₦airaland Forum

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

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.

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

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 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.

edwonderz:
The Adventure Begins.

After spending 7 hours on the bike ride, I arrived in Kaolack but found out that all the hotels in this town are fully booked, I mean every single hotel. I checked bookings dot come and hotels dot come but no room was found. Luckily Airbnb had only 2 listings. I sent the hosts messages but neither of them replied. See gbese!

How can every single hotel in this big Senegalese town be booked out? I rhetorically asked myself. I thought maybe something was wrong with the online search results so I decided to use Google Maps and ride to the hotels to inquire in person. I checked 13 different hotels but got the same answer, " we are fully booked". It was 11:30pm I was tired, sleepy, and hungry with no idea where I was going to sleep. Then I remember one Nigerian Instagram trending reel that says "My brother no matter what you are passing through make sure you eat first".
That was how I slightest one nice restaurant on the road and placed an order of baguette and cheps (Senegalese version of jollof rice) with a cold bottle of soft drink....

To be continued...

Pic 1. Welcome to Kaolack
Pic 2. Distance covered
Pic 3. 11:30pm in Kaolack
Pic 4. Food hunt

Kaolack is a commercial town in west-central Senegal, a major peanut marketing and exporting centre. The town is not a tourist destination yet all the hotels were fully booked, perhaps there was a big event going on. Luckily, one of the Airbnb hosts reached out to me just before midnight. The following day I set out early for Banjul, Gambia. After 90km I arrived at Karang a border town between Senegal and Gambia.
"Bonjour monsieur" I greeted the Senegalese immigration officer as I handed my passport over to him. He requested 5,000 CFA to stamp it. I chuckled and asked him why do I need to pay to get an exit stamp on my ecowas passport, he said that was the procedure.
"Haba I can't go through hell travelling in East Africa with my green passport and then come to West Africa to experience the same. No way! No immigration will extort me on this trip", I replied. Then he sluggishly returned my passport. I had no issues getting the entry stamp on the Gambian side, the immigration officers were friendly, and none of them tried to extort me. I cleared the immigration and rode another 22km to Barra terminal where I took a 30-minute ferry to Banjul.

Welcome to The Gambia - The Smiling Coast of Africa.

Pic 1: Karang Border
Pic 2: View from the ferry
Pic 3: Welcome to Banjul
Pic 4: Access Bank Gambia

judatech:
Safe adventures!
I'll be following you...
More pics...ok?

Ok, thank you.

Seaen:
Following. Safe Adventures

Thank you�

NotBeenPaid:

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Safe trip on your adventures.

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Thank you

The Adventure Begins.

After spending 7 hours on the bike ride, I arrived in Kaolack but found out that all the hotels in this town are fully booked, I mean every single hotel. I checked bookings dot come and hotels dot come but no room was found. Luckily Airbnb had only 2 listings. I sent the hosts messages but neither of them replied. See gbese!

How can every single hotel in this big Senegalese town be booked out? I rhetorically asked myself. I thought maybe something was wrong with the online search results so I decided to use Google Maps and ride to the hotels to inquire in person. I checked 13 different hotels but got the same answer, " we are fully booked". It was 11:30pm I was tired, sleepy, and hungry with no idea where I was going to sleep. Then I remember one Nigerian Instagram trending reel that says "My brother no matter what you are passing through make sure you eat first".
That was how I slightest one nice restaurant on the road and placed an order of baguette and cheps (Senegalese version of jollof rice) with a cold bottle of soft drink....

To be continued...

Pic 1. Welcome to Kaolack
Pic 2. Distance covered
Pic 3. 11:30pm in Kaolack
Pic 4. Food hunt

I rode 200km on the first day from Dakar to Kaloack. Apart from music, the other unique thing about Senegal is the fitness culture. Dakar for instance, is known as one of the most fitness-focused cities in Africa, and the keep-fit craze can be seen even amongst kids.
On my way to Kaolack I met some children at one of Senegal capital's stadiums who wanted to use the facility but couldn't get in because they obviously can't afford the ticket. As part of the work I'm doing with young people across the continent, I took permission from the authority and bought them tickets granting them ACCESS to the stadium because I know among them is the next Sadio Mané, Messi or Ronaldo who just need an opportunity to express themselves.

