Bendula

Location :

13.32665, -16.79355, Butukunku, Tujereng, The Gambia
Added by Jopie, at 20 April 2016

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• Venantius Vandenheuij

  27 April 2016

  If you really want to have a real local Africa experience: visit the lovely place Bendula in Tujereng near Tanjeh, the Gambia. Renate Thomas is the owner of this quiet place. She is a very nice and friendly lady who hosts her guests very well. She has been living in the Gambia for more than 15 years and knows a lot. Renate has a lot programs to offer (on demand): visit nice villages, african drumming, art classes. What I really like about Bendula is the location in the middle of the local compounds: it is as local as you can get. Bendula has 5 huts with bathroom/shower. The hut is round, with a double bed. Renate makes sure the huts are clean like a german house (LOL), which is quite an accomplishment in the sandy environment. The gambian staff of Mamadou and Mariama and their small children are so friendly and lovely. Breakfast is a feast to have, plenty of nice food while you are watching the children play and the birds fly around you. Evening dinners are tasty. I really enjoy the ataya at the fireplace after dinner. We all sit around the fire and have a nice chat, while Landing, a senegalese boy, makes tea (the Gambian tea ceremony). Sometimes we invite musicians to make lovely music while we sit around the fireplace.
  The beach is a 15 minutes' walk. The beaches are very quiet, unlike the Senegambia area. Here only few tourists to meet, most are the Gambians who go to the beach. The people are very friendly and I never have the bumpster experiences as you may find at Senegambia. If you want to go to Senegambia: take a bush taxi (very cheap): it takes only 30 minutes to go there. A visit to Serrekunda market is a must to see.
  It is a pity most tourists take the common way to travel to Africa by booking a hotel. But Bendula gives you the REAL experience!
  I have been there now for 4 times, and have become a regular customer. I hope to see you there one day!
  Thank you Renate, Mamadou, Mariama and the other Mariama for making my holiday a fantastic experience.

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