The Gambia 2026

We decided to make one last trip to the Gambia this year. An opportunity to see old friends and revisit some of our favourite haunts. It turned out to be a shorter trip than planned. We had booked 2 weeks staying at the Kombo Beach, but unfortunately Mabel’s health deteriorated rapidly while we were away and we took the decision to come back early after just a week. We were lucky enough to get flights with Air Maroc, via Casablanca. Most flights were full as it was the end of the season.

We did make the most of our week though, despite the sad situation unfolding at home. We saw Awa once again and enjoyed several plates of food with her. It was tinged with sadness though as Shoma is no longer works as a fruit lady…the introduction of All Inclusive hotels in the Gambia has led to a rapid decline in the fortune of the local restaurants and traders, especially the fruit ladies and juice boys. We saw Abbie and Yai of course which was also fun. After Abbie explained that her daughter (also Abbie) was now 12 and had never been to school as she couldn’t afford it, we decided to support her and sponsor her daughter by paying for her school fees until she finishes school.

We also did lots of walking—be it to Kololi to see Awa or taking the long road to Cape Point to enjoy a cold bottle of water at Calypso bar. The restaurants we had planned to eat in in Kotu were closed when we got there, so we discovered some new places as well as visiting our old favourites on the strip. We particularly enjoyed visiting the Royalisto restaurant near Palma Rima with Seku and Miry entertaining us as we ate.

So it looks like it won’t be our final visit to the Gambia after all. We rediscovered why we had fallen in love with the place and now we have a vested interest in Abbie’s education, so will no doubt be back to visit her at school.