The last picture is my favourite; Messi + Ronaldo ��

I plan to cover a total distance of 4,300km cycling across 11 countries and 12 borders.
Senegal - Gambia - Senegal - Guinea Bissau - Guinea - Sierra Leone - Liberia - Ivory Coast - Ghana - Togo - Benin - Nigeria

Pic 1. African Renaissance Monument
Pic 2. My life on two wheels
Pic 3. Official takeoff
Pic 4. Senegalese jollof rice

Hello Nairalanders, my name is Ed Wonder. I am cycling across West Africa and I am creating this topic to document my cycling adventure from Senegal to Nigeria.

Pic 1. Departure from Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos to Dakar, the starting point.
Pic 2. Bike Check-in
Pic 3. Arrival Blaise Diagne International Airport, Dakar
Pic 4. African Renaissance Monument, Dakar

Labadi69:
I repeat if you don tire for Naija and wan go hustle outside with no money, enter better country for developed world. Worst case you go dey see food chop. Leaving Naija without money to enter poor African country is as good as suicide.

If you get money and fit speak French and get business sense and you dey consider Ivory Coast, I advise you to take a few trips to the country first. Look around, talk to people and do your own feasibility on whether your business go move. This will require a few trips sha before you reach conclusion on if to relocate.

If na job you dey find, search the jobs b4 coming. No come here come find job! There are international organizations here as well as Nigerian companies looking for French speakers to come and workk for them in their branches here. I have friends who left Naija on transfer to come and work here and they are doing well. There are also many Nigerians working for World Bank, IFC, UN, ADB, etc that are based here and those ones dey chop correct salaries and living well here.

I don talk my own o. If you nor get money nor just near here o. He who has ears make he hear.

Abeg make I enter Cap Nord and Cap Sud go survey Ivorian women jare. I do waka

Neglect his foul mouth and read this good piece of advice.

Nicoswit:
Bro, Give us more info about Abidjan whenever you are chanced

I don't know the kind of info you are interested in.
Note: It is not advisable to come here if you don't have a concrete plan or reasonable amount of money to start up something tangible or have a highly sought after skill.

A friend that lives in a bedroom flat in Cocody said that he pays 250k CFA per month. A self contains (they call it studio here) is 100k CFA per month. I know rent may differ in another region.

Their local food is affordable just like our local food is affordable in Nigeria.

I haven't moved around much or been to the market yet as I'm engaged with other activities but here are personal observations on business that will do well here.

Restaurant: Have an excellent culinary skills and find a good location. Na dem go dey rush you.

Transportation: Uber, etc.

Hotel, Real Estate: If you don't have the huge capital to go big on real estate, you can rent a flat and put it on Airbnb, bookings.com, etc.

traveladdict:
how is it like there? heard the city is expensive

There is no hotel/hostel for 10,000 naira, consider yourself lucky to find a 20k naira hotel in the city. I'm not talking about a standard hotel o lol.
Your best source is Airbnb.

Their local food is affordable.

I don land o, anyone here in Abidjan? I dey Cocody

Mekudi:
pls create a thread on it

Surely, whenever I the luxury of time.

teecul:
Are you there now,?? How much did you spend in transport from Lagos I plan coming over this month end, can we stay together

Yes, I am here. I came in from Dakar, not Lagos. I could accommodate but I will be gone by the time you arrive.

traveladdict:
you are going to live there?

No, I am just here for a couple of weeks.

traveladdict:
I am planning on leaving next month, wish to connect with a trusted person there

I will be in Abidjan this Saturday, please feel free to connect.

Ferry

Pic 1 : Cycling from Kaolack, Senegal to Barra, Gambia.
Pic 2: Ferry from Barra - Banjul

I made a Pitstop in The Gambia, I stay at Bakau and will continue my cycling journey tomorrow morning across West Africa. Anyone in town and wants to meet briefly for a drink.

Does anyone know if I will have to do another covid test when I get to Abidjan or will the one I will do in Lagos before departure suffice?

Ghost19:
Have they open the boarder? I will be going by June.

The border is still closed. I planned to go on my bike end of this month but it seems I will fly. I will certainly miss the road adventures.

