Haven’t finished the trip report but borrowed a few points in answer to some of the above...
Don’t stay in the Kotu / Senegambia area. It’s hideous, environmentally unfriendly, and full of sex tourists and bumsters. Stay in one of the lodges down the coast at Gunjur or Kartong, where hassle is very rare and staff are reasonably paid for their excellent service. You will still get people wanting to talk to you, and sometimes they’ll want to sell you something or recommend something. Most times they are just remarkably friendly and will go out of their way to help you with no expectation of reward. My personal favourite is Footsteps Eco-Lodge, where I’ve recorded well over 150 species within walking distance in less than two weeks.
The Gambia is one of the poorest countries on earth. £1 is a good day’s wage despite costs of what are ‘everyday’ goods for us being on a par with the UK. A qualified headteacher earns £40 a month, which may support a large extended family. However poor you are by UK standards, you are loaded to a Gambian, which is why young Gambian men are ‘attracted’ to British women struggling on the dole or a state pension in council accommodation. When you visit, take the time to visit a village and see the living conditions – it goes a long way to explaining why some of them in the tourist areas might think we’re walking cash machines.
Spend small amounts of money widely with people who are not pushy and try really hard not to get ripped off. Every time you pay five days wages for three bananas, or ten for a two mile taxi ride, you make life harder for the next tourist and reward the pushy behaviour which damages the reputation of the country and the experience of other visitors.
Use good local guides as much as you can afford to and pay them a fair price depending on their expertise, service, and experience. Money spent with guides goes directly to help Gambian people, unlike much of the money spent with overseas travel companies and foreign-owned hotels. Use those who are active in conservation projects, e.g. Farasutu Community Forest. Consider that their work is seasonal, often supports extended families, and that there are many more competent guides than birders these days. Spread your money around, the good guides are magnanimous about you using other guides and I have heard no bad-mouthing; they are pleased that you are using guides. Where transport is included, bear in mind that fuel costs almost the same as in the UK (>£1 a litre) and that cars cost a fortune to run on Gambian “roads”. For the very best and busiest, guiding is a relatively lucrative business with the opportunity to earn perhaps three or four thousand pounds a year, less expenses. If this distorts the economy, then by doing so it demonstrates the importance of Gambia’s natural resources to the economy, and encourages Gambians to preserve habitats.
Gambia is a great, safe, country with fantastic birding and genuinely friendly people. Given that most birders turn up with kit worth many times what they could earn in a year, the degree of hassle and the virtual absence of crime is remarkable.
Graham
