The Fathala Wildlife Reserve is located 12 kilometres north of the Gambia-Senegal border in Senegal. You will be picked up early in the morning from your hotel and head to Banjul, the capital city where you'll board the ferry to Barra and experience the hustle and bustle with the local people. After approximately one hour cruising on the River Gambia, you reach Barra to continue driving through numerous villages before reaching Amdalaye/Karang, the Gambia-Senegal border for passport formalities.

From there you enter Senegal to drive for approximately 30 minutes to reach the Fathala Park. At Fathala, a 4x4 ex-army truck will be waiting for you to start a 2-hour safari within the park. In the reserve, you can enjoy the natural environment of the bush and get the chance to spot animals as zebras, rhinoceros, giraffes, monkey and many more. After that you can enjoy a nice pizza lunch of your choice and a drink before departing back to the border to catch the ferry to Banjul.

The trip was a good experience getting out and enjoying the real Gambia & Senegal life, everything went smoothly from hotel to ferry and transferring to the reserve, except getting on a nice new big jeep for safari (19 of us), then been taken off (why??) for smaller jeeps, after 1hour of no communication, waiting around, we were put back on the big tatty jeep, what a waste of an hour apart from one hour, once on safari it was a brilliant experience highly recommend it.

The guide was rude and more interested in meeting up with his friends then looking after the group he had, he shouted at some of us for not paying attention when he was talking about the politics of the country He left us waiting at the park with no explanation for an hour and a half and then said the truck was broken down we eventually went and was taken on and off 3 different trucks, we did see a few animals but not up close and it felt a lot like a ride around a zoo, very disappointing

The bupiest ride i have ever had , several timed i thought i was falling out of the truck , driver had no consideration for his passengers, got really messed around by fathella animal park, they put us on a wagon then told us to get off and give it to another group made us wait nearly 2 hours they wete very poor i should have a refund , the pizza was awful and tasteless

Very enjoyable. A little different in travelling across the river like a local on the ferry. The tour was amazing and would recommended except to people who suffer from a bad back.

The whole thing was very disorganised, nobody was sure what to do from the start

Was a great experience seeing the real Africa, border crosses and way of life. The reserve itself was well maintained and seeing the animals was a great thrill. We visited after the rainy season so it made the safari slightly more difficult to spot, but it was all part of the experience. My wife and daughter met the cubs which was a supplement but again a bucket list experience. Our guides were super efficient. At both ferry ports and border crossings as were our drivers. Would recommend

Why you’ll love this…

Take your trip off-road aboard a 4x4 jeep
Feel the thrill of seeing wildlife up close
A perfect experience for kids - spark their imaginations

Important to know

Pick-up available from selected hotels in Serrekunda. Please check the meeting point section for further details
It is recommended to bring water, wear sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable shoes
You will need to present a valid passport

Cancellation policy

Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 2 days before the experience begins.

What’s included

Entrance fees
Lunch
Guided tour
Transportation in air-conditioned coach
Hotel pick-up and drop-off

Booking fee

Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.

Location

Meeting point:

Pick-up available from selected hotels in Serrekunda. You'll meet the driver outside the reception area at the scheduled time. The first pick-up will be from Coco Ocean Hotel at 6.25 am followed by the next stops every 5/10 minutes: Holiday Beach Club 6.35 am, Senegambia Beach Hotel 6.35 am, Bamboo Garden Resort 6.45 am, African Princess Beach Hotel 6.50 am, Tamala Beach Resort 6.50 am, Sunset Beach Hotel 7.00 am, Bakotu Hotel 7.00 am, Kombo Beach Resort 7.00 am, Ngala Lodge 7.10 am, Ocean Bay Hotel & Spa 7.15 am, Sunbeach Hotel & Resort 7.15 am.

Provider

Gambia Tours

What people say about this experience

4/5

All reviews are verified

Based on 62 reviews

Review categories

Safety

4.2/5

Service

4.2/5

Value for money

3.8/5

Staff

4.2/5

All ratings (62)

5 stars (21)

34%

4 stars (27)

44%

3 stars (12)

19%

2 stars (1)

1 star (1)

K
Kastur/Dinesh Meghani
Traveled as a couple
December 4, 2025
3.8
United States of America
The trip was a good experience getting out and enjoying the real Gambia & Senegal life, everything went smoothly from hotel to ferry and transferring to the reserve, except getting on a nice new big jeep for safari (19 of us), then been taken off (why??) for smaller jeeps, after 1hour of no communication, waiting around, we were put back on the big tatty jeep, what a waste of an hour apart from one hour, once on safari it was a brilliant experience highly recommend it.
K
Katherine
Traveled as a couple
December 4, 2025
1.4
United Kingdom
The guide was rude and more interested in meeting up with his friends then looking after the group he had, he shouted at some of us for not paying attention when he was talking about the politics of the country He left us waiting at the park with no explanation for an hour and a half and then said the truck was broken down we eventually went and was taken on and off 3 different trucks, we did see a few animals but not up close and it felt a lot like a ride around a zoo, very disappointing
D
Dissapointed in park
Traveled as a couple
December 3, 2025
2.2
United States of America
The bupiest ride i have ever had , several timed i thought i was falling out of the truck , driver had no consideration for his passengers, got really messed around by fathella animal park, they put us on a wagon then told us to get off and give it to another group made us wait nearly 2 hours they wete very poor i should have a refund , the pizza was awful and tasteless
S
Sarah2407
Traveled as a couple
November 29, 2025
4.2
United Kingdom
Very enjoyable. A little different in travelling across the river like a local on the ferry. The tour was amazing and would recommended except to people who suffer from a bad back.
M
Malc
Traveled as a couple
November 27, 2025
3
United States of America
The whole thing was very disorganised, nobody was sure what to do from the start
L
Lee foley
Traveled with family
November 23, 2025
3.8
United States of America
Was a great experience seeing the real Africa, border crosses and way of life. The reserve itself was well maintained and seeing the animals was a great thrill. We visited after the rainy season so it made the safari slightly more difficult to spot, but it was all part of the experience. My wife and daughter met the cubs which was a supplement but again a bucket list experience. Our guides were super efficient. At both ferry ports and border crossings as were our drivers. Would recommend