Known by the world’s hospitality industry as the Smiling Coast, The Gambia is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Sub Saharan Africa. From the meandering river Gambia to the tranquil beaches with abundant sand and sun, the country has a lot of attractions especially for tourism and outing.
Here are the places inscribed on the famous World Heritage List published on UNESCO’s website:
Kunta Kinte Island and Related Sites
James Island and Related Sites present a testimony to the main periods and facets of the encounter between Africa and Europe along the River Gambia, a continuum stretching from pre-colonial and pre-slavery times to independence. The site is particularly significant for its relation to the beginning of the slave trade and its abolition. It also documents early access to the interior of Africa.
Stone Circles of Senegambia
The site consists of four large groups of stone circles that represent an extraordinary concentration of over 1,000 monuments in a band 100 km wide along some 350 km of the River Gambia. The four groups, Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch, cover 93 stone circles and numerous tumuli, burial mounds, some of which have been excavated to reveal material that suggest dates between 3rd century BC and 16th century AD. Together the stone circles of laterite pillars and their associated burial mounds present a vast sacred landscape created over more than 1,500 years. It reflects a prosperous, highly organized and lasting society.