09 July 2008 - The Times - Tony Dawe
This must be as good an adventure as you can get on a package holiday - and its starts in that benign destination, The Gambia. After a night in the comfort of the Coconut Residence, with two pools and an acclaimed restaurant, the excitement begins with a short drive to Banjul port to catch the ferry across the Gambia River.
Those in the know and with a few dalasis in the hand will be allowed through the port gates to reach the quayside. When they and their vehicles are aboard, the gates open and hundreds of locals rush for the ancient vessel - women with children on their backs and sacks of flour on their heads; men pulling trolleys and carrying suitcases; peanut vendors and iced-drink sellers.
The overcrowded ferry takes 50 minutes to reach Barra and from there the border with Senegal is a 20-minute drive. A new road is being built with EU funds to replace the current sand-blown track.
Into Senegal, the road is less dusty, but so potholed that drivers head off on to tracks across the plain, only returning to the highway when a stream has to be crossed. The villages along the way are a mixture of straw huts and stone houses with corrugated iron roofs. Cattle, goats, donkeys and the odd boar roam in and out of the houses and the traffic.
The four-hour journey on this Gambia Experience trip to the Sine Saloum Delta is broken with a stop for a snack and a drink in a café in Kaolack, an oasis of calm in a chaotic town at the centre of the salt industry.
The spirit of adventure is still present on reaching Les Collines de Niassam, an eco-lodge a mile from the Atlantic. Guests have the choice of walking out along a pontoon to one of four thatched huts on stilts in the lagoon or climbing into a house in a baobab tree. The less nimble can settle for a simple bungalow.
The excursions on offer are just as exciting or nerve-racking as the journey to the delta: a microlight ride, canoeing in the mangrove, trekking, a trip in a local fishing boat.
I settled for an evening ride in a primitive horse-drawn cart in search of hyenas and a morning sail up the lagoon in a rickety pirogue, excellently piloted by Ousman, who had restored the traditional craft and is creating a museum in the neighbouring village.
The eco-lodge is charming, but has one disadvantage: although all the accommodation has a shower, sink and toilet, the water is cold. If you insist on hot water, a waiter will bring a bucket from the kitchen to your room.
So it is a pleasure to decamp a mile to the Royal Lodge and luxuriate in a vast spa bath in a bright and airy bathroom. This is a remarkable hotel, a fully-fledged resort amid the bougainvillea and baobab trees on the edge of Africa. It has most things you would expect in a western resort: a large infinity pool with a spa bath at the centre, a sandy beach, an accomplished and airy restaurant, a beauty salon, laundry and 24-hour a day service.
The Gambia Experience offers a week's holiday combining The Gambia and the Sine Saloum Delta region of Senegal from £1,049. This price is based on a flight from Gatwick to Banjul, transfer to Coconut Residence for half-board for a night, travel to the delta for three nights' half-board at Les Collines, two nights' half-board at the Royal Lodge and return to Banjul for a final night's half-board at Coconut Residence.
From November, The Gambia Experience will be offering holidays direct to Senegal with flights to Dakar, the capital, thus cutting out the ferry trip and reducing the journey time to the delta to three hours.
For those happy to settle for the sunshine in The Gambia, the company offers a range of holidays, with prices for a week's B&B at the four-star Kombo Beach Hotel in Kotu starting from £399 this month, including return flights from Gatwick and transfers.
www.gambia.co.uk 0845 3302087
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