Hostels in KOLOLI, GAMBIA

City Kololi – The Beach City of Gambia

A major tourism centre and resort town of Gambia - Kololi - is a peaceful city located on the banks of Atlantic Ocean. Densely surrounded by the Bijilo Forest, the city is known for its pristine beaches, vegetated landscapes, vibrant life, culture, music and dance. Adventure lovers are fond of Kololi; as apart from a close wildlife encounter; here, one can enjoy a lot of adventure sports and water sports as well.

Accommodation Options
Beach hotels, resort hotels, boutique hotels, budget hotels and garden restaurants in the city offer a world class accommodation to the travellers reaching Kololi. The beach resorts in the city give an opportunity to enjoy the beach view as well as water sports. In addition to luxury hotels, a range of budget hotels and guest houses are also available for the tourists willing to cut down the stay expenses.

History
The city witnessed political upheavals since the starting of 10th century with the entrance of Arabs through the trade routes. After being a colony of Mali Empire; Kololi gave shelter to the Empire of Portugal and Empire of Courland in 16th century. In 1889, it became a British colony followed by its independence in 1965. Living the period of anonymity till 1970’s, this tranquil coast became the favourite tourist spot of Britons, Germans, Belgians and tourists from Netherlands.

Popular Places
In addition to the long sandy white beaches, the major tourist places of Kololi include Bijilo Forest Park, Village Craft Market, Art Gallery, Women’s Skill Centre and Bakua Botanical Garden.

Craft Market is a perfect freak out for those who want to buy some remarkable batiks work, jewellery, wood work and leather items. An attractive yet varied display of Gambian sculptures, paintings and photographs can be observed at the Village Art Gallery. Women tourists can acquire rural skills like sewing, designing, batik printing, tie and dye and embroidery making at the Women’s Skill Centre set up in 1997. Bird watching at Bijilo Forest Park takes the travellers near numerous bird species and Vervet monkeys.

Getting Around
Moving within the vicinity of Kololi becomes easy with jeep, quad bikes and ferry. Car rentals and bicycle rentals are the popular choices of most of the tourists. For those interested in taking an ariel view of forests and wildlife; the microlight flights operated by private agencies are the best option. Even after having maximum information of the city, hiring a travel guide is always preferable for the tourists.

Places of Entertainment
The most sought after places of entertainment in Kololi are the beach bars which offer a perfect evening with Gambia style dinner in the presence of local dance troupe. Farm fresh juicy fruits sold by the fruit stalls, on the streets, are worth a purchase. Numerous restaurants in the city serve a wide range of cuisines from Indian, Gambian, Chinese, Thai, Italian to French cuisines. The local restaurants located on Palma Rima Road present the connoisseurs with tongue tickling native delicacies.

Language(s) Spoken
English is the main language sanctioned officially in Kololi. Still, the local dwellers use other indigenous dialects like Fula, Wolof, Sarrancule and Mandinka.

Currency
Dalasi (divided into 100 Bututs) is the official currency of Kololi. The currency exchange services are available to the tourists in hotels and banks of the city. To obtain the information on currency exchange rate, one can access online news or read a news paper. 

Kololi group accommodation | Budget hotels & Hostels