Gambia and Senegal

[Mammyofonlyone]

Has anyone been? We're thinking of a beach/safari combo for this summer with our five year old. Does anyone know much about it or has anyone been especially at that time of year? Thank you

I went to The Gambia on my own, but didn't enjoy it. The sexual harassment was horrendous, much worse then I had anticipated, and I found it very difficult to deal with. Going as a family may be easier!

You'll need your yellow fever jab, and have cash ready for the airport visa. Definitely use lots of mozzie spray, and be aware of sandfly on the beach.

Wash hands before food, especially if you've handled money as it was particularly grubby. Avoid salad etc - the usual issues with water apply. I did get a dodgy stomach which lasted a fortnight after my return, I think from forgetting to wash my hands and eating BBQ meats with bare hands. Silly mistake.

I had my details stolen from my checked in luggage on the return flight, and was deluged with handwritten begging letters for months!

Beautiful country, amazing weather, wonderful wildlife, most people are lovely but the bumsters are an absolute nightmare.

Thanks Silver, that's good advice

I went to both countries in 2004 and found the experience challenging. Lots of hassle. Couldn’t just relax on the beach at all. We stayed at a fab campsite near st Louis in Senegal and travelled in wooden boats to the city of st Louis which was an interesting old colonial place. We went to a nature reserve in The Gambia but there isn’t masses of wildlife in either country I don’t think.

Have you done a lot of off the beaten track holidays? I wouldn’t take a 5 year old as I don’t think there would be much for them really. But then my kids love a European campsite full of Brits with the odd art gallery/cathedral/archeological visit to tick the culture box.

We went in January and weather was great. We nearly got scammed by someone and we consider ourselves pretty savvy. The hassle was draining.

I would not take children there in the summer months, it is rainy season then, it will be incredibly hot and humid, and there will be lots of mosquitoes (cos its the rainy season). Malaria is a serious risk in the Gambia and you should always take the recommended anti-malarials. In the dry season (Nov - March) there are far fewer mosquitoes.
It is the tourist off-season there also, and most of the restaurants and beach bars will be closed. The main tourist season is Nov - March for a reason - the climate is wonderful then.
The Gambia is a beautiful and rewarding country to visit, but is very poor and most young men are unemployed, so you do get a lot of pestering to buy things or have guides, but it is done in a friendly way. Gambian people are naturally very friendly and love children.
Re 'safaris', The Gambia and Senegal do not have any big animals left, there are no naturally occurring lions, elephants etc. Plenty of amazing colourful birds, but no big animals, therefore you cannot go on safari there. There is a 'safari park' in Senegal at Fathala, where there are some rhinos and zebras etc but it is little more than the kind of safari park you get in the UK.
The Gambia can be an amazing place to take children, but thoroughly do your homework first. There is a really helpful facebook group called the Gambia Tourism Forum, I'd suggest joining there, and also read the trip advisor Gambia forum posts.
But I would really NOT recommend going in the summer with children.

Hmmmm maybe not for us. Might look elsewhere. We went to the Far East last year so was looking for something a bit different. Back to the drawing board....

Sri Lanka? Don't know when the monsoon seasons are as there are two every year. That's amazing, and felt very safe. Good for both beach and safari.

@SilverHairedCat 100% agree about the money. Who knew it could do that 🙈

Morocco? Family friendly hotel near marrakech with trips into the city and into the mountains? Maybe even down to the desert? We did it pre DC and plan to take the children some time. Summer would be very hot though.

Loved Gambia in parts, wildlife brilliant, sex tourism unpalatable, and hassled a bit. Also very poor, and much as I enjoyed it, we wouldn't return as we no longer travel to predominantly muslim countries.

A friend of mine had to be ‘medevac’ed home from The Gambia. Her GP had made them buy really expensive first aid kits to take with them, containing IV lines, hypodermics etc. The only thing in the kit that wasn’t used was the triangular bandage!

I would not go with DCs.