Senegal and The Gambia
4.6
Assan (guide) and Serin (driver) could not do enough for us to make sure we had a memorable trip and were a great pair to take us around the two countries. I travelled to Senegal and The Gambia over Christmas and New Year and had a wonderful time. With the right amount of Christmas, and a fun celebratory night for New Year where we danced away at the hotel. The organisation of the trip meant we were able to maximise our time in each location, though more time in Gambia would be great. Yes, the accommodation wasn't 5 star, but it was all comfortable and clean, which I view as more important. The food was plentiful and delicious - especially so on the boat on the Gambia River. We pretty much had the Gambia River to ourselves and had some amazing sightings of birdlife - Assan's knowledge of the wildlife is brilliant! Bintang Bolong staff were welcoming and friendly, wanting to make sure they provided us with a great experience - try the chocolate cake there if you have the chance. As others have noted, the pink lake is no longer pink, which is a shame, but nothing anyone can do about it. I would recommend taking the optional boat trip too, there are plenty of birds to see and some unique experience. Additionally, if you have a day spare at the beginning or end of the trip, it is worth hiring a taxi for a couple of hours to take you around Dakar to see some sights - we had a two hour tour and ticked off a couple of the highlights.
