You mean in other African countries no UGM, kidnapping or other forms of insecurities?
Hmmm... what is really going on in Nigeria?

Welldone, Bro; you're doing what you love. It's a good one!
Safe trip!

edwonderz:
I rode 200km on the first day from Dakar to Kaloack. Apart from music, the other unique thing about Senegal is the fitness culture.

I am also a bike lover and a travel buddy. Thread like this is what I enjoy. As for me I enjoy Senegalese music. Just check on youtube about the song "Senegal Fast food by Amandou & Marian.

200km no leg cramps Highest i did on a road bike was 50km and my lega froze at some point

Baba update us o

The Gambia is known for being a safe country, the people are friendly and hospitable and everything is taken at a very relaxed pace, especially the Internet connection � I tried uploading a 1-gigabyte video on my social media but all to no avail. The main market challenge in The Gambia is poor infrastructure. The internet is sluggish, inconsistent and pricey compared to Nigeria.

I switched to a different service provider but it didn't make any difference, they have an oligopolistic telecom market. The network coverage of rural areas has not been an investment priority for most internet service providers, 4G / LTE coverage is not widely available, so I need to rely on older and slower 2G and 3G networks most of the time. Abeg make una no vex.
I really would like to update this daily but it doesn't seem feasible, I am still on the tour and most times I am in a remote location with no internet service. But I will surely update you whenever I am connected online.

I was privileged to experience The Makinda circumcision ceremony in The Gambia. Just before young Gambian boys reach puberty they undergo the circumcision ritual. The ritual involves young boys being led away in the bush for several days while they are initiated into manhood and taught certain things such as tribal traditions, sex, male responsibilities, elder respect and the various medicinal uses of herbs and plants in the bush. This ceremony is undoubtedly one of the last truly uncorrupted cultures left in the Gambia.

The Gambia is a Market-based economy and its economy is primarily agrarian, but tourism is also a major industry, followed by fisheries and a fast-growing financial services sector like Access Bank.

I think the Gambia is still a virgin country for investment, driven by its geographical proximity to West African countries, The Gambia offers an excellent opportunity for investors to tap into a growing market and there are no restrictions on foreign businesses opening accounts with Access Bank in The Gambia. Investors can repatriate funds through the banking system.

There are currently over 13 banks operating in the financial sector of The Gambia of which one is an Islamic institution and 12 are running conventional, commercial operations
The financial sector is dominated by subsidiaries of Nigerian banks.

Below is a list of commercial banks in The Gambia.

1. Access Bank
2. Zenith Bank
3. Ecobank
4. First Bank
5. Guaranty Trust Bank
6. Skye Bank
7. Standard Chartered Bank
8. Trust Bank
9. Tong Shang International Commercial Bank
10. Vista Bank
11. MegaBank
12. Banque Sahélo-Saharienne pour l'Investissement et le Commerce
13. Arab Gambia Islamic Bank


Pic 1. Albert Market
Pic 2. Crocodile Pool
Pic 3. Landmark
Pic 4. Coastline

The Gambia is a country in West Africa, it's Africa's smallest non-island country, a former British Colony, and home to nine different tribes, all of whom live together harmoniously. English is the official language but there are also several tribal languages including Mandinka and Wolof. It is predominantly a Muslim country. It took me only 20 minutes to ride down every street in Banjul, that's just how small the capital is.
I rode to Gambia's largest city called Serekunda to do market research. Serekunda is made up of nine villages which have merged into urban sprawl, with a population of 390,000. It's situated 13km southwest of Banjul. Serrekunda is not a holiday resort destination for tourists visiting The Gambia. Most tourists prefer to stay at the Atlantic Ocean coastal lodges.
I also visited the popular Albert Market in Banjul where vendors sell colourful textiles and local produce. Agriculture is the major source of income. The cost of living in the Gambia is relatively low compared to Senegal. I didn't see a lot of manufacturing industries, almost everything is imported except the local food. This is why I concluded that it's still a virgin country for investors or entrepreneurs who are into production. There's little or no competition. The crime rate is low and tourism is a big deal here.
It's bucket list worthy. Make plans to visit and see for yourself.

OP thank you for your update , very educative

This is my second time visiting The Gambia, the first visit was humbling as well as an eye-opener. I was vacationing in Senegal and decided to see what the Gambia looks like.

It was Friday morning, and I set out early with a plan to ride half the distance before sunrise but my efforts were rendered unchaste by the local authorities in Senegal who impounded my bike for riding on the highway. In Senegal, bicycles and motorcycles are not allowed to operate on the highway. I begged and explained to them that was a tourist, by the time they released my bike the day was bright and the sun was blazing at 40 degrees Celsius. I was caught between terminating the trip and heading back to Dakar since value time has been lost in police custody, or continuing to Banjul. I chose the latter and journeyed through the fiery hot West African sun.

In all my years of cycling I've never experienced fast dehydration until this day, I made several pit stops to rehydrate, and more than 15liters of fluids were consumed on this trip, I literally saw how every liquid evaporated through my pores as soon as they were ingested. After 13 hours of riding under the scorching sun, I arrived in the Gambia in a town called Barra where I boarded a ferry to Banjul the capital city. No land road links the two towns. The ferry ticket cost 50 Dalasi (0.93$) including the ticket for my bike. As we set sail, the sound of the waves produced an intense feeling of euphoria, suddenly all the pain disappeared and I felt proud for not giving up. We arrived at Banjul after 30 minutes on the ferry.


Pic 1. Highway
Pic 2. Bike impounded
Pic 3. With Senegalese Police
Pic 4. On the ferry

Edwonderz, this is lovely! Thanks for sharing, sir.

cc: Seun, Lalasticlala, this is Front Page material!

This is an interesting read.

@edwonderz, how has your trip being so far? I expect you'd have left Gambia by now.

I'm thinking of doing a drive from Dakar to Banjul and back to Dakar. Does anyone have any thoughts about things to plan for or keep in mind for the journey, especially for the border and ferry crossings? I'm a bit familiar with the Senegalese terrain after doing a couple of trips up north to St Louise and the Mauritanian border. Thanks.

edwonderz:
This is my second time visiting The Gambia, the first visit was humbling as well as an eye-opener. I was vacationing in Senegal and decided to see what the Gambia looks like.

You never updated the status of your trip on this thread. I trust it went well.

Stumbled on your YouTube channel.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjG5aJkAVm0?si=k7sRo38NsXslPUXt

Well done!