Updated 18/6/2000
Gambia Tourist Support
Lamin Lodge
Is a unique multi levelled timber construction over the creek at Lamin, there is a restaurant, boats and a local and mainly ignored Oyster factory.
A causeway across the mangrove swamps to the lodge
Visits
Home
6 Before the Fire6
The Oyster factory is to the right of the main entrance
Removing the cooked oysters
Firing the shells produces a powder for paint and crushed shells for local cement
A variety of available boats from Amie Badji, who offers a 15% discount to GTS members.
Destroyed
by FIRE Sunday 30th April 2000 see News and later photographs
May 3rd The
landing stage is now rebuilt.
Lamin Lodge is operational again with a massive rebuild
See new pictures of the lodge as it grows again
Lamin Lodge is unique.
To get to it you need transport. The road has the scars of the torrents
of water from the rainy season, you feel as if you are travelling a dried
riverbed rather than a road but it is well worth it.
You approach past the Oyster factory, many people miss this totally, driving in through the gates of the lodge without knowing it is there.
If you look around you will see the piles of oyster shells, the oysters long gone in the early morning when women wade into the creek to collect them.
Some of the shells are fired and pounded into a fine dust that is mixed with water and used as a white protective paint. Others are used instead of stones to mix with tar for road surfacing. As elsewhere in the Gambia nothing is wasted.
There is also a small sacred tree shrine here where local people come to make offerings in the hope of securing a good result for their prayers.
In the branches of a large tree there is a cultivated wild bees nest.
To get to Lamin Lodge you must walk over a short man made causeway out into the creek. The construction of the main building was rather more like a screen set for something out of a MadMax film. It was entirely constructed from wood and provided bars at several levels.
It got extensive use in the early mornings by bird watchers who came to get a boat into the creek to hear the morning chorus and see birds that will roost away for much of the day out of site.
The site is currently under re-construction
Mr. Aime Badji has 3 boats that journey to Banjul or locally round the creeks.
A large one capable of carrying 18 people costs 200D an hour (c£10) The smaller one, for 4 people costs 75D an hour, the medium sized 'pirouge' carries 10 people.
Aime gives a 15% discount to GTS Members. This discount does not apply to the restaurant at Lamin Lodge which is owned separately by Peter its German owner.
