The Gambia
The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, as well as one of the smallest countries in the world, and consists entirely of the navigable reaches of the Gambia River, its estuary, and the surrounding lands extending only 10 to 15 miles inland from the waterway. Part of the day was dedicated to the natural history of The Gambia, which included the gallery forest of Abuko and some of the river’s extensive mangrove habitat.
Once we left the harbor area of Banjul (the capital) and drove through the commercial center of Serekunda, we quickly found ourselves in the midst of undeveloped, wild-looking habitat. Lamin proved to be the ideal spot to board some pirogues and explore the red mangroves in the lower reaches of the river where tidal effects and saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean produce a very rich estuary.
Numerous birds were observed among the mangroves, including kingfishers, herons, egrets, pigeons, doves, whimbrels, and various shorebirds, but the most photogenic and endearing creatures were several green vervet monkeys sighted near the landing site. These red mangroves are an essential part of the estuary, because many important commercial species of fish and marine invertebrates are dependent on the organic debris from the shed leaves, as well as the safety provided by their dense prop roots. Oysters are found in unbelievable profusion growing on the roots and they have become a major economic entity in the country’s fisheries.
We also had a chance to explore the nearby Abuko Nature Reserve, where we hiked on a pleasant shaded trail through a dense dry forest habitat that consisted of many large trees festooned with vines and lianas. Impressive gumbar trees provided much of the shade, but many banyans and a few giant mahogany trees added to the forest canopy and in some areas we could see the beautiful crowns of huge raffia palms. The bird watchers were rewarded with nice views of vultures, buzzards, turacos, barbets, and a host of smaller hard-to-identify species. And, of course, monkeys were seen, including more vervets, as well as red colobus and patas monkeys.
The Gambian people, their history and culture were the focus of the other part of our day. Making our way through the capital city of Banjul and on to the largest city, Serekunda, the people were both friendly and welcoming. Visits to the Batik Factory and the National Museum highlighted this portion of our visit.
Between our morning and afternoon visits, we were fortunate to have a visit and talk from Ambassador Pamela White, the U. S. ambassador to The Gambia.
