Senegal and The Gambia

Our tour starts today in Saly, located on the coast south of the capital Dakar, the gateway to the country. For those arriving on time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Senegal at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS), which is around a 40 minute drive from the hotel. Our welcome meeting will take place on the morning of day two at 8.30am. The hotel features a swimming pool and gardens as well as well appointed modern rooms.

After breakfast this morning, we'll meet with our tour leader for a welcome meeting. Then, we'll head north to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to catch the ferry to Isle de Goree, a small peaceful, traffic-free island. The crossing takes around 30 minutes. On arrival, we'll drop off our luggage and head out for a walking tour. A busy trading centre during the 18th and 19th centuries, the island of Goree is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its charming colonial-style houses, wrought iron balconies and narrow streets filled with brightly coloured bougainvillaea, you could kid yourself you've been transported back in time as we wander the islands streets and explore. Lunch is included today at a local restaurant. After lunch we'll continue our tour of the island including a visit to Le Castel, a castle situated on a rocky plateau as well as the old Slave House, originally built in 1786. This evening is free to relax at our hotel on the island.

This morning, we'll catch the ferry back to the mainland and then have a short tour of the capital by bus before continuing north for around five hours to St. Louis. We will stop of a picnic lunch enroute. Once the French capital of West Africa, St Louis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - it's a colourful, charming city, moving to the rhythm of the local jazz musicians. The streets of St. Louis are narrow, dusty and easy to navigate, lined with crumbling old French-style villas. After checking into our hotel for the next two nights we'll explore this marvellous old town by calesh (horse-drawn carriage) with a local guide. Full of 19th-century French colonial buildings, this was the first French settlement in Africa and the Headquarters of Senegambia (the term used to describe the whole region). By the late 18th century, St Louis was a busy port and trading centre and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. For dinner, you might like to try the local dish, Thieboudienne, a mix of fish, tomato, rice and vegetable.

This morning, we'll have an early start to visit Djoudj National Park, regarded as one of the most important wetland bird reserves in West Africa. This national park provides the first major water source for migratory birds after their long and gruelling flight over the Sahara Desert. We'll travel by motorised boat along the complex network of channels which lead off the Senegal River. The bird count reaches millions, some species are prevalent such as pelicans - there are as many as 15,000 in the park. We might see them performing an amazing display of synchronised diving for fish and will see a breeding colony. Around three million birds pass through the park annually which includes 400 different species - including herons, white-breasted cormorants, spoonbills, jacanas, Egyptian geese, West African fish eagles and flamingos to name but a few. You might also spot crocodiles, wild hogs, monitor lizards and water pythons. This afternoon we'll visit the Langue de Barbarie National Park, located on a thin sandspit in the estuary of the Senegal River, and home to water birds such as flamingos, pelicans, cormorants, herons, egrets and ducks. During the months from November to April, the park also fills with many more migratory birds from Europe. We should get back to our hotel around 7pm, dinner is included at our hotel tonight.

Early this morning, we'll begin our journey south. We'll break up the first leg of this journey with a visit to an astounding mosque in Touba, the sacred focus of the Mouride Islamic Brotherhood. Their founder Amadou Bamba, Senegal's most famous and influential 'marabout' (holy man), is buried here and pilgrims visit the town all year round, and as we pass through on a Friday, the Mosque will be busy with worshippers. Continuing to Kaolack, Senegal's second largest city, we will make a visit to its thriving local market and salt mining area. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at our hotel. The total driving time today is around six hours.

It's around an hour and a half to the Senegal - Gambia border. After completing border formalities we head east, following the route of the river towards Georgetown which was an important administrative centre during the colonial period. Along the way today, we'll visit the Wassu Stone Circles. There are several circles each consisting of about 10 to 24, reddish-brown stones between 1 and 2.5 metres/3.2 and 8.2 feet high and weighing several tons. These were once burial sites dating back to 500 to 1000 AD, however very little is known about the people who were buried here and the stones still present a mystery to archaeologists. On arrive in Georgetown we'll take a short tour of the historical town which is built on an island in the river. Our accommodation this evening is a simple riverside camp made up of simple rondavels with basic ensuite facilities. There is no mains electricity but we'll have limited power from solar-charged panels. There is also no hot water, however, the fantastic location is well worth the trade-off as we get to fall asleep to the sounds of monkeys and birds in the nature that surrounds us.

