This is the story of my week spent cycling solo in Gambia and Senegal. I chose Gambia because there were cheap charter flights leaving from Britain (£220 350 Euros), which seemed like a bargain to get to sub-saharan Africa. I looked into the conditions in The Gambia and these confirmed that it would safe to cycle there. Two good indicators are they have never had a war and the police are not armed. It is also very flat the highest point in Gambia is 90 metres. Originally the trip was purely a way of having an adventure and getting way from the famous British winter climate. When I mentioned what I was planning to do to, people would ask the same questions:
I then decided to fund raise for an organisation that was active in Gambia, I chose Sight Savers International. Who are the UK's leading charity working to prevent and cure blindness in developing countries and bring hope to people who will never see again. There are 20 million cataract sufferers worldwide, who could have their sight restored with a simple, safe and inexpensive operation, which costs as little as £15. Trachoma a prevalent and unpleasant disease can be treated for £0.5 - 0.8 Euros.
I ended up raising around £2200 (3500 Euros) which equates to around £10 per mile (10 Euros per km). Everyone was very generous most donations were £5 8 Euros. I was lucky enough to get £300 -.500 Euro contribution from my Company GE Capital. The rest was a raised from friends and collegues.
Sight Savers gave me a T-Shirt and the address of one of their offices, but the organisation and costs of the trip were my responsibility. If you interested in finding out more information about Sight Savers have a look at www.sightsavers.org.uk
I flew from Gatwick left at 11:10 am on a 6 hour flight. On arrival at Banjul Airport at 18:00, I cycled for around 45 minutes to Fajara to the Malawi Guest house. It was run by an Englishman who lived in Gambia. Good place to stop on the first night. 175 Dalasi for the room. The guesthouse changed some money changed at 21 Dalasi to the pound. Having bought 3 bottles of mineral water I was all set for the morning.
The road from the airport was quite interesting. Coming into Serekunda very busy and in bad condition frequent cycling on the sandy verge. Very few signposts or street signs. With hindsight probably the most dangerous section of road I cycled on in Gambia.
Left the Malawi guesthouse at 7:20. Cycled up to the Atlantic road. Dropped in at the Sight Savers Gambian HQ. It being 8:00 not many people there but they did know who I was. They phoned the Essau office to warn of my arrival. The roads surface was quite good only the occasional pothole. Banjul is surrounded by mangroves, so the city itself is tiny. The government buildings are very small more what you'd expect from a European local government.
Arrived at the Banjul ferry terminal at 8:50. 3 Dalasi for the 45 minute crossing. Got some bread and bananas. Food tends to have a very standard price. Bananas half or one Dalasi and bread 1 Dalasi. It was about this time I realised that it was Ramadan, not the best time to be cycling in a Moslem country. Found the CIRB (Community Integrated Rehabilitation of the Blind) / Sight Savers Essau office. Very nice people the manager there was called Ebrima Trawally. He phoned up Ndungu Kebbe a town about 25 km away where there was a village volunteer, called Sally Leigh. CIRB were putting a lot of resources into re education of local traditional medicine practitioners, whose of whose practices were causing blindness. Hit the road at 10:45, which was way too late. It was already getting hot, not ideal for the first day. By midday I found myself singing "Mad Dogs and Englishmen out in the midday sun". I arrived at Ndungu Kebbe at 1:30 feeling very frazzled. I was just pouring my third Fanta down me neck, when a villager came over and took me to Sally Leigh.
After cooling down a bit Sally took me to see a client who had had a cataract operation. Sight savers had provided rehabilitation support and loan to get him back on his feet again. Then we went to see a little 4-year-old girl Alhagi Sally Sain. She had been born blind and could not be cured. Sight Savers International would get more involved at a later stage when Alhagi would be sent to a blind school funded by Sight Savers International. Sally's role in the village also included changing the villagers' perceptions of blindness. Traditionally the blind have left in their compounds or left to beg. The village volunteers do a lot of groundwork to get the whole village behind rehabilitation. Sally showed me some loan forms, which ranged from 200 to 1500 Dalasi (£10-£75). The loans were from Sight Savers International to get people to start a business. Petty trading, ground nut or livestock raising. There could be an opportunity for Sight Savers to improve the eco-system with these loans.
