City Rating: Kololi
Population: ?
Date of visit: February 2019
Attractions & sights: 2/5
Nightlife: 3/5
Safety: 4/5
Infrastructure: 2/5
Low budget factor: 4/5
Total: 👍 👍/5
The city in a nutshell:
Kololi is basically not a town but a district of Serrekunda. It is the most touristic place in the Gambia with many resorts, bars and restaurants. Kololi is a package holiday destination for relaxing vacations and with notorious nightlife.
Where to stay:
Kololi is relatively small, so it doesn’t matter that much. As a rule of thumb I would say: the closer to the beach the better.
The Good:
With good flight connections you can escape the European winter here in Kololi. The tourist infrastructure is reasonably good and there are a lot of good hotels located directly on a very beautiful and long beach.
There are also some activities you can do if you get bored after a few days on the beach. For example you can visit a monkey park, marvel at crocodiles in a pool or take a trip to the local market in Banjul.
Although the hotel prices are not bargains, the area is still quite cheap. You can eat well for less than 7 Euros, a beer costs about one Euro and the 30-minute taxi ride from and to the airport is also only about 7 Euros.
In addition, practically every evening there is something going on in the infamous Strip. But the nightlife also has its downsides…
The Bad & The Ugly:
…because Kololi is a sex tourist hot-spot. There is normal nightlife, but it is far less common than sleazy bars. Kololi may be Africa’s answer to Pattaya. The average age of the tourists should be between 50-60 and not a few of them come here for low reasons. By the way, these are not only male sex tourists but also – or especially – female.
Furthermore, the intrusiveness of the locals can become a nuisance. Tourists are walking ATMs here and you have to be prepared to be approached by many people a day who want to sell you something. In some cases it is a real nuisance.
One does not have to have seen Kololi necessarily, above all because there are not many direct flights to Gambia. All in all, it’s a place that’s okay for a few relaxing days, but nothing more. There are far better areas in Africa or anywhere else in the world.
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