be less than 7k with the injection that comes with it.

As for the best route, take a bus from Mile 2 or Sango to either SEME or IDI IROKO but l will prefer the latter. IDI IROKO border is more OK than SEME while exiting the country to Republic of Benin. Make sure you stamp your passport at every border both entry and exit this is extremely important. From there take a taxi to Cotonue alight at Tokpa Market which is the last Bus Stop anyways, ask any Okada rider you are going to Senegal park, they will take you there it is a long journey prepare for 3 days from Cotonue to Dakar. from Dakar, you should be able to get a ferry to Banjul in Gambia.

They spend Dalasi in Gambia which is a bit higher than Naira you should be able to get a better exchange in Senegal, just make sure you have enough CFA, because from Cotonue to Senegal, you will only spend cefa in that route. From Cotonue- Burkina Faso- Mali to Senegal so change your money to Dalasi in Senegal it is better that way. Enjoy your trip and always stay out of trouble note you will pay the immigration officers at every border post of each country around 5k CFA each both entry and exit in most cases but you should negotiate with them and beat the price down.

Thank you so so much for this "detailed" information, remain blessed!

good4all40:
You will need your Vaccination card (Yellow card) in addition to your passport, you can get it at any government hospital, it should be less than 7k with the injection that comes with it.

As for the best route, take a bus from Mile 2 or Sango to either SEME or IDI IROKO but l will prefer the latter. IDI IROKO border is more OK than SEME while exiting the country to Republic of Benin. Make sure you stamp your passport at every border both entry and exit this is extremely important. From there take a taxi to Cotonue alight at Tokpa Market which is the last Bus Stop anyways, ask any Okada rider you are going to Senegal park, they will take you there it is a long journey prepare for 3 days from Cotonue to Dakar. from Dakar, you should be able to get a ferry to Banjul in Gambia.

They spend Dalasi in Gambia which is a bit higher than Naira you should be able to get a better exchange in Senegal, just make sure you have enough CFA, because from Cotonue to Senegal, you will only spend cefa in that route. From Cotonue- Burkina Faso- Mali to Senegal so change your money to Dalasi in Senegal it is better that way. Enjoy your trip and always stay out of trouble note you will pay the immigration officers at every border post of each country around 5k CFA each both entry and exit in most cases but you should negotiate with them and beat the price down.

Whao!... Brilliant, how about all these ABC or God is Good transport company, do they ply anywhere closer to Gambia?

HoneyBee23:


Whao!... Brilliant, how about all these ABC or God is Good transport company, do they ply anywhere closer to Gambia?

Maybe you should ask lalasticlala that one

ThinkWISELY:
Hello Nairalanders, happy weekend;

I was discussing with my friend the previous night on some nearby African countries (esp. West African countries ) where one could spend the weekend and a friend suggested Gambia,with the little info I know about Gambia - A small West African country with less than 2.5 million people minding their business and living a simple life, lol, also it has nice beaches and tourist sites for fun seeking extroverts .


Well.... i thought,since it's a West African country and I have my passport, it's a zoom!.

I brought this here to know if I will be needing any other minor documents like medical reports etc,also to likely meet Nigerians in Gambia on this forum and to meet other interested or intending travelers like me.


I will be going by road tho and plan to spend just few days.

I will appreciate information about best route, safer transport company, currency changing unit,
security measures, etc

Information(s) ,experiences,warnings,pros and cons shared would be greatly appreciated.Thank you in anticipation.

The country is also known as "The Gambia"

ThinkWISELY:
Hello Nairalanders, happy weekend;

I was discussing with my friend the previous night on some nearby African countries (esp. West African countries ) where one could spend the weekend and a friend suggested Gambia,with the little info I know about Gambia - A small West African country with less than 2.5 million people minding their business and living a simple life, lol, also it has nice beaches and tourist sites for fun seeking extroverts .


Well.... i thought,since it's a West African country and I have my passport, it's a zoom!.

