Kololi Holidays

Glittering casinos, beehive-busy nightlife and art galleries packed to the rafters with African paintings – Kololi brings an energetic edge to The Gambia’s Atlantic Coast. It’s sort of like the Monaco of this African country, due to its upmarket tourist scene. The beach is pretty remarkable, too. It’s over a mile long, with sand as soft as a freshly laundered towel.

Kololi began its life as a small village, and there are throwbacks to its past tucked in amongst the wine bars and ritzy shops. The best place for a taste of authentic Gambian life is at the Senegambia Craft Market. It’s been open since 1982 and is awash with all the souvenirs you could ever need. We’re talking long beaded necklaces, woven hats, carved wooden figures and colourful scarves.

The wildlife’s not half-bad around these parts, either. Channel your inner twitcher at the Bilijo National Park, where birds in all colours of the rainbow flutter between the palm trees. It also goes by the moniker Monkey Park, thanks to cute-faced vervet monkeys that call this place home.