Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Exercise increased cautionExercise a high degree of caution
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Banjul, Western Division, and Beach Resort Areas (Bakau, Fajara, Kotu)
Exercise normal precautionsThe primary tourist belt. Banjul and beach towns are safe; petty theft is rare; violent crime is uncommon. Well-traveled tourists move freely during day and evening.
Avoid: Avoid isolated areas and beaches after dark. Some Banjul neighborhoods at night (Latrikunda, Kanifing) have petty theft risk; use registered taxis. Avoid ATM withdrawals at night.
Common scams: Unofficial guides offering inflated tours; street vendors overcharging tourists; fake 'travel agents' selling nonexistent trips.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Eastern Gambia (Kuntaur, Kaur, Jajanbureh, Senegal border)
Exercise increased cautionPeaceful inland regions. Lower crime but also lower infrastructure and police presence. Safe for travelers with flexibility and local engagement.
Avoid: Avoid Senegal border crossings without explicit guidance; they can be problematic. Do not travel to remote areas after dark.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
3 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, UK FCDO. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Police, no national emergency number
police
No number is given here because the UK Foreign Office states plainly that there is no equivalent to the 999 emergency number in The Gambia. Individual police stations and fire stations have their own numbers, often mobile numbers because many have no landline, and no publication lists them. The Foreign Office advice is to call in at your nearest station in person and take the number down. Do that on arrival, because the numbers such as 116 and 118 that circulate for Gambian emergency services are not published by any government source.
SourceAmbulance, no national dispatch
ambulance
No number is given here for the same reason: the UK Foreign Office publishes no ambulance number for The Gambia and describes no national emergency line existing. Call one of the facilities below directly, and if you are staying in the Kombos, ask your hotel which clinic they use and how they get someone there.
SourceEdward Francis Small Teaching Hospital
hospital · Banjul
The national referral hospital, from the British High Commission list of medical practitioners and facilities in The Gambia. That list gives six numbers for it, which tells you something about how reliably any single one is answered. The others are 422 8224, 422 6152, 364 3816 and 393 4685.
SourceAFRICMED Clinical Services
hospital · Brusubi
Brusubi, West Coast Region
A private clinic in the West Coast Region, which is where the resorts are and where most visitors to The Gambia actually stay, so it is closer than Banjul for most people who need it. Sharab Medical Centre at Kanifing on 00220 330 0100 is another option on the same list.
Source