I left Ndungu Kebbe at around 3:45. The 27 km to Kerawan were difficult due to the after effects of a midday cycle ride. The road itself was very easy. Frequent stops were the answer. Arrived at the ferry around 6:00. Decided not to wait for the ferry but got a Pirouge, the local general purpose boat, across on my own 10 Dalasi. I didn't know if there was any accommodation in Kerewan. But there is a Rest House just as you are coming into the town heading East, 50 Dalasi for a twin room with shower toilet, basin, water, electricity and a ceiling fan.
The next problem was food, after a day cycling one does tend to get a bit peckish. Kerewan didn't really offer a wide choice of eating establishments or shops for that matter. The selection seemed to be nothing. I decided to ask a group of local men who were outside a compound. The bloke I chose to ask, Omar K.S. Darboe worked for sight savers, he was the only person in a town of 3,000 in a district on 25,000 who did. He was a Community Opthalmic nurse and was involved in setting up and running a Trachoma screening project in all the schools of the district. I ended up buying some meat, which Omar cooked into a stew. After eating a fine high calorie meal he gave me a lift back to the rest house on a little 100cc motorbike that had been paid for by Sight Savers International.
The road from Essau to Kerewan is brand new with a surface better than many European roads. The bridge across the river at Kerwan was very close to completion. Structurally it was finished with just the approach roads to complete.
I left Kerewan for Farrafenni at 7:15 just as it was getting light, after the previous day, the early morning coolness a blessing that I didn't want to waste. All the shops were closed so I was relying on getting supplies on the road. The first town was Njaba- Kunda, where I spent 45 minutes looking for food and drink. I ended up getting taken around by three ninth graders, who introduced me to the school principal, who had been to Plymouth University. Then back on the road with 2 packets of biscuits and 4 cans of Fanta, combined with some bread and bananas from the day before, I had enough liquid and calories for the journey. Stopped in No Kunda for a drink and I bought some oranges.
The road was unpaved but very flat. Comparable to the good stretches of the south downs way in my native Sussex. The potholes didn't pose a problem. Countryside was open bush land without intensive agriculture. About 7 Km further I stopped for lunch by a river with mangroves in a very gentle valley. Spent 3 hours chilling out under a fruit tree the name of which I can't remember. I saw some small furry creatures in the road ahead. Even though I was travelling at around 20 km/h these things would run about double my speed. I discovered later on they were ground squirrels.
Next stop was Iliassa where they didn't have any drinks so got the shopkeeper to make me a cup of tea. Had a good bit of badinage with one of the local loungers. I turned the table on him by asking him for money after he had been pestering me, which amused the other villagers. During another short stop under a tree, I was lying down looking at the sky when I saw high up a vulture circling. Then another joined him and then another I thought that is a good indication that it was time to move on again. Carried onto Farafenni where I arrived at around 4 pm.
I found a room at Eddies guesthouse, where I met a US Peace Corps volunteer called Tim. After a couple of drinks, another Peace Corps volunteer Stefan Cambon turned up. Both were involved in trying to get more sustainable forms of agriculture to be used. Then an Australian called Colin turned up, he was with the Medical Research Council seconded from the London School of Tropical Medicine. He was having a leaving party where there was some very good food and copious amounts of beer. It ended up with just Colin, Tim and Stefan another Peace Corps volunteer and a Gambian called Sullieman drinking beer until the early hours of the morning. Very nice for a first night in a strange town.
I met up with Stefan who was going to visit a farmer who had been developing the ideas he had been shown by the Peace Corps. He seemed to forever be looking for new varieties to graft to native plants to improve their produce. It seems Groundnuts do a lot of damage since nothing is left in the soil. Dry season gardening and trees like Mangoes, cashews and papayas are much better for the environment and also the people growing the crops. After this I went the Luma market which travels around the region. It wasn't practical get anything due to having to lug it back to the coast.
