Best time to visit Gambia
The best weather is in October to December, when birding is at its best and the beaches are crowned with cloudless blue skies.
Gambia is typically tropical and has two seasons: hot, rainy and short, and hot, dry and long. Since its close to the equator, temperatures remain pretty steady all year round. During the day, its usually between 24°C and 35°C, although sea breezes in the south mean it can be a little cooler, particularly at night. The best time to visit Gambia for birding is in Oct-Dec, after the wet season but before the dusts of the harmattan blow in, making things hazy and uncomfortably dry.
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When to go to the Gambia, month by month
Gambia Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
16
32
1
FEB
17
34
1
MAR
18
35
APR
18
35
MAY
19
34
5
JUN
23
33
71
JUL
23
32
232
AUG
23
31
380
SEP
23
31
276
OCT
22
32
88
NOV
19
33
5
DEC
16
32
1
Our top Gambia activities
Things to do in Gambia
Things not to do in Gambia
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Gambia small group tour
Off the beaten track, traditional lodges, wildlife, beaches.
From £1025 to £1150 11 days ex flights
West Africa river cruise holiday
Gambia and Senegal yacht cruise, Dakar to Dakar
From £2130 to £2984 8 days ex flights
Senegal and Gambia river cruise holiday
Discover west Africa's wildlife & Senegal's heritage
From £1959 to £2409 13 days ex flights
Read 9 reviews
Eco lodge in the Gambia
Real Africa Unique Stylish Retreat for a Memorable Holiday.
From £75 to £110 per accommodation per night
Read 2 reviews
Explore the diverse regions of Senegal and Gambia
From US $3895 10 days ex flights
Read 1 review
Gambia and Senegal river cruise holiday
West Africa Coast cruise, Banjul to Banjul
From £2130 to £2984 8 days ex flights
See all our Gambia HolidaysGive us a call
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Gambia travel advice
Explore
David White, from our supplier Footsteps in the Gambia shares his Gambia travel tips:
Getting away from the beaten track
Go local and explore upriver. The good news about Gambia at the moment is that a massive amount of funding is going into highlighting the beauty of the Gambia River rather than the beach areas, which sometimes have a poor reputation. With local guides its easy to explore the rest of the country.
Best Beaches
Gambia's best beaches
We have a beautiful one right on our doorstep, just 25 minutes away from Footsteps Eco Lodge, where you often dont see anyone else on the beach at all. In general, you dont have to go far from the tourist areas to find an empty beach. From Cape Point to Senegambia the beaches are quite busy, but once you get to Brufut, down to Tanji and on to Gunjur, all of those beaches will be pretty much empty.
Best Beaches
Culture
Cultural highlights
Gunjur Village Museum is excellent; its a cultural and historical museum full of all kinds of artefacts and its made all the more interesting by the fact that it was developed by a local man, Lamin M Bojang. Otherwise, Tanji Museum is also good, as is the main museum in Banjul.
Birdwatching Tips
Birdwatching tips
The birding all around Footsteps is superb and we have own dedicated birding trips. Abuko Nature Reserve is one place Id recommend and then theres the Tanji Bird Reserve and Marakissa River Camp. The majority of the birding guides are local. I think there are 20 to 30 really excellent local guides in Gambia, although if you ask around many people will claim to be experts so make sure you get sound advice before choosing a guide.
Birdwatching Tips
Local Food
Local food
My favourite dish is domoda, which is a peanut chilli dish. Its not very hot, its just a little bit spicy, and you can have it with vegetables, chicken, fish or meat. My other favourite is benechin, which is like a bit like a risotto. Yassa is a favourite with the local people in country, which is usually chicken or fish with a mustard onion sauce. The food in Gambia is generally very good, the standard is certainly a lot better than when I arrived 18 years ago.
Safety
Safety
Many people would be wary of getting away from the main tourist areas, but Gambia is a very safe place indeed. The people are generally kind, trustworthy, happy to get to know you and will usually do anything for you.
Safety
Tips from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Gambia holiday tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday and the space inside your suitcase.
For a relaxed holiday with a short (half hour) walk to a beautiful deserted beach, with a very local village nearby and very welcoming owners, you could not beat it. Very good food, glass of wine or two, early bed and we came back feeling rejuvenated! Dont go for action, do go for an authenticate experience of Gambia. Nicola Curl, in our Gambia Holiday Accommodation
This is a fairly basic holiday don't bother with hairdryers, electronic gadgets, etc. One major tip DO NOT under any circ*mstances ignore your GP's advice with regard to anti-malaria tablets and anti-mozzy sprays etc. No matter what anyone says take them as prescribed! Make sure you use a mosquito net over the bed at night. Amanda Cooper
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Don't forget repellent, binoculars and a torch light. Take with you some clothes to give away, they can be left for community projects.
Laura Palmucci
More Gambia articles
Gambia travel guide
Mainland Africa's smallest country crams lots in, from river trips to bird watching and nature reserves.
Bird watching in the Gambia
Gambia offers some of the best bird watching in Africa, if not the world.
Gambia River cruise
Explore the wildlife and colonial architecture of the Gambia River and the Saloum Delta by land or pirogue.
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