Banjul

Built on low-lying St Mary's Island where the broad mouth of the Gambia River meets the Atlantic Ocean, Banjul is one of Africa's smallest and most relaxed capitals. Linked to the mainland on the west by Denton Bridge over Oyster Creek and to the north bank by the lively Banjul-Barra ferry, the island preserves a nineteenth-century grid beneath the panoramic cupola of Arch 22, the National Museum and the fabric-draped lanes of Albert Market.

Just across Denton Bridge along the Atlantic coast stretch the palm-shaded botanic gardens, sacred crocodile pool and coastal cliffs of Bakau, the gallery forest of Abuko Nature Reserve, Bijilo Forest Park and the golden beaches of Kotu and Kololi. Pair creek birdwatching and a river voyage to UNESCO-listed Kunta Kinteh Island with creamy peanut domoda and one-pot benachin, starting with our first-timer briefing.

Banjul International Airport (BJL) sits inland at Yundum, roughly 24 km south of Banjul Island and 15 to 20 km from the coastal hotel belt of Kololi, Kotu, Fajara and Bakau. Official green tourist taxis operate from a fixed-rate dispatch booth outside the arrivals hall. To reach historic Banjul Island from the coast, taxis drive east along the Bertil Harding and Banjul-Serekunda highway over Denton Bridge. See how to get to Banjul.

Almost no travellers sleep on Banjul Island itself (which quiets down completely after government offices and Albert Market close for the afternoon). Instead, visitors stay ten to twenty-five minutes west along the breezy Atlantic shoreline in Cape Point and Bakau, birdwatcher-friendly Kotu and Fajara, or lively Kololi (Senegambia). We compare every coastal base in where to stay in Banjul.

Ride the lift to the top of Arch 22 and walk through Albert Market to the Banjul-Barra ferry, visit the sacred reptiles at Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau and spot monkeys in Bijilo and Abuko Nature Reserve, glide through Lamin Lodge's mangroves by wooden pirogue, and sail upriver to UNESCO Kunta Kinteh Island. See the top ten highlights in things to do in Banjul.

Gambian cooking showcases the bounty of the river, estuary and groundnut fields: velvety domoda (meat or vegetables simmered in roasted peanut paste and tomato), tangy lemon-and-onion chicken yassa, fragrant one-pot benachin rice, smoky palm-oil superkanja okra stew, and freshly squeezed baobab (bouye) and hibiscus (wonjo) juices. Read what to order in our Gambian food overview.

Known for generations as the "Smiling Coast of Africa", The Gambia brings together Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, Jola, Serer and Aku heritage along the banks of a single great river. Listen for the harp-like twenty-one-string kora played by hereditary jali (griot) storytellers, watch traditional wrestling matches on the sand, and browse tie-dyed batik fabrics in Albert Market.