The Gambia

It's been three weeks since our return from The Gambia and only now have we got around to blogging about the trip. I was a touch apprehensive prior to the trip, in some ways fearing a repeat of the Madagascar experience, albeit without the worry of cancelled internal flights. Happily, that didn't happen and we enjoyed a full-on six days of bird photography.

Maybe full-on photography is not quite the right description, but walking an average of 5 miles a day in temperatures around 32deg C felt pretty busy. There were lulls of course and some sites yielded very little, but there was always something. We renewed our acquaintance with a good number of African species from our previous trips to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa, but we also scored quite a high number of lifetime firsts. 

It's not that we are into lists and year lists etc, nor do we see ourselves as birders. So if you're wondering why I'm using an image of a male Fiddler Crab in this blog, it's because it was a first-timer and our interest is really wildlife photography. But we do record everything new that we see, including where and when.

It's well known that The Gambia is a birding hotspot and from that aspect we weren't disappointed. We saw little else apart from birds in the areas we visited, although we know in the right place at the right time there are other animals to see. But we have plenty of images of birds and it is going to take a while to go through them all. Especially so now that returning migrants to the UK are eating into our time.

A few thoughts on the Gambia itself are worth a mention too. Undoubtedly a poor country, the people themselves are very friendly and made us feel welcome. Inevitably though, there are those trying to rip off the tourists to 'earn' a few extra Dalasis. Tipping is expected, but amounts involved are not high. I did however draw the line with the very loud guy who pushed his way between our boat crew to help us off the boat, even though the two crew guys had it covered. 

Also have to be on the look out for sharp practice. The British-owned lodge we stayed in (mentioning no names) ran a tab for drinks and any food outside of the B & B tariff. However, nowhere was there any mention of VAT being added to the prices, so the 15% extra on the bill came as something of a surprise. It is also the first place I have come across where the term 'packed lunch' referred to a solitary sandwich. No fruit, crisps or even a drink and if other guests from the lodge were going fishing that day, the solitary cool box was used for the bait, not the packed lunches.

'Would we go back'? is a question we are being asked, but the answer is 'No'. We had no complaints in reality and the birding was good, but we aren't birders as I mentioned. It's just that there are so many other places yet to discover and unfinished business in some places we have already been.