The Gambia River flows along the entire length of the country for 483 kilometres/300 miles from east to west into the Atlantic Ocean and the banks of the river have been inhabited since 2000 BC. We'll spend the next two days on this mighty waterway, cruising downstream in a converted groundnut boat, passing tropical forest, bamboo groves, rice paddies and mangrove swamps. Amongst the varied fauna present in this area are monkeys, hippos, crocodiles and of course a great number of bird species. We'll spend one overnight on board a motor cruiser. Facilities on board are very simple with a Western-style toilet, a small kitchen and a bar. At night, we'll sleep in a communal setting on the upper deck on mattresses, and the daytime can be spent relaxing on the upper deck in the sun or on the lower deck with seating in the shade.

This morning, we'll continue our gentle cruise downstream, with time to take in the flora and wildlife along the riverbanks. The crew will put together lunch on the boat before arriving in the small settlement of Tendaba on the Gambia's south bank in the late afternoon. On arrival, we'll leave our boat and drive to a lodge on the banks of a tributary of the Gambia River at Bintang Bolong and check in to our riverfront accommodation. The setting of our lodge is spectacular, it's a great chance to explore the natural surroundings spotting the resident birdlife from the restaurant terrace. In the evening, apes and vultures inhabit the overwhelming Baobab trees, and after dusk, great colonies of fruit bats can be seen swarming into the night.

We'll spend this morning in the river basin around Bintang Bolong. The lodge is located in the middle of a mangrove forest which offers fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities, in particular for those with a keen interest in birdwatching. The rich habitat supports a huge range of birds, including kingfishers, egrets parrots, hornbills, lapwings and herons in abundance. Birdlife is at its most active in the mornings, we'll start the day with an early morning boat trip to spot wildlife on the banks of the river including three species of monkeys, and at low tide, crocodiles and lizards. This afternoon we drive to the Gambia coast for a night on the golden sand beaches of the Atlantic.

This morning we have a tour of the laid back capital of The Gambia, Banjul; we'll also have a batik demonstration. After lunch we ferry crossing from Banjul to Barra on the North Bank of the river Gambia, and drive to Toubacouta in Senegal. Our accommodation is rondavels set within the lush grounds of the hotel on the riverbank. This evening, there will be the opportunity to join other guests on an optional boat excursion.

This morning, we'll cruise north along the Sine-Saloum Delta by motorised fibre boat for approximately four to five hours. We'll weave our way through the maze of wide channels, past mangroves, open forests, sand islands and villages built on islands constructed with oyster shells. Along the way, we might be lucky enough to spot pelicans and flamingos. After a packed lunch onboard, we'll arrive in Ndangane, our destination for tonight where the afternoon will be free to absorb the slower pace of life. Ndangane is a small fishing village often used as a base along the Delta, the beach is lined with traditional pirogues and along the main stretch of road, there is a small number of bars and craft shops.

Today, we'll depart Saloum Delta National Park to begin our journey back to Dakar. Our first stop, just a short time away is to see a giant Baobab tree. Baobab trees are the national symbol of Senegal, some trees dating back 6,000 years and can only be found in a few places around the world. We'll have a short stop here before we continue. Our next stop will be for a guided walking tour Fadiout Islands. This unusual destination is composed of oysters and clam shells, and the inhabitants are both Muslim and Christian who all live together peacefully. The Christian and Muslim cemeteries are built on a huge ancient shell mound and our guide will take us around to help us understand this very unique community. Later this afternoon, we'll continue our return journey to Saly, arriving in time for dinner.

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Saly, close to the airport. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Dakar at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS), which is around a 40 minute from the hotel.