I brought this here to know if I will be needing any other minor documents like medical reports etc,also to likely meet Nigerians in Gambia on this forum and to meet other interested or intending travelers like me.


I will be going by road tho and plan to spend just few days.

I will appreciate information about best route, safer transport company, currency changing unit,
security measures, etc

Information(s) ,experiences,warnings,pros and cons shared would be greatly appreciated.Thank you in anticipation.

The country is also known as "The Gambia"

Well from my little knowledge with traveling within the ECOWAS sub-region, these are my submissions:
1. Health vaccination card a.k.a yellow card is officially #2k and you can obtain it at the Port Health section, the yellow building at the toll gate before MMIA, ikeja. Just go with your passport and you will get the vaccines and the card within an hour or two depending on the time and day you go there.
2. With the present security situation in the east belt of the ecowas route through Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea it's not advisable to embark on a road trip plying that route. Even with detailed security escort on our convoy, we were attacked twice between Bobo D - Sikasso - Bamako few weeks ago whiles on official trip from Ouagadougou to Conakry.
Besides, if you don't speak and understand French, it's not gonna be funny and it's a really long and tiring journey.

If I were to plan a vacation to the Gambia as it stands now, it will be as follows:
Find my way to Cotonou via either Seme or Idiroko border(make sure you stamp your passport) go to STC intercity park very close to the stadium in Cotonou and buy a Cotonou - Abidjan ticket.(STC intercity is a Ghanaian state owned transport coy, their service is good and the buses are very neat, new and comfortable luxurious buses) I am not sure of the ticket fare cos the 1st and last time I was on board, we traveled on complimentary tickets.
Arriving in Abidjan, (probably next day around midday) I will go to the airport lookout for the next available flight to Dakar which will possibly be the next day.( there are mostly 2 flights daily to Dakar from Abidjan. Mauritania airways, Air Senegal and Air Cote d'voire are cheaper, last I flew was $406 round trip and the flight is 2 hours 45mins) I will get an hotel to relax for the day and then enjoy the Abidjan nightlife before jetting out the next day to Dakar.
Arriving Dakar, I will head to Terminus Demm Dikk at Parcelle (this is the park for GTSC in Dakar. GTSC is a Gambian State owned transport coy) will purchase my ticket for the next day to Banjul(last time it was Cfa18000 and you pay for luggages I paid cfa1500 for my box) check into an hotel close-by and then do some sightseeing around town.
Next morning, will be at the park to board bus( the trip to Banjul is close to 7hours) all passengers will disembark at Port le Karang for security check and passport stamping ( if you are a Nigerian passport holder, be ready be cough out as much as cfa 5000 before you will be stamped out by those Senegalese immigration) the drive will continue to Ferry port were the bus will cross to Banjul side(it takes less than 25mins) then within an hour the bus will get to GTSC park at Kanifing industrial Area and all passengers disembarks.
There are lot of nice but expensive hotels and resorts in Banjul. I have stayed in woodpecker resort and Laico Atlantic hotel during my previous visits to Banjul. I once spent a night at African village hotel in Bakau( about 8miles from Banjul) courtesy of a friend. Kotu, Kololi and Bijilo are nice places too with lots of beach resorts

As a tourist, things are quiet expensive there especially when you compare to Nigeria so make sure you hold cash wella, those foolish naija yahoo boys in Dakar don use money spoil the Gambia opekes with their showing off attitudes, so if dem dey bill you anyhow no be dere fault na your brothers cause am.
Hope this helps though..... All the best boss

gentlebullet:


Well from my little knowledge with traveling within the ECOWAS sub-region, these are my submissions:
1. Health vaccination card a.k.a yellow card is officially #2k and you can obtain it at the Port Health section, the yellow building at the toll gate before MMIA, ikeja. Just go with your passport and you will get the vaccines and the card within an hour or two depending on the time and day you go there.
2. With the present security situation in the east belt of the ecowas route through Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea it's not advisable to embark on a road trip plying that route. Even with detailed security escort on our convoy, we were attacked twice between Bobo D - Sikasso - Bamako few weeks ago whiles on official trip from Ouagadougou to Conakry.
Besides, if you don't speak and understand French, it's not gonna be funny and it's a really long and tiring journey.