Labadi69:
You must sha show covid test. Better take it in Naija like a day or two before you travel. Otherwise them go delay you for airport if you enter without it and have to take it at their airport. Infact most airlines no go even let you board without it. I advise you to check with the airline you are going with.

Thanks. My question was - if I do a test in Lagos before departing, will I have to do another covid test in Abidjan upon arrival?

Hello Ivory Coast enthusiast, has anyone been to Abidjan lately? I am planning a trip end of this month. Is a mandatory covid test required at their airport or will the one done in Nigeria suffice?

Bollove:
Pls how much does the adventure cost you? ... The first tour !

I was part of the team that represented Nigeria in Tour de Côte d'Ivoire-Tour de la Reconciliation, so all expense was taken care of by the government.

EMEKUSBOY9:
Fire down brother....


Go on with your story

After you bro.
Thanks for your permission.

Coolberry:
Wow thanks for sharing your experience chief. Would love to hear more of it.

What year did you visit CV?

Thanks, chief. It was in 2013 and 2014 respectively, I am planning to visit again post corona.

Thanks, Mekus for sharing your Ivory Coast experience with us. Your sweet story has rekindled my long-forgotten lovely memories of Ivory Coast.

I have been to IC twice on a cycle tour and I was opportune to experience Abidjan briefly during the first tour. A young man in his twenties approached me at the finish line of our race in Abidjan and greeted "bros how far na" I was stunned when I heard pidgin spoken in a faraway foreign land and asked him how he knew I was Nigerian. He replied and said he sighted when I came out of our team bus that was distinctively embalmed (Team Nigeria) on the body. We exchange phone numbers after a brief chit chat and he implored that I give him a call in the evening so he can come and pick me up to show me around the city. Femi is his name, he is a smart and a decent looking guy. He was in the same kind of hustle like the OP but his living conditions were more comfortable because he had a sponsor and a side hustle according to him.

I couldn't reach out to Femi that evening as agreed, I needed some sleep to recover from the exhaustion of cycling from Ghana to Abidjan. That day was the last stage and the most tiring stage of all races or perhaps I was fatigued from the general accumulated exhaustion of riding from Surulere, Lagos (where the race was flagged off) to Abidjan.
I rang Femi the next day and he came and took me out. We boarded a taxi and drove around the city, unfortunately, I can't recall most of the places we visited nor the names but I can vividly remember visiting two different markets that were saturated with Nigerians trading in all kinds of goods, the place was bustling and looked neater than the average markets I am used to. The place we had lunch was like a mini Yoruba quarter where almost everyone spoke Yoruba.

French is the official language in Ivory Coast, you can hardly get around if you don't understand basic French except you opt to be hanging around with your tribesmen all the time. It's highly recommended to learn the language of your host country if you intend
d to stay there and start up a business.
Almost everything in IC is beautiful, I observed that Francophones live a very simple life and they know how to enjoy life to the fullest. At sundown, every street is immaculately illuminated and it's time for happy hour in the local pubs.

I and Femi connected so easily as if we have known each other for long so we decided to venture farther away from the city to a suburb that he said he had always wanted to visit but hasn't created the time to do so. We alighted in this busy suburb and located one popular club in the area. Inside the club, everyone was on the dance floor while the DJ was blasting makossa music. There was some serious waist shaking going on, the type that will make any man lose concentration. We spotted a group of three gorgeous girls dancing and without hesitation, we asked if we can join their party and they affirmed with so much excitement. A lot of things went down and we all had mad fun that night. The next day I went back to my lodge, packed my bag and set for the long road trip back to Lagos with my teammates.

My second Ivory Coast experience was surreal. I thought I had fun during the first visit but it was nothing compared to the second visit. This time I had the opportunity to tour other regions; from Abidjan to Man - Zoukougbeu - Bonon - Yakro - Bouaké - Katiola - Ferké - (back to) Bouaké - Sakassu - Yamoussoukro - Dimbokro - Bonguanu - Daoukro - Adzopé - and finished in Abidjan
If I have spare time and if Emekus permit I will share my second experience here. Please I will suggest if anyone is in Ivory Coast or have visited before, you are welcome to share your story to keep the thread alive while we are patiently waiting for an update from the OP. Thank you all for your contributions.