I met up with Stefan for lunch and then we decided to go over to Senegal to visit his village. I had a couple of banana plants in my pannier, which were going to be planted in the village big cheese's (au grand fromage in Francophone Senegal) compound. This would hopefully result in a more helpful attitude to the Peace Corps work. After saying goodbye to Stefan I raced back to the border, which closed at nightfall. Just made it. The border post lived up to all my preconceptions of an African border. Chickens, goats, lines of dusty vehicles, red and white poles across the road, petty officials and guys in combats lounging in folding chairs.
I said goodbye to Farafenni at 7:30 to get the first ferry 8:00 to Jarra. Arrived on the south bank at around 8:50 and set of to Soma, which was basically a dusty crossroad. This was my first experience of the main South Bank. The surface was good most of the time with approximately 20 vehicles an hour. I learnt very quickly that the traffic will go to whatever part of the road doesn't have potholes. I started to read the road some distance ahead to work out when the oncoming traffic would be on the wrong side of the road. A good indication was if a lot of white patches in the road ahead, it meant potholes had been repaired with tar and seashells. Where there are old potholes there will be new ones as well.
Arrived at Tedaba camp at around midday. The 5km track from the road was generally easy with the occasional stretch of loose sand, easy to do even with panniers. With the days cycling done, it was time for a couple of cold beers watching the river going by. I got a boat trip organised with 2 English brothers with their Gambian friend, to the wetland reserve across the river, we saw a couple of crocodiles and lots of exotic birds. 100 Dalasi was good value for 2.5 hours, which unless you are a serious bird watcher, was long enough. When we arrived back at the camp it was overrun by about 50 nubile teenagers in bikinis on a school trip from Crowborough. I come all the way to Africa only to meet a bunch of school kids from 50 km away from where I live.
That evening a backpacker Debra from Grimsby arrived. I was surprised how few backpackers / cyclists there were. Debra was first I'd met; she was having a good time and didn't have any problems with travelling alone. There were huts with separate showers for 150 Dalasi (£7.50) or some chalets on there own with ensuite by the riverside for 180 D (£9) difficult choice which to have.
I changed my plans and didn't head to Kemoto because the hotel was closed and stayed in Tedaba. On a walk in the rice paddies near the camp, we saw a load of birds, including a blue one a green one and a red one. A troop of Baboons appeared but they were very nervous so we couldn't get close.
We went some way up a clear track from the paddy fields, which obviously went to a village. As it was getting too hot, we headed back for a siesta. I looked on the map and saw that the track could only go to a village called Batelling, from where there was a track to Tubab Kollon point. Translated it means White mans cape, which I was wondering about until I got there. Most of the river Gambia's banks are covered in Mangroves apart from the occasional place where a landing can be done. The point would have been an excellent place to moor a sailing ship and load it up with slaves. It was a humbling experience to think of the horrors inflicted on that very spot.
I set off for Tubab Kollon at around 3pm. The track was easy apart from the one piece of technical stuff in the whole of Gambia, a climb of about 10 metres up a sandstone escarpment. From the village the track running along the escarpment was very clear there were regular trips from Tedaba by land rover. The track was sandy in places but generally very good. I reached the point in around an hour. On the way in the forest there were some extremely unpleasant black horse fly bitey things. The point was quite nice but would have been not worth walking to. It took about 45 minutes to get back.
Departed Tedaba at 7:15. I hit the main road at around 7:55, where the conditions good were very good and made very good time. I arrived in Bwiam at 11:00, where I saw the local sight, which is claimed to be an iron cooking pot that cannot be moved. It looked more like part of a Victorian boiler and definitely wouldn't have been worth the trip if it weren't near the midday break. I was shown the site, by a very nice lad called Buba Sanyang. As a thank you I oiled the bike he was riding and made it sound a lot less tortured.
