Not to miss

Banjul

One of the smallest capital cities in Africa, Banjul lies on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River. The city has a sleepy ambience, more like a large village than a national centre. If you've come to experience old Africa this city is a far better bet than the nearby Atlantic coast resorts.

The vibrant heart of Banjul is Albert Market, a colourful, lively and chaotic where you can experience the city at its African best. Nearby on MacCarthy Square is the War Memorial and the Fountain, erected to commemorate the coronation of Britain's King George VI in 1937.

Though some of its exhibits are looking a bit dog-eared these days, the National Museum of the Gambia is worth visiting for its displays of photos, maps and text about archaeology, African peoples and the colonial period. Not far off, the 35m (115ft) Arch 22 is by far the tallest building in Gambia. Built to celebrate a military coup of 22 July 1994, the arch provides excellent views over the city and the coast.

When you're ready to get out of the city itself, local pirogues (wooden boats with outboard motors) ferry visitors on the quiet waterways of Oyster Creek. The creek and surrounding mangroves is a popular destination for bird-watchers, anglers and laid-back adventurers.

Fajara

Fajara is the oldest of a string of Atlantic coast resorts that includes Kololi, Kotu and Bakau. Along this 10km (6mi) strip of beach is a line of about 20 hotels. Back from the beach are more hotels, with restaurants, bars, nightclubs, souvenir stalls and all the other paraphernalia of tourism.

Kartong

This magical little fishing village is the antithesis of the beach resorts around Fajara. Colourful pirogue (dug-out canoes) roll on the waves and there's safe swimming nearby. In the south, the Hallahein River forms the border with Senegal and it's a perfect, tranquil spot for leisurely pirogue tours and bird-watching excursions.

Abuko Nature Reserve

Abuko is rare among African wildlife reserves: it's tiny, it's easy to reach, you don't need a car to go in, and it's well managed, with an amazing diversity of vegetation and animals. More than 250 bird species have been recorded in its environs, making it one of the region's best bird-watching haunts.

Among the 52 mammal species calling Abuko home are bushbucks, duikers, porcupines, bush babies and ground squirrels as well as three monkey types: green or vervet monkeys, endangered western red colobus monkeys and patas monkeys.

The reserve is particularly famous for its Nile crocodiles and other slithering types such as pythons, puff adders, green mambas and forest cobras.

The compact area of Abuko teems with birds including sunbirds, green hylias, African goshawks, oriole warblers, yellowbills and leafloves. Abuko is about the only place in Gambia where you can observe green and violet turacos, white-spotted flufftails, ahanta francolins and western bluebills.

Wassu Stone Circles

Archaeologists believe the Wassu stone circles are burial sites constructed about 1200 years ago. Each stone weighs several tonnes and is between 1m (3.3ft) and 2.5m (7.5ft) in height. There's a small but well-presented museum with exhibits discussing the possible origins of the circles. Stonehenge this isn't, but nevertheless, it's fascinating evidence of ancient African cultures.

Most of the stone circles in the region date from AD 500 to AD 1000, before the Mandinka people migrated to this area. Excavations have unearthed human bones and artefacts at the centre of many circles, indicating that they were burial sites, although dating techniques show that bodies may have been buried some time after the circles were constructed. Despite archaeological excavation, little is known about the people who built these structures.