As an archaeologist, the impressive Senegambian Stone Circles were one of the main reasons I wanted to explore little-visited upriver Gambia. Scattered across a region of about 30,000 km2, there are more than a thousand of these structures, both in The Gambia and across the border in Senegal. I sought out quite a few of…
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The GambiaChimpanzee-Spotting and Other Cool Things to Do in River Gambia National Park
The River Gambia National Park was one of my absolute highlights on my recent trip to The Gambia. Since the end of the 1970s, chimpanzees have been gradually reintroduced to the country by settling them in the park, and you can visit them by taking a boat tour around four islands in the river. Apart…
The GambiaWhat to Know About Visiting The Gambia’s Sacred Crocodile Pools
The Gambia’s three sacred crocodile pools are one of the more unusual attractions I came across on my recent trip through the country. While at least one of them sees a fair number of visitors, they’re not tourist attractions in the classic sense and are still actively used by locals for animist rituals. Kachikally is…
The GambiaThe Best Areas to Stay in The Gambia
While traveling through The Gambia, I was surprised by the fact that I hardly came across any other travelers once I moved upriver. In fact, most other toubabs I met based themselves in one of the coastal areas and explored the country from there. While I enjoyed moving around the country independently, I could also…
The GambiaThe Perfect One- and Two-Week-Itineraries for The Gambia
Continental Africa’s smallest country might look tiny on a map, but let me assure you: there are tons of different things to see and do here. While checking out The Gambia’s many traces of colonial history, its pretty beaches and three awesome National Parks, I certainly didn’t get bored on my travels. Most people visiting…
The GambiaHow to Backpack The Gambia on a Budget
The Gambia is often referred to as ‘West Africa for Beginners’ and after traveling the country for a couple of weeks I can definitely second that opinion. For one, the majority of people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Apart from that, I found the coastal regions to have a surprisingly good tourist infrastructure, with tons…
Canary IslandsUrbex on Gran Canaria – The 6 Most Atmospheric Abandoned Places on the Island
Something more unusual I like to do during my travels is to explore old abandoned places I come across. I just love the unreal, post-apocalyptic atmosphere of these modern ruins, and the buildings in varying stages of decay often make for great photo opportunities. That said, we were quite surprised by the high density of…
Canary Islands6 Fun Things to Do in and Around Teror, Gran Canaria
Despite its somewhat outlandish name, Teror is actually a pretty small town in the hills of northern Gran Canaria, full of cute alleyways and colourful colonial houses with carved wooden balconies. Apparently, the place draws big crowds for its weekly Sunday Market, but we visited on a weekday and enjoyed the rather laid-back atmosphere, especially…
Canary IslandsThe Complete Guide to the ‘Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria’ World Heritage Site
In 2019, the mountainous landscape of north-western Gran Canaria was declared a World Heritage Site, mostly due to its importance to the island’s pre-hispanic inhabitants. As an archaeologist, I never can resist tracking down prehistoric sites on my travels, so obviously we had to visit the area on our trip to the island. Something we…
Canary IslandsThe Painted Cave and 7 Other Cool Things to See in Gáldar, Gran Canaria
We came to Gáldar in north-western Gran Canaria mainly to visit the Cueva Pintada, one of the island’s most important prehistoric sites, but quickly realized that the small town had a number of other sights that made it worth sticking around for a bit. These include a couple of cool free museums, a nice leafy…