Gambia travel guide for Britons

British passport holders must confirm visa and permitted-stay rules with the Gambia Immigration Department and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office before booking. Rules, fees and permitted stay can change; this page is a dated draft and has not been field-verified.

The parent country facts for The Gambia do not state a visa rule, fee or permitted stay for UK passports, so treat any figure you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until the immigration authority confirms it for your travel dates.

Passport validity, blank pages and onward-ticket rules are set by the Gambia Immigration Department and the airline; check both before you pay for flights.

UK nationals in The Gambia are represented by the British High Commission in Dakar, Senegal, which handles consular matters for the country. Confirm current contact details, opening hours and out-of-hours arrangements on the FCDO travel advice page before you travel.

Register your trip and save the High Commission's details offline before departure. For emergencies inside The Gambia, the parent country facts list 117 police, 116 ambulance and 118 fire (check).

Prices in The Gambia are quoted in dalasi (GMD). The parent country facts give roughly 70–75 GMD per US$ (check); convert to GBP at the rate on the day you pay, and expect cash to be the practical option outside hotels.

The parent country facts do not list dalasi prices for hotels, meals or transport, so this page does not quote a trip total. Build a budget from the cost of travel in Gambia page and confirm live prices with your hotel and tour operator.

Banjul International Airport (BJL) at Yundum is the main gateway; the resort strip on the Atlantic coast sits 15–20 km west of Banjul, per the parent country facts. Flight times, airlines and seasonal schedules from UK airports are not stated in the sources for this page, so confirm them with the airline or a flight planner.

The Gambia runs on UTC+0 (GMT) all year, so there is no clock change to plan around from the UK.

The Gambia uses UK Type G sockets at 230 V 50 Hz, so British three-pin plugs fit without an adapter. Bring a travel adapter only for non-UK devices.

Power cuts are possible; a small power bank is useful for phones and cameras.

Tipping is expected by guides and drivers, and 10% is the norm in restaurants, per the parent country facts. Carry small dalasi notes for tips, and agree any guide or driver rate before the trip starts.

The parent country facts list 117 for police, 116 for ambulance and 118 for fire (check). Save these numbers offline, and note that mobile coverage and response times can vary outside the coastal resort area.