If I were to plan a vacation to the Gambia as it stands now, it will be as follows:
Find my way to Cotonou via either Seme or Idiroko border(make sure you stamp your passport) go to STC intercity park very close to the stadium in Cotonou and buy a Cotonou - Abidjan ticket.(STC intercity is a Ghanaian state owned transport coy, their service is good and the buses are very neat, new and comfortable luxurious buses) I am not sure of the ticket fare cos the 1st and last time I was on board, we traveled on complimentary tickets.
Arriving in Abidjan, (probably next day around midday) I will go to the airport lookout for the next available flight to Dakar which will possibly be the next day.( there are mostly 2 flights daily to Dakar from Abidjan. Mauritania airways, Air Senegal and Air Cote d'voire are cheaper, last I flew was $406 round trip and the flight is 2 hours 45mins) I will get an hotel to relax for the day and then enjoy the Abidjan nightlife before jetting out the next day to Dakar.
Arriving Dakar, I will head to Terminus Demm Dikk at Parcelle (this is the park for GTSC in Dakar. GTSC is a Gambian State owned transport coy) will purchase my ticket for the next day to Banjul(last time it was Cfa18000 and you pay for luggages I paid cfa1500 for my box) check into an hotel close-by and then do some sightseeing around town.
Next morning, will be at the park to board bus( the trip to Banjul is close to 7hours) all passengers will disembark at Port le Karang for security check and passport stamping ( if you are a Nigerian passport holder, be ready be cough out as much as cfa 5000 before you will be stamped out by those Senegalese immigration) the drive will continue to Ferry port were the bus will cross to Banjul side(it takes less than 25mins) then within an hour the bus will get to GTSC park at Kanifing industrial Area and all passengers disembarks.
There are lot of nice but expensive hotels and resorts in Banjul. I have stayed in woodpecker resort and Laico Atlantic hotel during my previous visits to Banjul. I once spent a night at African village hotel in Bakau( about 8miles from Banjul) courtesy of a friend. Kotu, Kololi and Bijilo are nice places too with lots of beach resorts

As a tourist, things are quiet expensive there especially when you compare to Nigeria so make sure you hold cash wella, those foolish naija yahoo boys in Dakar don use money spoil the Gambia opekes with their showing off attitudes, so if dem dey bill you anyhow no be dere fault na your brothers cause am.
Hope this helps though..... All the best boss

Your detailed summary is extremely appreciated too.



I. Learnt 3 things from your journey and experience which are;
1, hold money
2, hold money
3, hold enough money

ThinkWISELY:




Your detailed summary is extremely appreciated too.



I. Learnt 3 things from your journey and experience which are;
1, hold money
2, hold money
3, hold enough money

If you are a Nigerian passport holder and you want a smooth, harassment free, comfortable and enjoyable road trip along the sub-region route.... YES!!! Hold money

A friend(the one who hosted me at African Village hotel, Bakau) reliably told me this morning that you can get flight from Lagos to Banjul on Air Peace for about #125k(round trip) if you are traveling around 19th Dec upward.

The flight is actually Dakar bound but will transit in Banjul before heading to Dakar so it's a good deal. You won't need to that long tiring road journey.
I hope this helps

gentlebullet:
A friend(the one who hosted me at African Village hotel, Bakau) reliably told me this morning that you can get flight from Lagos to Banjul on Air Peace for about #125k(round trip) if you are traveling around 19th Dec upward.

