Hidden Gambia's photostream

I'm writing this via satellite link (using today's freshly harvested solar power) from Bird Safari Camp, a small nature lodge I built approx 10 years ago on an island 200 miles up the Gambia river in West Africa. It's 10 pm and a pleasant 26 degrees. I can hear African Scops owls calling like smugglers in the night; crickets and a high pitched 'click' of the bats. Some distant drumming and croaking of frogs; otherwise silence.

No guests here today... it's the end of April and the high season has just ended. The major UK/European tour operators only offer The Gambia as a 'winter sun' destination and therefore operate their charter flights from November to April which also co-incides with The Gambia's dry season.

Nov-Apr is a good time to come... Not only can you can pick up a cheap charter flight, but our "Discover the River" trips are in operation... Since creating Bird Safari Camp, we've set up our own small adventure & wildlife holiday company called Hidden Gambia - see www.hiddengambia.com.

Hidden Gambia offers an interesting alternative to the 'out-of-a-box' mass-market, hotel-based "package holidays" that you'll find at your high street travel agents and entirely "independent travel". The latter is easier said than done over here - and won't necessarily save you money, nor give you the best possible insight to the country!

The concept is simple: you find your own flight (we can help you with that - see below); then choose some coastal accommodation to stay at either side of your trip up-river. Our weekly boat and vehicle schedule will enable you to venture up-river. A good knowledgeable local wildlife guide will show you many of the 540 species of birds as well as hippos, monkeys, chimpanzees...

www.flights-to-the-gambia.com is a web site which helps you find links to companies offering the cheapest flight deals to The Gambia from anywhere in the world. A return charter flight from the UK costs around £250 - £400. It's a 6 hour flight; same time zone - so no jet lag!

I've uploaded a number of photos which I've taken on my pocket-sized digital camara. They're not half as good as some of our guests e.g. see Chalto's Gambia collection taken during his fortnight's holiday with us in November 2008.

Nonetheless, I hope you'll enjoy them... and that you pop over to visit us some time?