Tour Itinerary
Day One
Arrive in Senegal – Dakar
On arrival in Senegal you will transfer to your Dakar hotel (La Madrague or similar), which is situated on the N’Gor beach and with a superb view of the N’Gor Island and the ocean. Depending on your time of arrival, you will do a tour of Dakar or have free time by the pool.
Day Two
Dakar – Kaolack – Tambacounda – Simenti
You depart Dakar at 6am and stop for breakfast at Kaolack. You then travel along 475km of pot-holed roads to Tambacounda and Dar Salam, the gateway to the Niokolo Koba National Park, then a track to Simenti at the heart of the park. Accommodation is in a hotel, which dominates a curve of the Gambia River. The first safari you take is on foot in the vicinity of the hotel; from an observation point you can observe the herbivores that wallow in the water pool of Simenti. Hippos and crocodiles are found in the river and dinner is usually enhanced by the arrival of green monkeys at night and the sound of wild animals.
Day Three
Safari Niokolo-Koba
You depart at dawn for a safari in a 4x4. From the observation point you can view hippos in the water and see the roof of the forest as far as the ford at Bâ Foula Bé. You can observe baboons, pata and green monkeys, wart hogs, antelopes, a multitude of birds, hippos, crocodiles…
You return to the hotel to freshen up and to relax over lunch, and then in the middle of the afternoon, the third safari will be in the direction of Gué de Damantan to see leopards in captivity. An impressive trip on the Gambia River leaving from the Grand Mirador allows you to observe numerous birds. You will also descend down into the gorge in a 4X4. You return to Simenti at the end of the day via the abandoned village of Badi to spend the evening at the hotel.
Day Four
Safari Niokolo-Koba – Mako – Free Afternoon
You can enjoy sunrise over the Gambia River and the awakening of the fauna in this privileged location. You journey by boat on the river or on foot on the banks to discover hippos, crocodiles and monkeys. The last safari is in the direction of the gateway of Dar Salam where you rejoin the tarmac road and head towards Mako.
The hotel is situated in a natural site beside the Gambia River and the accommodation is in comfortable rooms. Lunch is taken under a straw covered terrace overlooking the river and the afternoon is free for lazing by the pool. At the end of the day, you take a walk on foot to observe the hippos in the river and the monkeys on the banks.
Day Five
Ethwouar – Dindéfélo Waterfall – Kédougou
You set off early in the morning, by road to Kédougou then a track towards Bandafassi, to a Bédik campsite, the home of ‘Léontine’, a young man who is supported by Origin Africa’s aid programme. Your Bédik guide will take you on a climb of one hour to the village of Bédik d’Ethouwar perched high up and will explain to you the history and the customs of the Bédiks. From there you can mingle with the villagers and enjoy a magnificent view over the entire valley.
You head up a stony track towards the Dindéfélo waterfall on the border with Guinea. You then have a picnic and can go swimming in the water hole at the foot of the waterfall. In the afternoon visit the market at Kédougou, a typical and colourful sight. You then return to Mako to relax by the pool or to go for a walk.
Day Six
Cotton Fields – Gouloumbou - Georgetown
You depart early for the cotton fields passing through authentic Peul, Malinké and Bédik villages in this wooded, volcanic region. Harvesting of the cotton takes place in December. Taking the road to Tambacounda and then to Gouloumbou, lunch will be by the River Gambia before crossing over into Gambia through Vélingara and Basse, the most eastern town of Gambia on the river. You will continue on to Georgetown, this former prosperous commercial centre situated on MacCarthy Island on the river. You will tour the ruins and then stay at the Bird Safari Camp with its small swimming pool. on the banks of the River Gambia, in a tent or a chalet. Dinner and the night will be spent in this natural paradise.
Day Seven
National Park of the River Gambia
You’ll cruise in a covered during the day, visiting the Islands of Kaï, an observation point for many animals, crocodiles, hippopotamus, baboons and very rich in birdlife. Lunch will be on board the pirogue. You will go along Kai Hai island, a refuge of wildlife amongst the dense vegetation and then Baboon island that accommodates a sanctuary for chimpanzees. Dinner and the night will be spent at the Bird Safari Camp.
Day Eight
Georgetown - Banjul
You’ll travel by road alongside the river through Kuntaur, the megalithic circles of Wassu and then the marshes of Panchang. At Bintang you’ll stop for lunch by a bolong (river) before continuing on to Banjul.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ITINERARY MAY VARY SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON WEATHER, TIME OF YEAR ETC.
