A Company

The Gambia - Roots by Land

Excursion

Price from

€109

Duration
9hrs
Season
Available all year
Min. number
0 travellers
Booking code
AF-BLJ3

Step back in time as your tour takes you through five centuries of history, focusing on the slave trade and Gambian Kunta Kinteh, who was forced into slavery in the 18th century.
  • Drive Inland of the Gambia.

  • Discover the history of the slave trade in Gambia.

  • Trace the origins of Kunta Kinteh – the Gambian taken to the Americas and forced into slavery.

  • Cruise to Kunta Kinteh Island, which played a vital rolde in the slave trade.


You will catch the Banjul Barra ferry to the North bank. After approx. 1 hour in the ferry, you will reach Barra where you will join our vehicle. 

You will drive through villages in a bumping road, African way, for approx. 1 hour, before reaching Juffureh Albreda.in the north bank region of the mouth of River Gambia. 

Here you visit the freedom flagpole and also visit a slave museum.  Albreda used to be a French trading post during the slavery era.  There is also a church here, which was the first of its kind to be built in West Africa by the Portuguese.  The essence of stopping here is to explain how the freedom flagpole came into being, which is nowadays one of our national monuments since 1970. 

From here you proceed onto Juffureh, which is the home village of the famous slave who was forced into slavery in the mid seventeen century: Kunta Kinteh.  It is on whom, Alex Haley has based the history of his best seller Roots, which retraces the events of the transatlantic slave trade.     

You then come to the main highlight of the roots trip, the visit of the Kinteh clan.  On the way back to the boat a stop is made to the museum, which retraces more than 400 years of slave trade that contributed considerably to the depopulation of the continent. 

Following the walk, you join a pirogue to proceed for a 2-mile sea cruise to Kuntah Kinteh Island (former James Island).  This is an Island, which used to play a vital role during the slave trade.  Located about 3 KM away from the village Albreda.  This tiny Island, which used to be six times bigger than its actual size, was used to keep slaves for 2 weeks maximum, before they were shipped to Goree Island.  The most characteristic thing is the dungeon remaining on the Island, out of 14, which were washed away by the erosion or the gunpowder explosion, which occurred in the mid 18th Century.  Those dungeons were used to punish slaves who used to rebel against the slave master; hands and legs chained and served one meal a day in order to weaken them. 

After the sights and information on this other historical landmark in The Gambia, you cruise back to the village for lunch in a local Restaurant before driving back to Barra to catch the ferry to Banjul.

Practical information

  • Language: English.

  • Included: Salad, chicken yassa, rice, domoda, chips, local fruit.

  • Remarks/requirements: Appropriate clothing and comfortable walking shoes.

  • Walking information: Flat walk.

  • Wheelchair accessible: No.

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