Gambia Tourist Support
Exploring West Africa

Explorers have charted the waters and coastal regions of Africa since before Roman times. The real exploration was associated with the Gold and Ivory Trade and later the even more lucrative SLAVE TRADE

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Figure of an African slave made by Romans and found by the Nile

Henry the Navigator, the Portuguese sailor first associated with the Slave Trade 1442

Elizabeth 1 helped finance the early Slave trading of Sir John Hawkins, in the 1560's


This American ship is of the sort used in the slave trade

The Romans explored and mapped The Gambia.

The Romans used African slaves, but during the 'Dark ages' Africa was the domain of Islam and it was not until 1442 when Henry the Navigator from Portugal returned some captured Moors to their homes in Morocco and was rewarded with gold and 10 black slaves, that the modern trade in human slaves from Africa to Europe began.

Exploration of Africa and particularly the West Coast seems to have developed from this event, first the Portuguese in search of a trade route to the east, followed by the French and the British. Only in the coastal areas, where Slave factories or forts were established to hold the slaves that were captured in the interior and brought here for trading.

In 1562/3 the Elizabethan, Sir John Hawkins became the first Englishman to deal in slaves. At that time there were no English colonies in the Americas. His slaves were taken to the West Indies. Queen Elizabeth 1 was so impressed that with other city backers further voyages were financed and to some extent his activities were the cause of the disagreements with Spain that led to war and the Spanish Armada.

In the following 200 years, exploration was very closely linked with the slave trade and it was during this time that the Gambia river was explored and exploited by the Portuguese, the French and the British who came to dominate the river and after the abolition of slavery in England in 1807 built Fort Bullen at the mouth of the river, to ensure other ships did not continue the trade.

In 1618, James 1, granted a charter to "The Company of Adventurers of London trading into Africa" for trade with The Gambia and the Gold Coast, their first agent George Thompson was murdered by natives after his ship was captured by the Portuguese, so it was not all plain sailing and profit.

In 1651 an Island was acquired near the river's mouth and a fort built, originally called St Andrews Island, it later became know as James Island, erosion has greatly reduced it in size, but remains of the fort still exist.

In 1768 a Scot, James Bruce set the standards for real exploration with an expedition up the Nile, returning after a series of adventures in 1771. It was through his work that the African Association was set up in 1788 mainly to explore the West African river of the Niger.

In 1794 a young Scottish doctor Mungo Park, left England bound for The Gambia, arriving there on June 21st 1795 he proceeded up the River 200 miles to a British trading post at Pisania.
(An obelisk approximately one quarter of a mile east from Karantaba Tenda marks the spot where Mungo started his journey to explore the course of the Niger River. Visitors can best find this marker by requesting the assistance of one of the guides in the town.)
From there he travelled inland over unexplored territory he was captured by an Arab chief but escaped 4 months later and alone found the Niger, he travelled 80 miles downstream to Silla but had to return to Pisania with no money and totally exhausted. He returned to England, published a book "Travels in the interior of Africa" a best seller of its time and got married.

In 1803, four years before the Act of Parliament banned the slave trade, Parks was asked to lead a second expedition. In January 1805, he sailed from Portsmouth to Gambia and made his way to the Niger. Of 40 who started, only 11 survived the trip that far, the rest died from fever or dysentery. Parks went on but never reached the sea, drowning in rapids 1000 miles down the Niger after being attacked by a local tribe when his boat was caught on rocks at some rapids not far below a place called Yauri.

If this is your first visit to Africa, you may experience the same feelings of adventure that must have stirred in these explorers. Going to a dark and mysterious continent of the unknown. Forgive me if I sound colonial, but embrace The Gambia and its multitude of diverse sights, sounds, tastes and smells and it will reward you with a richness of texture, colour and emotion, that I have not experienced anywhere else.

Getting there is not the challenge, but what you do when you arrive will set you up as a tourist after 'sun and sea' or an adventurer looking at a very different land and culture and experiencing that closely and at first hand - If you are anything like me you will return a changed person. Visiting The Gambia was for me like being reborn, a chance to see the world in a new light. Wonderful.

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