Give your money to the people and other The Gambia Tourist Trap Tips

The biggest tourist trap has to be the one set by the international tour operators who get you into their welcome meetings before you can talk to the locals. The fill your mind with doubt and uncertainty putting you into a nervous state of mind so that you sign up for their overpriced tours of the Gambia. Don't commit yourself to any of these, take a walk down to the local bush taxi (that's the yellow and green ones that aren't allowed near your hotel) and ask a driver how much he'll charge for a trip across the Barra ferry to Juffure. That guy doesn't own that cab, he has to pay the owner a monthly fee for using it, put some money in his pocket not into the coffers of some German tour operator. Okay, so your going to be followed by one of the boys outside the hotel gate so be it, ask the driver should you trust this boy? Like as not he'll not want to share his tip with someone else and besides they have a five passenger limit. Please be generous to the locals they can show you the real Gambia for about quarter the cost of a tour operator and that includes a generous tip.

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At Least Do This: Visit the local tourist sights but do it under your own steam. DON'T be lazy and let foreign companies take a bite out of local enterprise.
Alternative: Make friends with the people and experience the Gambia the way they do.