3 Days in Banjul: Arch 22, Bakau Crocodiles, Abuko Monkeys and Kunta Kinteh Island

This three-day itinerary pairs the historic capital on St Mary's Island with the forest wildlife reserves of the Kombo peninsula and a classic boat journey up the Gambia River. Review our practical briefing for cash and green-taxi advice before setting out.

Day 1: Banjul Island (Arch 22, National Museum & Albert Market) and Bakau

• Morning: cross Denton Bridge onto Banjul Island and start at the top balcony of Arch 22 for a panoramic view over the river estuary and Independence Drive, then walk five minutes down the avenue to the National Museum of The Gambia.
• Late morning: stroll through the shaded textile, batik, leather and woodcarving lanes of historic Albert Market while the island is in full swing.
• Lunchtime: cross back over Oyster Creek to Cape Point or Bakau for a seaside lunch of creamy peanut domoda or chicken yassa with chilled wonjo juice.
• Afternoon: visit the ethnographic museum and sacred spring-fed pool at Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau, then walk down to the Bakau fishing beach to watch painted wooden canoes return with the afternoon catch.

Day 2: Kotu Creek Birding, Abuko Nature Reserve, Lamin Lodge & Bijilo Park

• Early morning: meet an accredited bird guide at Kotu Bridge while the morning air is cool to spot malachite kingfishers, bee-eaters, herons and plovers along the tidal creek.
• Mid-morning: drive twenty minutes inland to walk the shaded gallery rainforest loop of Abuko Nature Reserve, watching Western red colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and waterbirds from the wooden hide at Darwin's Pool.
• Lunchtime: continue to nearby Lamin Lodge, a multi-storey timber structure built on stilts over the mangrove creek, for lunch and a quiet wooden pirogue ride through the oyster-lined channels.
• Late afternoon: return to the coast to walk the palm trails of Bijilo Forest Park (Monkey Park) and watch the sun sink into the Atlantic from Kotu or Kololi Beach.

Day 3: Banjul-Barra Ferry & River Voyage to UNESCO Kunta Kinteh Island

• Early morning: head to the Banjul port terminal to board a river excursion boat or the Banjul-Barra ferry across the mouth of the Gambia River to 1826 Fort Bullen on the North Bank.
• Midday: sail upriver past dolphin-frequented channels to the historic villages of Albreda and Juffureh and cross by pirogue to the ruined stone bastions of UNESCO-listed Kunta Kinteh Island in the middle of the river before cruising back to Banjul in the late afternoon.