Winter sun: What to do in The Gambia?

Banjul, the capital, is less than half an hour's drive away from the elegant Coco Ocean resort. It's a bustling town and definitely worth a visit, even for its market alone. You can hire a taxi to take you from the hotel or opt for a full or half day tour, booked through the hotel, to include a market visit. Your driver will also act as a guide - and it is a good idea to have somebody to direct you through the labyrinth of busy passageways and enthusiastic sellers in the market.

However a walk down the beach will also put you in touch with other guides and other trips which can work out cheaper. It's up to you if you want the security of an organised trip in an air-conditioned vehicle with an official guide. We hire a local car to take us to Banjul, our driver takes us around the market and fights off the attentions of too many stall holders, as the constant entreaties to buy can get a little wearying after a while.

Birdwatching - and monkeys!

The Coco Ocean hotel is perfectly placed for the Bijilo Forest, a national park just five minutes walk down the beach, home to a multitude of bird life and many friendly monkeys. Get there when it opens at 7am for best bird benefit. The Gambia is in fact an unsung (if you will pardon the pun) birdwatchers' paradise. And it took me three nights after my return to London to stop missing the nightly music of waves and birdsong and get used to the traffic again.

All sorts of people will offer their services as guides on your approach to the park, from the taxi drivers in the rank at the busy junction of Kololi - a great spot for lively bars and restaurants - to the ‘official' park guides occupying a little stand nearby. Don't be fooled. The park offers guides for free once you pay your 30 Dalasi (less than £1) admission fee. Our guide is very knowledgeable and obviously well in with the monkeys, who pose happily for photos on his command. He also insists on escorting us back along the beach until we are within sight of our hotel - a true gentleman!

A large variety of birds make their home in The Gambia, including Senegal Fire Finch, Pied Crow and Red Bishop, alongside more common species like Cattle Egrets, Oxpeckers, starlings, swift and parrots. I spent the first day admiring the graceful rolls of several large black birds with huge wing spans before asking one of the gardeners what they were - ‘vultures' he laughed.

Day trips and tours

You can organise a half day birdwatching excursion through the Gambia Experience, with the services of a trained guide. Other recommended excursions include a day on a catamaran, where you can try your hand at fishing; a 4-wheel drive adventure through the countryside, including a visit to a village school and a compound where you can meet local families; and a tour of Banjul and surrounds - check out the Kachically crocodile pool! Further afield, you can visit the Makasutu cultural forest and meet the Jola tribe or travel to neighbouring Senegal for a two-day trip.

The Coco Ocean hotel owns its own river boat - a carved African Pirogue - which is available for exclusive hire or you can sign up to join a scheduled excursion. The best way to enjoy the charms of the River Gambia, it is equipped with its own bar and lunch will be cooked on-board by your personal chef.

At the end of the day, how much interaction you have with the life outside the resort is up to you - you can organise all of your excursions from within and only leave under its protection if you feel safer this way. But it would be a shame to not at least wander down the beach to Siaka's juice bar (a timber stall with buckets of fresh fruit and a few plastic tables and chairs in the sand). There will be many people on the beach who want to talk to you and shake your hand - though it can get a bit tiring, it was never intimidating. Meeting people who are interested in stopping to chat was a refreshing change to life in a big city. And it's amazing to think it's all available in a long weekend break from the UK.

Booking information

Specialist tour operator The Gambia Experience offers 7-night holidays at the Coco Ocean Resort & Spa (part of its Luxury Collection) from £899 per person. This price is based on two sharing a junior suite on a bed & breakfast basis and includes return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and all taxes. Upgrades to half board cost from £18 per person per night.

For more information, please call The Gambia Experience reservations department on 0845 330 2087 or visit www.gambia.co.uk.

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