Roots tour – full day
An early start from your hotel at around 8:00 am for a drive to the harbour in Banjul where we will board our vessel.
We will be covering a distance of 25km upriver, to the villages of Albreda, Juffureh and Fort James Island now called Kunta Kinteh Island.
During this tour, you will discover the history of the transatlantic slave trade, how it was carried out and what was involved in the trade. You will also have the opportunity to meet the 8th generation from the descendants of Kunta Kinteh as in the book and film ‘ROOTS’ by Alex Hailey.
After meeting Kunta Kinteh’s descendants we take a break and enjoy a lovely all-inclusive lunch. Once refreshed we take a tour around a museum dedicated to the remembrance of the slaves that were held on the island.
Once we have finished at the museum it is a short boat ride to get to Fort James on Kunta Kinteh Island. We will spend around an hour with the dedicated island guides before setting off on our return journey.
Dolphin sighting is a great possibility on this river cruise. and can expect to be back at your hotel around 5 to 6 pm.
ExcellentBased on 152 reviews
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Amy H2024-03-07Well organised and professional with lovely Malcolm. A great trip out with Bushwhacker tours! We had a wonderful guide, Malcolm, who took us to Kunta Kinteh Island as part of the Roots tour. It was a really well organised trip- communication was prompt and we were picked up on time..a great, safe driver both sides of the river! I was so impressed at Malcolm's knowledge. We have wanted to do this trip to Jufureh for years and bombarded Malcolm with questions which he took in his stride. I really enjoyed the trip, albeit a bittersweet one that made me feel really emotional but I am so glad I finally got to go. The tour included a visit to descendents of Kunta Kinteh which was surreal and humbling. I would recommend the trip to anyone!Verified
Tony_Kelly_132024-01-19Fatala safari tour Excellent trip. After looking at other tour providers and prices this looked the best option and we weren't disappointed. Well organized and professional. An informed guide accompanied us throughout the day. With some apprehension we took the walk with lions additional option and this will be a lasting memory. All in all a thoroughly great day out.Verified
Sanja V2024-01-11The great safari adventure with the best guides We are a young family with a child, and we visited the Fathala Safari Park in Senegal with our guides, Malcolm and Lamin. It was an amazing experience that we will remember forever because it was so spectacular to see the wild animals in their natural environment and to be immersed in the magnificent nature surrounding them. It is a formative experience for any age. When vacationing in Gambia, you will be offered all the time to be taken on a tour by many people, everyone knows someone who has a tour company, or guides just offer their services on the street. And choosing randomly any of those is perhaps fine if you would like to just briefly venture outside your hotel and see something close by. But if you would like to be sure to get a quality experience, or to go on a safari, which is a much more complex trip to organize, then it is much better to choose a reliable tour company, with lots of experience and with excellent guides, such as Bushwacker Tours. Our guides were very attentive, and alert to all our needs, they anticipated and solved any issues quickly and competently. We were taken care of in every sense, and made to feel safe all the time. They were punctual and respectful, and they planned our meals and drinks well. Every leg of the trip worked out well, and we had a very good experience throughout the whole day. Additionally, the guides were also patient and kind with our child and all his needs and questions. If possible, make sure to have Malcolm as your guide because he is very knowledgeable, tactful, cultured, and really a joy to talk with and to learn from. Needless to say, his English is excellent. We recommend Bushwacker Tours to any tourists, especially those who expect smooth, reliable, professional service, and who want to enjoy their trip while feeling safe and taken care of. If you travel with children, again, this is a tour operator for you. We thank Malcolm and Lamin also in this way, and we wish them and the company success in all their future endeavors. See you next time!Verified
Barbersontour2023-05-03Amazing From start to finish these guys are amazing the communication was spot on and they worked around us Lamin and his team were great we did the boat trip lazy day with fishing and it was fabulous ... lamin pointed out loads of birds and the food was amazing he taught me to fish much to my husbands amazement and we caught some fish cant recommended these guys enough ... we will be back December to do more .....Verified
Lukas P2023-03-20Unforgettable two day trip to Janjanbureh We had a great 2day trip to Janjanbureh, including great wildlife, interesting cultural sites and even a surprise spontaneous visit to a nomadic camp. Alieu and our driver Lamin were absolutely professional, extremely knowledgeable and I can recommend them 100% for a memorable trip through Gambia.Verified
Been a few places2023-01-15Excellent agency, excellent tour Took the Roots tour with Lamin at Bushwhacker Tours after visiting a number of agencies on the strip. Many companies offer similar tours but Lamin stood out to us as a genuine and passionate person and we definitely made the right decision by going with our instinct. The Roots tour was most definitely a highlight of our time in the Gambia and everyone should visit Kunta Kinteh island if they can. It's not an easy tour due to the harrowing history of the island but it's such an important part of West African history and a history that should not be repeated. The whole tour was incredibly smooth and Lamin a wonderful tour guide who has a great sense of humour. The day flew by despite the early start to catch the ferry in Banjul (an experience in itsef), from the jeep ride through the countryside (facemasks came in very handy) and then the time at Juffureh and Kunta Kinteh island. Definitely spend a day of your holiday on this tour and make sure you pick Bushwhacker to travel with.Verified
Tatiana R2023-01-10In resort and tourist area U will never have idea about country.Unforgetable experience, speccially visit poor villlage with skm Through Gambia ... It was 2 days tour with all included.Our lovely guide Lamin and drivet Baba was greag!! It was the best 2 days of my week in Gambia!! So happy to buy tour with this profeccional agency.In my research of some small agencies Bushwackers was quick, arrived to my hotel and helped choose right tour for me.Highly recomeded.!!!Verified
burntoshine2023-01-03Awesome tour with Super Professional Bushwacker Tours We had a wonderful tour with Bushwacker. We are a family of 5 with 3 young kids. Alieu and his team were super professional, responsive and flexible. This was super helpful given we had 3 young kids. Alieu had to handle a few curveballs and he kept his cool and had creative solutions. I contacted several tour companies and Alieu and his team stand out from the rest.Verifiedmeraly8412022-05-23Exploring Gambia and its birds!! We got in contact with Alieu by the owner of the Footsteps. We had a great time. We spend about 5 days together and travelled also to Janjabureh. We choosed to go by boat, a 5 hours trip. Worthile!!! As I liked birds. Alieu had decided to bring a driver who was also a very good bird watcher. We had a lot of fun together and at the end my husband was looking for birds too. 😄😄😄 Thanx to Dembo and AlieuVerified
nickbarraclough2022-04-222 day central and east Gambia tour A fantastic two day tour covering that the sites that we had discussed with bushwhacker. They were extremely professional, knowledgeable, friendly and managed amazing access to makes to some experiences that would be hard to achieve with a larger group. I would definitely use them again and have some fantastic memories of this trip.