The flight is actually Dakar bound but will transit in Banjul before heading to Dakar so it's a good deal. You won't need to that long tiring road journey.
I hope this helps

Oh, really, this is really a good deal compared to the ones I have been seeing, it's means I need to target the timing, although I want to be in Dubai this Christmas hopefully, but let's see, thanks for the info sir!.

ThinkWISELY:



Oh, really, this is really a good deal compared to the ones I have been seeing, it's means I need to target the timing, although I want to be in Dubai this Christmas hopefully, but let's see, thanks for the info sir!.

You are most welcome... By the way if your intended trip to the UAE during the Xmas is for travel history for subsequent planned trip to the west, I will advice you look towards Croatia, Czech Rep or Greece.
Those countries are underrated for travel history but most Nigerians think cos they are European countries so getting a tourist visa will be difficult.
If you submit genuine documents with good bank statement, the visa will be cool chop..... UAE entry stamp is no longer rated for travel history.... All the best boss

gentlebullet:

You are most welcome... By the way if your intended trip to the UAE during the Xmas is for travel history for subsequent planned trip to the west, I will advice you look towards Croatia, Czech Rep or Greece.
Those countries are underrated for travel history but most Nigerians think cos they are European countries so getting a tourist visa will be difficult.
If you submit genuine documents with good bank statement, the visa will be cool chop..... UAE entry stamp is no longer rated for travel history.... All the best boss

Whao.... I will look into this.

Can you imagine, UAE every cat and dog dey enter there

It will be better to take a flight to the Gambia.

This is because it's a bit far.
I once travelled to the Gambia by road and it took me about 6 days (in 1998) while I was out to look for a teaching job in Serrekunda, The Gambia.

Although, I came back to Nigeria on a Ghana �� Airways flight that took almost 8 hours from Serrekunda to Lagos because it was stopping at every country on its way (dropping and picking passengers).

Apart from those hurdles, Gambia is a very nice place to vise. You will like the place more between December and March, because of the weather wouldn't be so hot like other times of the year.

Thanks for the post. It’s useful as I’m planning a west African road trip for 2021. I aim to touch each country’s capital.

EgunMogaji2:
Thanks for the post. It’s useful as I’m planning a west African road trip for 2021. I aim to touch each country’s capital.

Do you ride a bike?

radautoworks:


Do you ride a bike?

Picture is EgunMogaji2 in San Diego (yes California) to meet a Nairalander.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/10239525_730959920180623141111jpeg1e0b272dd28d1aec51494bfcfb697a4f_jpeg_jpegcd02cec92f6aeb2747024bfa31981b1d

EgunMogaji2:
Thanks for the post. It’s useful as I’m planning a west African road trip for 2021. I aim to touch each country’s capital.

These guys do stuff like that all the time. Very nice guy runs it.

https://instagram.com/toughtourers?igshid=o1g1tikah5hf

radautoworks:


Do you ride a bike?

Yes Ma, I’m an avid biker since 16 years old.

But this will be done in an overland truck that I’ll put together.

thebigkendo:


Picture is EgunMogaji2 in San Diego (yes California) to meet a Nairalander.
www.nairaland.com/attachments/10239525_730959920180623141111jpeg1e0b272dd28d1aec51494bfcfb697a4f_jpeg_jpegcd02cec92f6aeb2747024bfa31981b1d

Time to explore then!

Am planning my own trip next year by God grace..first touch na rwanda down to kenya and dem co

Trustmeall:
It will be better to take a flight to the Gambia.

This is because it's a bit far.
I once travelled to the Gambia by road and it took me about 6 days (in 1998) while I was out to look for a teaching job in Serrekunda, The Gambia.

Although, I came back to Nigeria on a Ghana �� Airways flight that took almost 8 hours from Serrekunda to Lagos because it was stopping at every country on its way (dropping and picking passengers).

Apart from those hurdles, Gambia is a very nice place to vise. You will like the place more between December and March, because of the weather wouldn't be so hot like other times of the year.

So were you able to get the teaching job,how was the experience and pay like?

More information traveling to Dakar by road