Yellow Fever and Malarone anti malarials. Both expensive but a must IMO. YF jabs are currently around £75 but last for 10 years. Malarone costs over £2 per tablet, we paid £2.20 per tablet early this year but you only need to start the day before and take for a week after you get back.Hopefully you don't have to pay for a private prescription.
Kololi is OK. You can walk for miles along the beach from there and you won't be hassled much. Perfectly safe too IMO.Good choice of eating places .The sea and beaches are cleaner than Goa too.
I can't recommend many places to visit but there is the monkey park close by. There is Vulture feeding every morning at the Senegambia hotel and they get monkeys in their grounds as well. There are beach activities like quad biking, horse riding and fishing. All on a small scale and not intrusive as it is on the BCC strip in North Goa.
We enjoy Gambia very much but not everyone seems to. A lot depends on which hotel you stay in too. Some are rather poor in quality.
Biggest benefits are winter sun, a short journey and no time difference.
Hope you enjoy, cheers Dave

You'll find more info on travel advice and health precautions here

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/gambia-the

and here

http://www.nathnac.org/ds/c_pages/country_page_gm.htm

SM

Thanks Dave,
We are very much looking forward to our trip to Gambia. It is rather expensive for the yellow fever jab however there is no expensive visa to have to chase around for like you have to for Goa.
We are staying in a up market hotel for our first visit and if we enjoy it as much as we do Goa then we will look for more basic accomodation while out there, mind you we stayed at the 4 star Haathi Mahal Hotel in Cavelossim in Jan this year and our room was digusting and I mean "DISGUSTING".
Anyway enough of that from your description it sounds like a place we will enjoy and possibly go back to.
As a Goa regular yourself would you go back to Gambia?

Thanks again Dave
Tush.

SM Thanks for the web sites will certainly look them up
Thanks Tush

I have been to the Gambia 3 times now, and yes, I would go back without a doubt.
My hobby is wildlife photography and Gambia is brilliant for birds, better than Goa.
You might like to look at my trip report which although primarily a bird report will give you a feel for the place
http://www.northwalesbirding.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4922

You might not need a VISA but you get hit for an exit charge payable in cash at the airport, I think it's about £20 each . The airport although small is quite pleasant and not at all like Diabolical where they treat passengers really badly IMO.
As already stated the benefits of The Gambia are shorter flights, no time difference and a cheaper package holiday than Goa. It's much safer walking out at night as there is little traffic in the tourist area and no hazard from mad bikers. Goa has a charm that's hard to put your finger on but I have to say there are parts of tourist Goa that I find really hard to take like Baga Beach and Calangute. Gambia is more similar to South Goa than North Goa. IMO Goa wins hands down on eating out and there is more to do in the way of shopping otherwise I do tend to lean towards Gambia overall.
I hope you enjoy. You might like to take the ferry I took, take in the air so to speak !
cheers Dave

Hi Dave,

Just had a look at your birding report and to say I am extremley impressed is a understatement.
You have very special talents, it must have taken a lifetime to accomplish such photographic skills and knowledge of birds.
I admire you.
I am looking forward now more than ever to going to Gambia and although I have very little knowledge of birds I used to do quite a bit of photography myself, infact I bought myself a digital slr camera a few years back to replace my old roliflex & nikon but shamefully have hardly used it, been too busy fishing but you have now awakened the interest I haven't the skills for bird shots but I can have a go at the landscapes.
Thanks again Dave for the information you never know we may bump into each other in Goa one day whilst shooting (the local taxi men)

Cheers
Tush

Thanks Tush. I only took up photography after a trip to Kerala to celebrate my ( early !) retirement 6 years ago .
You should have mentioned fishing before ! The sea off Gambia is apparently one of the top spots in the world for deep sea fishing so I was told. You can hire rods on the beach too.
cheers Dave

Hi Dave,
You must have put alot of time in then to get such good photo's, what lens do you use for the bird shots?
Can you also give me some advise on which binoculars to buy, I want a pair that would be good for general use but also good for bird watching.

Thanks for the bit about fishing I usually take a small telescopic rod wherever I go but its worth knowing you can hire tackle there as well.

Cheers Tush

Hi Tush
I use several lenses for my photography but the main ones for birds are 300mm and 500mm Nikon prime lenses with a D300s.
My knowledge of binoculars is extremely limited, you can pay a fortune but I bought a pair of Jessops own brand 10x42 for £25 and for that price they are very good. The first figure represents magnification ie 10X, I would think 8x is the minimum you need, the second figure is the field of vision (I think !) The bigger the better as it also means more light on your subject and easier to find.You can buy really small pairs but trying to find what you are looking for can be very difficult. In the end it's a trade off between portability and weight vs image quality and ease of use.
cheers Dave

Hi Dave

Thanks for that, I will have a search around, I really want to sort a couple of pairs out for me and her in doors It would be a crying shame not to view the birds out in Gambia (the feathered ones )
As for the lenses I think they will have to wait, what with the cost of the yellow fever jab, the maleria tablets and the prescription fee not to mention the exit fees I think the binoculars will be our last little treat for a while.

Cheers
Tush