By the time I left it was definitely time for break, I found a very nice spot near a river with a lily pond. A troop of monkeys appeared about 100 metres away. At least 2 were on lookout at any time. When they went through some long grass they would jump up to keep an eye out for predators. There was also a family of Hammer Cocks flying around. It took another hour or so pedalling to reach Bintang. From the road another 5 km track easily cyclable. When I arrived at around 4 pm I seemed to be the only guest at the place. The cabins were on stilts in the mangroves. I decided to go into the town and met a really nice bunch of lads. A couple of who took me for a guided tour of the village. I had arranged to get some food at the camp and where I met another English cyclist called Ed. We both returned to the village for a bit more local hospitality.
Having taken the aerial insect threat seriously I forget about the threat from below. My backside became the social epicentre for the districts bed bug population. I was it was the last night since I must have had about 100 bites on the area which comes in closest contact with the bike saddle.
Set out at around 7:15 got back to the black top at 7:50. Conditions good. Started loosing stuff that I didn't want to take back home, spare T-shirt and matches. Basically Gambia is so poor that anything will be gratefully received. I wish I had taken more T-shirts and just given away when I went round.
Arrived in Brikama at 11:30. Found a Hotel not listed in the Rough guide had a couple of beers and some nice food. Just left enough time to get a couple of souvenir woodcarvings. On the last 10 km leg to the airport both water bottles went, and my knackered cycling mitts were much appreciated by a little lad had been racing me on the airport approach road.
Got to the airport at 16:20, it was strange to see the Gambia, which the majority of visitors experience. It was something that I didn't feel I missed out on. Going "up country" on a mountain bike is the bets way to see Gambia and I can't wait to get back. Until the road joined the Senegal highway about 7 km from Brikama it was very quiet. Even then it wasn't that bad a lot dustier.
Water: Good. A Swedish survey found that 98% was good to drink. I drank Bottled water to be safe since the runs would have been very inconvenient on a cycling trip.
Food: A lot of rice with various stews. Fried fish. No stomach problems. Up country the selection was very limited especially during the day during Ramadan. Grab anything you see when you get a chance.
Cleanliness: Good. You don't have to worry about what you might be treading in at night. Not too many foul smells in villages etc.
Hassle: Kids asking for things and shouting Tubab (white man). Minor compared to Morrocco or India.
Crime: Minimal away from the coast. I felt extremely safe anywhere away from the main tourist areas.
People: Very friendly, helpful and open.
Insects: Lots of foreign creatures who like English food. Mossies seem to be quite prevalent. As well as some large unpleasant looking black flies that look like they have evolved over millions of years to take chunks out of tourists.
Living costs: Around £120 - 200 Euros for a week, including food, drink accommodation a boat trip and ferries.
Unpaved roads: Fine only the very occasional patches had loose sand, which didn't cause any problems.
Paved roads: Potholes and oncoming traffic sometimes a bit hairy. With about 20 vehicles an hour it would quite feasible to get of the road for every one.
Other tracks: Not feasible for any distance with luggage. Too much loose sand. It can be ridden through but you loose too much energy. It was better to get off for a couple of hundred meters and walk. Without maps it was difficult to find the tracks. Anything off the main highways would be classed as off road in Europe.
Terrain: Very flat with gentle ups and downs. 90 meters is Gambia high point.
Driving: Assume they haven't seen you and be prepared for some unscheduled visits into the bush.
Bike: Rigid mountain bike. A road bike would at a severe disadvantage with the road conditions. Whatever bike you have should be able to take a few knocks.
Mechanicals: No problems. Gambia is not too testing on a bike. There is little or no water so no mud. It being very flat gears and brakes are not vital. Used cross-country Chain lube, a necessity with the amount of dust there. Tools - Allen keys, chain breaker, adjustable spanner, puncture lit, tyre patches, Leatherman lookalike. Spares - Inner tubes, cables and chain links.
Distances and conditions: 80 km would be quite feasible. Generally there was about 50-60 km between places you could expect to find accomodation. Setting at dawn was a good idea, cycle to about 11:00 and then start looking for somewhere to stop. 12:00 was too late. Generally 75% of the days journey would get done by then. Start again at around 3:00 with a nice gentle hour or so to finish. It was good to leave a bit of time spare to take the pressure off.
Last Updated 13-02-2001
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