Words, thoughts and invite from Neale James, presenter/producer of The Friday Photowalk. Pictures from Jason Florio with further photographs from Neale.

The Gambia is rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. Situated on the west coast, the smallest country of the continent, it reaches inland following the course of the seven hundred-mile River Gambia, bordered on either side by Senegal, home to nine historically important tribes all of whom live harmoniously together. The country is blessed with much wildlife; aardvarks, hyaena, Nile crocodiles, warthogs, bushpigs, hippopotami, monitor lizards, chameleons, geckos, Green Vervet, and Red Colobus monkeys. Bottlenose dolphins are often spotted at the entrance to River Gambia from the Atlantic Ocean. The country is also celebrated for its breadth of birdlife, with over five hundred species to be discovered in the forests and along the River Gambia’s mangrove-lined banks.

Unlike other African nations where you can travel days and not see a soul, The Gambia is a more densely populated country that provides many opportunities to photograph people at work and play.

This first expedition into West Africa is an opportunity to learn, practice and experience photography from three guides and is open for up to six explorers with a camera.

The full itinerary is at the foot of this page, and we are now accepting interest from prospective explorers via the contact form also below. As you consider this wonderful adventure, here are photographs from two of our expedition guides, international photojournalist Jason Florio and podcast/broadcaster Neale James.

JASON FLORIO

YOUR EXPLORER GUIDES

JASON FLORIO

Award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker, Jason was based in New York for 18 years before relocating to The Gambia in 2013. He has produced images and documentaries for clients including The New York Times, National Geographic, Amnesty International and the World Bank. He focuses on under-reported stories about people living on the margins of society and human rights. His work has received a number of awards, including The Magnum Photography Award for his work on migration. Co-leading with his wife Helen Jones-Florio, Jason completed the first recorded circumnavigation of The Gambia by foot and then together again, the first recorded expedition of River Gambia from its source in Guinea-Conakry to the Atlantic Ocean, in The Gambia creating a document of the communities that live along the river. For his photography-based expedition projects, Jason was made a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society in the UK.

ANDY THOMPSON

The founder of Gaia Media, Andy Thompson and has been operating in the creative industries of film, television and music since 2002. During this time it has worked with clients and partners across the globe including Interscope, EMI Publishing, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Universal Pictures, EntertainmentOne and the BBC. Previously managing the careers of TV and radio presenters, musicians and composers while producing music videos, Gaia Media now focus on film and television and has produced a number of award-winning feature films across all genres including Best British Film at Raindance in 2015. Based in The Gambia, Andy is involved in many media projects including narrative film storytelling training for a new thriving West African industry.

NEALE JAMES

As a broadcaster, Neale started his professional career in the Canary Islands based in Lanzarote at an English and German language radio station, returning to the UK to train and present within BBC regional radio, before joining the national network, Radio 1, to host a wide series of music shows and documentaries, including television. Upon leaving the BBC, Neale continued to present programmes in the commercial radio industry including co-directing a radio training school and audio channel programme directing for commercial clients including HSBC and NatWest Bank. In 2004 he switched his full-time occupation to become a social reportage and commercial photographer initially studio based in Berkshire, UK. In 2019, Neale returned to audio launching his podcasting interests, joining forces with Fujifilm ambassador Kevin Mullins to co-present The FujiCast, and in June 2020 launched Photography Daily/The Photowalk - a programme that celebrates the ‘why’ of photography.

 NEALE JAMES

THE ITINERARY

Tuesday/Wednesday 23rd and 24th January 2024 (our two guest arrival days)

You’ll be greeted at Yundum International Airport (aka Banjul Airport IATA: BJL) by a member of the team and transfer to our first hotel in the Fajara and Bakau region on the Atlantic coast of Gambia, known for its botanical gardens, southwest of the capital city. This is an opportunity to meet together with your fellow photowalkers, winding down from a long day of travelling by the ocean, prior to a relaxed first day of local exploration.

Wednesday 24th January

For those arriving in the afternoon on the second of our two arrival days, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Guests already with us from Tuesday will have the opportunity to explore locally and make documentary photographs, learning a little of the culture photographically.

In the evening we’ll come together at The Fajara Garden restaurant, to talk about the week ahead, meet the full team of guides and share photographs showcasing the expedition to come and the story we’re going to make together in photographs and sound. 

Thursday 25th January

We travel early to Banjul’s Albert Market, described as an emporium that is wonderfully pungent, lively, and bustling with a large selection of vividly designed fabrics and fresh produce laid out within a labyrinth of alleys. There are hundreds of stalls and small shops, providing a chance to sample day-to-day life in this West African city and start your documentary story.

At lunchtime we move toward the coast on the outskirts of the city, to travel and lunch aboard a traditional fishing pirogue bound for the town of Barra, northern Gambia. Our journey will take us across the wide estuary mouth of where the River Gambia meets with the Atlantic. In the afternoon we’ll take a trip not to forget on the Barra to Banjul ferry, which returns us to the capital. People, animals, vehicles, it’s a hive of activity and you’ll see and hear all of life on a 40-minute crossing used by 20,000 people a day!

A true Gambian experience with much to document, once back on dry land, we take a guided walk to our vehicles along the side streets that lead down to this busy port, including visiting an old Janneh compound.

