All activities / River Cruising / Scenic Float / Janjanbureh
River Cruising / Scenic Float in Janjanbureh
One of the oldest towns in The Gambia, formerly Georgetown, on an island in the River Gambia far upstream, a colonial river port that is now the hub for upper-river journeys past Baboon Islands, the Wassu stone circles and the country's inland wildlife.
Why here
The River Gambia is the country, a broad tidal river that runs the whole length of the land, and cruising it upstream is the way to see a Gambia the beach resorts never show. From the estuary the river narrows into forested banks alive with birds, and the upper reaches around Janjanbureh reward the journey with the country's richest wildlife. At the River Gambia National Park, the Baboon Islands hold a long-running chimpanzee rehabilitation project, and boats drift past to see the chimps on the forested shore along with hippos, crocodiles and red colobus monkeys. Nearby stand the Wassu stone circles, a UNESCO-listed field of ancient burial megaliths thousands of years old, and Janjanbureh itself, a weathered old river town of colonial warehouses and slave-trade memory. A multi-day cruise strings these together with village landings and long, slow days on the water, watching fish eagles and kingfishers work the banks. For a traveller who wants to read a country by its river, the upper Gambia is the reason to head inland.
Best months
River cruises run in the dry season, roughly November to April, when the water is navigable and wildlife gathers along the banks; the rainy season is not cruised. Wildlife is wild: chimps on the Baboon Islands are viewed from the water and never guaranteed, but hippos, crocodiles, monkeys and abundant birdlife are reliably seen along the upper river. Days are hot and humid, evenings cooler on deck. The journey is scenic and cultural as much as a wildlife trip, with landings at Wassu, Janjanbureh and riverside villages between long stretches of open water.
Getting there & around
The multi-day River Gambia cruise departs from Banjul and works upstream over about a week, so the practical way to do it is the packaged cruise, which handles the boat, cabins, meals, guides and shore excursions to Baboon Islands, Wassu and Janjanbureh. Independent upriver travel is possible by road to Janjanbureh (a long drive from the coast) with local boat trips arranged there, but slower and rougher. Bring binoculars, sun protection, insect repellent and light layers for cool evenings on deck. Book the cruise well ahead, as sailings are limited.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Variety Cruises
OutfitterVariety Cruises operates the multi-day Rivers of West Africa cruise on the River Gambia, an eight-day Banjul-to-Banjul voyage aboard the small ship Harmony V. The itinerary runs deep upstream to the River Gambia National Park, where guests view the Baboon Islands chimpanzee rehabilitation project, hippos, crocodiles and red colobus from the water, and lands at the Wassu stone circles and the old river town of Janjanbureh.