Places to Visit in Farafenni, Gambia, Banjul, Northern Africa, Africa

Places to Visit in Farafenni, Gambia, Banjul, Northern Africa, Africa

Farafenni is a town belonging to the North Bank Division of Gambia, housing a population around 30,000 people. Farafenni is located on the Trans-Gambia Highway, close to the Senegal border, around 120 km east of Banjul, the capital of Gambia. It is mainly noted as a commercial town, receiving its larger proportion of economy from its big market located near Farafenni Gamtel. Farafenni is also known for its large military base and recently constructed hospital. Farafenni is also called by two other names like Chakubanta and Faracity. Farafenni is home to many schools including a senior secondary school and two junior secondary schools.

Connectivity to Farafenni:

Farafenni is situated around 150 km west-southwest of the only airport of Gambia, the Banjul International Airport and this distance can be crossed by airport taxi or bus or more comfortably by a private transfer.

The highway S Bank Rd links Farafenni to many Western Gambian cities, including Banjul, Serekunda, and Bakau.

The local transportation of Farafenni is catered by buses and rental vehicles like cars and bikes. These options can also be used for airport travel and sightseeing purposes.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Farafenni:

Wolof is a widely spoken language in Farafenni and other languages communicated in Farafenni are Mandinka and Fula.

Farafenni Internet & Shopping Center is one of the famous shopping centres in Farafenni and the town also houses many modern food corners.

Things to do in Farafenni:

Hiking
Shopping at traditional market
Village tours

What to see in Farafenni?

Markets in Farafenni:

Markets are the highlights of Farafenni with a substantial amount of transaction taking place daily. The big and main market of Farafenni is located opposite of Farafenni Gamtel, where one can bag all types of locally produced items including handicraft products. Farafenni is also known for weekly market lumo.

Farafenni Mini Stadium:

The Farafenni Mini Stadium is one of the landmarks of Farafenni, generally used by athletics. It is situated at the outskirts of the town, in the vicinity of the lumo weekly market.

Gambia River:

The Gambia River flows through the middle of Gambia, around 6 km south of Farafenni. There is a village named Bamba Tenda, where visitors can enjoy boating, swimming and many other water sport activities. There can be accessed by bus or rental cars.

Kiang West National Park:

The Kiang West National Park is situated to the southwest of Farafenni, on the bank of Gambia River. With an area of 11,526 hectares, this park is the Gambia’s one of the largest wildlife reserves. It draws tourists mainly for bird-watching, for which Tubabkollon Point, in the proximity of a sandy beach, is an ideal spot. The road leading to park is not in good condition, so it is advised visitors to take a guided tour from the city for easy exploration. From November to January is the best time to visit the Kiang West National Park.

List of other places of interest in and around Farafenni includes:

Makasutu Culture Forest
Market in Brikama
Nyambai Forest Park
Sheraton Gambia Resort
Tanjii Bird Reserve
Sibis Garden Bar
Gambia River National Park
TAF Brufut Gardens
Kiang West National Park
MacCarthy Island
Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve
Kunta Kinteh Island
Kachikally Crocodile Pool
Abuko Nature Reserve
Gambia National Museum

When to visit Farafenni?

Throughout the year is best, especially the dry months between November and February are ideal to visit Farafenni in Gambia.

Where to stay in Farafenni?

Standard hotels are limited in Farafenni, so for more facilitated star rated hotels, one can consider the capital, Banjul or the country’s largest city Serekunda. The prominent hotels in Farafenni and Banjul (around 120 km) are as follows: