The Gambia
Day 6 - Time to get some history in
After our second breakfast at AbCa's Greek, we continued our roadtrip! We stopped at James Island, were we learned more about slavery and the end of slavery. After a quick boat transfer, our driver picked us up at the other side of the river and we drove to our second accommodation during our little getaway: Kairoh Garden Guesthouse. Located right in the middle of a small village. We ended our day with a Water Safari to Baboon island and got to see amazing wild life!
James Island - history about slavery
Our first stop at day 6 was James Island / the island of Kunta Kinteh. This place is a World Heritage Site in The Gambia. The site is particularly important because of its testimony to slavery, as a gathering point for slaves until slavery was abolished. We got a bit quite learning more about the cruelty of humanity. Next up was a 2 minute boat transfer to the other side of the river. To digest the history we learned about, we bought some fresh, juicy mangos to continue our trip.
Water safari over Gambia River
During our inland excursion, we boarded a small motorboat on the Gambia River with our guide and a local captain. We picked up a park ranger en route to Baboon Island, home to about 150 chimpanzees, all known by name and living undisturbed in the wild. From the boat, we watched as rangers tossed food to the shore, drawing the chimps out. 🐒 We also spotted a mother hippo and her calf, an unforgettable (and slightly tense) moment when our engine briefly stalled! Our guide assured us hippos are calm unless provoked, but they’re fast and powerful when threatened.
Arrival at Kairoh Garden Guesthouse
At the end of the day we drove to rice fields, which gave us a the feeling of being in Asia. The sudden sight of super green fields, among a dry landscape, was beautiful. After driving through the streets of a local village, we arrived at our second accommodation of our getaway: Kairoh Garden Guesthouse. A charming, basic guesthouse were we got welcomed with a delicious Gambian meal. In the evening we wondered around in the village and looked at locals playing football, till the sun set.
