Senegal and Gambia river cruise holiday
| country: | Gambia, Senegal |
| departures: | 2009: 21 Dec 2010: 4 Jan, 5 Apr, 18 Oct, 20 Dec 2011: 3 Jan, 11 Apr |
| price: | From £1880 - £1949 (13 days) including flights from the UK, from £1240 - £1270 excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, transport, 12 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 6 dinners & local guides. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A great introduction to west Africa exploring several of the region's major waterways, National Parks and old colonial towns. Generally good roads with a couple of long drives. Minimal physical exertion is required.
Isle de Goree & Djoudj National Park:
We begin in Dakar and make a short ferry ride over to Isle de Gorée. There's time to roam the quiet streets, admiring the colonial buildings with shutters and wrought iron balconies, and also see the haunting dungeons of the 'Maison des Esclaves'. Next it's on to laid-back St Louis, perhaps Senegal's most charming town; our sightseeing here is by horse-drawn carriage. In nearby Djoudj National Park we take to motorboats again to enjoy a unique wildlife spectacle as millions of migratory birds flock to the creeks of the Senegal river to feed after the long flight over the Sahara. Djoudj has one of the world's largest pelican colonies and also supports flamingo, spoonbill and many other species.
Gambia River & Saloum Delta:
Crossing to Gambia, we make for Georgetown, situated on an island in the Gambia River. The river is the lifeblood of the nation, and so we plan a relaxing 2-day cruise downstream back towards Banjul, sleeping on board our riverboat. There's always something of interest as rice paddies give way to fishing villages, sandy beaches and mangroves. We'll pause at the megalithic stone circles at Wassu and to explore villages along the way. On arrival in Tendaba we explore the wildlife of nearby Kiang West and Baobolong Wetland Reserve. On our way back to Dakar we discover Saloum Delta National Park. Here we'll explore the myriad islands and waterways of the delta by pirogue (motorised canoe) and in season we should see plenty of waterfowl.
Highlights include:Discover west Africa's fantastic birds and wildlife Cruise the waterways of the great Gambia River Experience old Senegal & its colonial heritage
Isle de Goree & Djoudj National Park:
We begin in Dakar and make a short ferry ride over to Isle de Gorée. There's time to roam the quiet streets, admiring the colonial buildings with shutters and wrought iron balconies, and also see the haunting dungeons of the 'Maison des Esclaves'. Next it's on to laid-back St Louis, perhaps Senegal's most charming town; our sightseeing here is by horse-drawn carriage. In nearby Djoudj National Park we take to motorboats again to enjoy a unique wildlife spectacle as millions of migratory birds flock to the creeks of the Senegal river to feed after the long flight over the Sahara. Djoudj has one of the world's largest pelican colonies and also supports flamingo, spoonbill and many other species.
Gambia River & Saloum Delta:
Crossing to Gambia, we make for Georgetown, situated on an island in the Gambia River. The river is the lifeblood of the nation, and so we plan a relaxing 2-day cruise downstream back towards Banjul, sleeping on board our riverboat. There's always something of interest as rice paddies give way to fishing villages, sandy beaches and mangroves. We'll pause at the megalithic stone circles at Wassu and to explore villages along the way. On arrival in Tendaba we explore the wildlife of nearby Kiang West and Baobolong Wetland Reserve. On our way back to Dakar we discover Saloum Delta National Park. Here we'll explore the myriad islands and waterways of the delta by pirogue (motorised canoe) and in season we should see plenty of waterfowl.
Highlights include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Dakar. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Dakar (Senegal); ferry to Isle de Gorée. |
| Day 3: | Drive to St. Louis via the Pink Lake. |
| Day 4: | Excursion to Djoudj NP; birdwatching safari by pirogue. |
| Day 5: | Excursion to Langue de Barbarie NP. |
| Day 6: | Drive to Georgetown (Gambia) via Touba Mosque. |
| Day 7: | Cruise Gambia River; en route visit Wassu stone circles. |
| Day 8: | Cruise to Tendaba. |
| Day 9: | At Tendaba; visit Kiang West NP and Baobolong Wetland reserve. |
| Day 10: | Ferry and drive to Saloum Delta NP (Senegal). |
| Day 11: | Exploring delta by pirogue. |
| Day 12: | Along the coast to Dakar. |
| Day 13: | Fly London. |
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
|
Community:
It is always our aim to show you the real country and this tour combines all that is best in this corner of West Africa, from the wildlife, historic cites and beautiful natural heritage. We’ll see the main sites but there are also many opportunities to learn about local life on visits to villages. In order to give you the best experience we use local guides at many points on this tour who can give that unique insight into their culture and customs which really enhances our trip. Our visit to Fadiout is a great example as this community run visit not only is a great experience for us but delivers economic benefits to the village as a whole. Aboard our riverboat we also have a great opportunity to learn about Gambian culture from our local crew…and quite possibly some lessons in Gambian cookery too! Using local guides and crew is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. We also do this by using locally owned hotels and spreading our business to a variety of local restaurants. We are active supporters of the Travel Foundation who run a variety of sustainable tourism projects in the Gambia, ensuring that tourism develops to benefit visitors and hosts alike. Environment: We visit several national parks on our tour. Conscious that these are fragile environments, we try to minimise our impact by adhering to strict environmental guidelines and educating crew and customers on the ‘do’s and don’ts’. We support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |