gambiavibes.com

Gambia Vibes · Destinations · The capital

Banjul is probably the smallest capital on the African mainland. It sits on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River, squeezed between the ocean, the river and the mangroves. Fewer than thirty thousand people live here. Most of the country's life has long since moved to Serrekunda and the coast. And yet this faded, crumbling, lively little town is where the story of modern Gambia begins.

Many visitors only pass through Banjul on the way to the ferry. Give it a day. It repays you.

From Bathurst to Banjul

In 1816 a British captain, Alexander Grant, landed on St Mary's Island with soldiers and settlers and founded a town. He named it Bathurst, after Earl Bathurst, the British colonial secretary. Its purpose was to stop the slave trade on the river, which Britain had outlawed for its own ships in 1807. Upriver at James Island, Britain had spent more than a century buying and shipping people. Now it was building a base to stop others doing the same.

Bathurst became the capital of the British colony of The Gambia, and for long periods it was governed together with Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast. When The Gambia became independent on 18 February 1965, Bathurst became the capital of the new nation. In 1973 it was renamed Banjul, a local name for the island, often linked to the Mandinka word for the rope fibres once gathered there.

The town has two problems that have shaped its life. Space: an island town cannot grow, so the population moved to the mainland. And water: much of Banjul lies barely above sea level, with mangroves and wetlands on one side and the ocean on the other. Flooding in the rainy season is a regular event, and rising seas threaten its future.

What to see

Arch 22

You cannot miss it. The 35-metre arch over the main road into town was begun in 1996 to commemorate the military coup of 22 July 1994, which brought Yahya Jammeh to power for 22 years. Today it is a strange monument: a celebration of a coup, in a country that voted the coup leader out in 2016. Climb up, or take the lift, to the gallery for the best view over the town, the river and the mangroves. There is a small museum inside. Read the story of the dictatorship and its end in The Gambia: the country that voted out a dictator.

Albert Market

Banjul's great market is the beating heart of the town: fabric, spices, smoked fish, vegetables, tools, mobile phones and a craft section for visitors. It is crowded, noisy and wonderful. Go in the morning, keep your bag in front of you, and bargain with a smile.

The National Museum

The National Museum of The Gambia, near the State House, is small but worth an hour. It covers the country's peoples, crafts, musical instruments and history from the stone circles to independence. It also explains much of what you will see upriver at Wassu and Juffureh.

The old town

Walk the streets near the waterfront and you will see old colonial Bathurst: wooden Krio-style houses with balconies, many leaning and crumbling, the Anglican St Mary's Cathedral, the Catholic cathedral, the King Fahad Mosque, and the Six-Gun Battery near the State House. It is not polished. It is real, and a good deal of it is in danger of disappearing.

The mangroves

Around Banjul lie the Tanbi Wetlands, a maze of mangrove creeks rich in birds. Boat trips from Denton Bridge and Lamin take you into them, with herons, kingfishers and, if you are lucky, a glimpse of the West African manatee's habitat.

How to visit

From Kololi, Kotu or Bakau, a green tourist taxi takes 30 to 45 minutes, crossing Denton Bridge onto the island. You can also use the cheap yellow-and-green shared taxis. Half a day covers the main sights; a full day lets you add a mangrove boat trip. Many guided city tours combine Banjul with Bakau and the Kachikally crocodile pool. More in getting around The Gambia.

Banjul and the Gold Coast

For much of the 19th century, Bathurst, Freetown and Cape Coast were parts of one British West African system, with shared governors, soldiers and officials. The governor Charles MacCarthy, who gave his name to MacCarthy Square in Banjul and to MacCarthy Island upriver, died fighting the Asante in 1824. Gambian soldiers later fought in Britain's wars against the Asante. Read Charles MacCarthy, Gambian soldiers in Britain's wars against the Asante and The Gambia and the Gold Coast: one British West Africa.

Sources: The Point on the 2024 census (GBoS). Arch 22. J. M. Gray, A History of the Gambia (1940). UK FCDO travel advice, The Gambia.

Gambia Vibes · Part of the Ghana-Net network · Updated and fact-checked: 6 November 2026