Serekunda

The Gambia's largest urban area and Atlantic coast resort belt. Browse Serekunda Market, meet the sacred crocodiles at Kachikally, then head to Kotu Beach and Tanji Reserve for birdwatching.

Serekunda is the largest urban area in The Gambia. It lies on the Atlantic coast, about 15 km southwest of the capital, Banjul. It forms a continuous stretch with the beach resorts of Bakau, Kotu and Kololi, known together as the 'Atlantic Coast Resorts,' which are the center of the country's tourism industry. The area divides into three parts. In town, browse Serekunda Market. In Bakau, visit the Kachikally Crocodile Pool to see the sacred crocodiles, and watch the fish market. Along the coast, from Kotu Beach and the Senegambia Strip, head south to Bijilo Monkey Park, the fishing village of Tanji and its bird reserve, and the Sanyang and Kungjur beaches. Inland are Abuko Nature Reserve, the mangroves at Lamin Lodge and the Makasutu Cultural Forest near Brikama. The Gambia is one of West Africa's best places for birdwatching, and hundreds of species can be seen at Kotu Creek and Tanji. Getting there: Banjul International Airport is about 20 km from the resort area, about a 30-minute taxi ride. Locally, you get around by taxi or shared minibus. Green taxis have fixed fares, but they are more expensive. Plan 3–5 days, and you can add a day trip to Banjul and Kunta Kinteh Island. November–May is the dry season and the best time to visit, with clear, mostly rain-free weather and peak birdwatching. It is also peak season for European holidaymakers. June–October is the rainy season, hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms, but the landscape is at its greenest and prices are lower. Beach boys will approach you to sell things; politely decline. Take malaria prevention measures.

Top sights

• Kachikally Crocodile Pool – A sacred pool in the town of Bakau, where more than a hundred Nile crocodiles bask lazily in the sun. Visitors can touch the crocodiles und…
• Serrekunda Market – The largest market in The Gambia's biggest city, where you can find batik, spices, secondhand goods, and everyday items.
• Lamin Lodge – A multi-story wooden restaurant built on a mangrove creek with locally sourced materials. Visitors can paddle among the mangroves, watch th…
• Brikama Craft Market – A craft market in The Gambia's second-largest town, known for wood carvings and kora makers, where you can watch artisans carve on the spot.
• Makasutu Culture Forest – A privately run eco-reserve near Brikama where you can paddle through mangroves, watch palm wine tapping, and enjoy traditional dance.
• Bakau Fish Market – A fishing harbor and fish market in Bakau, where colorful dugout canoes line the beach and the market is closer and easier to reach than Ta…
• Kotu Beach & Kotu Creek – A golden beach fringed with palms, with Kotu Creek wetlands and a golf course beside it, making it Gambia's most famous birdwatching spot.
• Tanji River Bird Reserve – A reserve of dunes, lagoons, and mangroves at the mouth of the Tanji River, where hundreds of waterbird and raptor species can be seen duri…
• Sanyang Beach – One of the most popular beaches on the southern coast, where palm trees, fishing boats, and beach bars come together in a relaxed 'paradise…
• Tanji Fishing Village – One of The Gambia's largest fishing harbours, where painted pirogues come ashore and the scenes of fish being unloaded and smoked on the be…
• Senegambia Strip – A strip of hotels, restaurants and bars in Kololi, the nightlife hub of the resort area, with pubs, live music and seafood restaurants conc…
• Bijilo Forest Park (Monkey Park) – A small forest beside the beach resorts where green monkeys and red colobus are almost within arm's reach, with trails linking coastal dune…
• Abuko Nature Reserve – The Gambia's first nature reserve, where tropical rainforest trails offer red colobus, green monkeys, crocodiles and nearly 300 bird specie…
• Gunjur Beach & Fishing Centre – A wild, uncrowded stretch of beach on the southern coast, with a colourful pirogue fishing harbour and eco-lodges, far quieter than the nor…
• Bakau Botanical Garden – A small botanical garden founded in the colonial era, shaded by tropical trees and a peaceful birdwatching spot near Bakau Point.

Where to eat

• Darboe's Restaurant – A rare Gambian-owned restaurant on Senegambia Boulevard, serving hearty home-style Gambian food, with live bands often…
• African Queen Restaurant – A long-established restaurant-bar in Kololi, open for over twenty years, serving Gambian rice dishes, yassa and seafood…
• Scala Restaurant – A garden restaurant run by a Danish owner that has long ranked first in Kololi, known for its tender fillet steak and s…

Itineraries

• Senegambia & Upper Gambia River Loop – A two-country loop heading south from Dakar through The Gambia, visiting Kunta Kinteh Island and the upper river before…
• West Africa Six-Country Overland – An epic overland journey heading south from Dakar through six countries to Monrovia, including the Bijagós Archipelago.