Senegambia Craft Market — Attraction in West Coast Division

It was my first time to booked ticket and a hotel with a swimming pool in it, that was my best holiday ever, they treat me with great respect , and they assist me with a lot of thing, it was a dream holiday, i have to change flights, it was quite a delay to get on the flights, but it was alright with me, the transportation was fine me , the drive pick me time and on my way back to the airport, i got the same treatment, it was a good driver and was very polite, i didn't even find it difficult to travel. The hotel beach has a very beautiful good view wow, i had a nice time in the gambia, it is a good place to go and experience of a lifetime, everything was a bit expensive for me, i saw some wild animals , and i learn much more about their culture and history of the gambia, i saw some art like picture and order things, and somethings to know about the gambia, i will like to go back, but not at the moment, i have to save alot of money, if your going for holiday you prepare for a longtime, some people dont have to wait for long, everything just happen for them, i like the country, the only thing i dont like some people are suffering alot , and there is nothing to do to help, some people are rich while others are poor , this is not enough help to feed the people, some people have to fly away just to survive and help their families, the president is not helping the gambia people, all he care about is own people, some people are begging in the street, imagine how hard it is to live their, the people in the hotel were quiet helpful, they clean the hotel room each and everyday, they are very good workers, everywhere is clean , i saw monkeys up the trees , birds, they have different building in the compound, it was a good surrounding very peaceful environment nice and quiet place to enjoy yourself, you dont have to go outside must of time, on less if you have to change some money or do some shopping, i had to take transport must of the time, the roads are on finished , is not really good for driver, the road are not good enough to travel, it is very bad to use the road at the moment, i dont know how long they will take to fix it up, there is alot of job to be done, if the roads are good everything will go...

Lots of stalls with craft items, clothes and gifts. Many places in The Gambia have markets that are (rightly) geared entirely to local needs as tourists are relatively few. Others in main resorts are tourist traps where poor locals compete for trade (which was lean in January 2018 when I visited) and inevitably hassle. Here at Serrekunda there seemed more for both visitors and locals, so stallholders seemed relatively less pushy. Overall prices seemed lower than other places we visited in Gambia too. Be advised bargaining is imperative if you're on a budget. On average we paid 30 to 45% below asking price and sensed that most traders ask tourists for about 60% above the true value for goods to open negotiations. To give a comparison, I bought nice mens leather flip flop sandals for £7 from a stall offering them at £10 in Serrekunda market which I'm really pleased with. We later saw them priced at £5 on a stall in Saly, in Senegal (a place where as on that occasion goods sometimes have price tickets attached!) . The same shoes were priced at £25 in the gift shop at Banjul Airport......

The market is a great place to find handmade art at quite affordable prices ranging from African print material, beautiful African print fans (perfect relief for the Gambian heat) and other goods made from African print such as clothing for both adults and children, bags,wood carvings and mud cloth or bogolan/Bògòlanfini (which is a handmade Malian cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud). The craftsmanship of the artwork and goods is impeccable. You have to stop by this market to stock up on some gifts for your family, friends and a few items for yourself. You may also receive a special gift free of charge as a thank you from the artist. If you have a specific bag or dress that you would like made, speak to one of the artists/tailors to make one for you. They are fast and reliable. I got a duffle bag...