Winter Sun Holiday in The Gambia

As mentioned in my previous post, I went on a winter sun holiday to The Gambia in West Africa this year, and escaped a little the English winter over Christmas.

The flight is only meant to be six hours from Gatwick Airport, but unfortunately we were delayed by two hours in Gatwick because of poor weather! Luckily this would be the last sort of any bad weather we'd see again until returning back in England!

After landing at Banjul International Airport, we spent a night at the coast and stayed at the Safari Garden Hotel, we then traveled inland, partly on land by bush taxi and partly by boat on the Gambia River.

Along the way we spotted many birds, we also saw dolphins in the river, monkeys, baboons, hippos and chimpanzees!



Our destination up country was the Bird Safari Camp, located near Georgetown on MacCarthy Island, not far from the Gambia River national park and where the The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project is located. We stayed at the Bird Safari Camp for three nights, before returning back to the beaches of The Gambia.

On the whole I would say that The Gambia is a pretty good location if you are looking for some winter sun, the temperature never dropped below 30 degrees and we never saw a cloud whilst we were there. The prices are, for me a little high for what you get, especially when you compare it to a few other locations in Africa, this is probably because of just how popular The Gambia is becoming as a tourist location, especially as a beach holiday location. The trip that we did up river was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone looking for more than just a beach holiday in the sun.

I have written a full report about the trip on another of my websites if you would like to read it: Winter Sun Holiday in the Gambia

Birds of The Gambia

Not only is The Gambia is an excellent destination for winter sun holidays on the beach, but it has a huge population of birds. Below are a few photos I took on a recent safari to The Gambia.





Gambian Bird Safaris
Gambian Beach Holiday Guide

Cheap Winter Sun Holidays in Gambia

For my very first post on Winter Sun Holidays I have decided to focus on my favourite continent of Africa. most people won't associate Africa and a cheap holiday abroad, but it is possible and is perfect if you are looking for a Winter Sun Holiday.

So why go to The Gambia?
The Gambia has incredible uncrowded beaches, which are as yet unspoilt. You can laze in the Hot African sun, do some scuba diving or snorkelling or go on an excursion. How does fishing sound, as the fishing in the Gambia is excellent. You can also venture further inland into the bush, the huge variety of bird life making a Gambia holiday great for birdwatchers.

Flights to Gambia

As holidays in the Gambia become more and more common, flights to Gambia get cheaper and cheaper and it is even possible to find last minute and cheap flight deals these days. The flight duration is only 6 hours, and to think that you will then be stepping off in Africa!

The weather in Gambia?

Obviously one of the main reasons you are planning a winter sun holiday is to escape the cold weather, well the good news is that the weather in Gambia pretty good all year round and averages over 30°C every month, even in the winter!

So when is the best time to go to the Gambia?
The great news is if you are looking for winter dun holidays, then from around the middle of October to the early part of June is the dry season in the Gambia this is also the main tourist season, so there are cheap flights to Gambia as well as more regular flights available. At this time of the year, you are almost guaranteed sunshine!!

Gambia Holiday Precautions
Please remember that the Gambia is a malaria area and so you will need to visit your doctor before you leave in order to take the necessary precautions.

For more details on a Cheap Holiday in Gambia, check out the Safari Holiday Guide.

So in my opinion if you are looking for cheap winter sun holidays, the Gambia has on your list of places to visit!