In the evening we’ll spend time with photographer Jason Florio, our guide for the river adventure part of our time in The Gambia, who’ll share his love for this country in a phototalk that also covers his life as an award-winning international photojournalist.

Friday 26th January

As a team we visit a local school, there to observe and experience, though importantly we’ll also be making photographs that the school will be able to use to show a record of day-to-day educational work.

We privately join a local football team at Mam Doudou to photograph their training before visiting the fishing town of Bakau and then Kachikally, one of three sacred crocodile pools used as sites for fertility rituals. It is today on the tourist trail, so our challenge is to tell the story of this place and pool, which is under the custody of a five-hundred-year ‘chiefly’ clan called Bojang, in a way that respects the women who take a pilgrimage here to douse themselves in curative waters made sacred by the crocodiles, the largest being a 70-year-old male named Charlie, reputedly after the first tourist who had the nerve to touch him.

In the evening at the open-air Fajara Garden restaurant, we’ll have an opportunity to sample Gambian traditional dishes such as Benachin and Supa Kanja. We’ll talk about our stories, and enjoy Kora entertainment. The Kora is a 21-string harp that originates from The Gambia, used to recite ancestral and historical stories through music and dance.

Saturday 27th January

The Kankurang. It is the season for this ritual across the country, and we travel to a Kankurang Festival to observe, enjoy and photograph four to five Kankurang groups in traditional dress as they dance and drum out the story of an age-old West African tradition. The central figure of the Kankurang is a protective spirit, impersonated by a masked man, known as an initiate. This spirit is the protector of both order and justice and the exorcist of evil spirits.

Sunday 28th January

Departing early, we’re bound for a fishing village called Tanji, where the men return from overnight Atlantic fishing in traditional colourful pirogues to be greeted by the women of the village who swim to the boats to collect the catch.

In the afternoon, we journey together to Sanyang, a beautiful beach where we’ll witness wrestling (TBC) and have time to unwind along this expansive stretch of coast, where it’s not unknown to be joined by the area’s local cattle!

We’ll also start to piece together our adventure podcast episode, drawing from the sights and sounds recorded so far and discuss sound as part of your photographic story telling process during an evening of mentoring, observation, and reflection.

Monday 29th January

Visiting the Tambi wetlands, we hope to photograph the famous Oyster Ladies of the region, plus we’ll visit rustic Lamin Lodge, where monkeys have been regular visitors for decades now, expecting a share of your lunch!

We visit Brefet Bolon, a tidal creek and local village, spending time with and photographing local people of the area. This will be an opportunity to experience first-hand the daily routine of a working family, including farming in the creek, home life and preparing and cooking traditional meals.

Tuesday 30th January

Today we make a river region safari trip, exploring the highlights of The Gambia in a 4×4 jeep, traversing stunning landscapes and pristine nature. Our knowledgeable guide will accompany us on this off-road adventure, explaining and showcasing cultural life as we pass through traditional villages.

The idea is to gain deeper insight into Gambian lifestyles by visiting a local family, witnessing their daily routines and learning about the socio-dynamics of this West African country.

Wednesday 31st January

A Gambia history tour. We take to the river to discover the most tragic period in Gambia’s history – the Atlantic slave trade. Slaves from all over West Africa were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe and America. James Island on the River Gambia became the largest slave yard where people were sold and prepared for transport across the sea.

During this trip, we will use a traditional Gambian motorboat, starting our journey in the Bintang creek, navigating through the mangroves, and continue on to the main Gambia River. After two hours, we will arrive at James Island and with some luck, we may be joined by bottlenose dolphins along the way.

St. James Island, also officially known as Kunta Kinteh Island, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site to ensure that the tragic period of the slave trade is not forgotten.

We will explore the remnants of this dark era on the island, including the fort with its slave dungeons. The island was initially owned by the Portuguese in 1651 before it was ultimately seized by the English.

Departing the island, we will cruise to the mainland and explore Albreda and Juffureh, two major villages that served as slave trading posts and loading bases. Juffureh is the birthplace of the famous slave Kunta Kinteh, born in 1750, who gained prominence through the book written by Alex Haley about slavery. We will visit one of the old trading houses that now serves as a museum.

Here, we can learn a great deal about the days of slavery and gain a clearer understanding of this dark chapter in Gambia’s history.

Thursday 1st February

Rising early, we leave the river behind us and travel by road to Makasutu, a tropical 1000-acre reserve encompassing five different ecosystems, including gallery forest, savannah, mangroves, palm forest, and wetland.

In the evening at the open-air Fajara Garden restaurant, once again we’ll have an opportunity to sample more Gambian traditional dishes and enjoy Kora entertainment. This is the final evening we spend together as a team, so we’ll close with slideshows of our work and shared stories of experience.

Friday 2nd February

Departure day, with transfers back to the airport.

FURTHER TRAVEL NOTES

Please note the itinerary is subject to change. The full cost includes local land and river transportation to and from all locations including airport transfers. Main meals are covered, but not additional snacks purchased separately, or alcoholic drinks. Entrance fees to wildlife parks and islands are covered. Accommodation at multiple locations for the full duration of stay is included; a mixture of star ratings.

Flights to and from Banjul are not included. Explorers will be required to provide their own travel and equipment insurance.

COST: £3,900