Travel essentials for The Gambia

We don't summarise entry, visa, vaccination or passport-validity rules. They depend on your nationality and change without notice. Check the official source for your passport before you book, and again before you fly.

For health advice, speak to your doctor or a travel clinic well before departure. Official travel-health guidance is published by TravelHealthPro (UK) and the US CDC.

Buy cover as soon as you book, so cancellation is protected. Check the medical limit, repatriation cover, and whether any activities you plan are excluded. We don't currently partner with an insurer, so we don't recommend one.

If your flight departs from an EU airport, or arrives in the EU on an EU airline, you may be entitled to compensation for long delays, cancellations or denied boarding under EU rules. The UK has its own equivalent rules. See the official EU passenger rights page.

You can claim directly with the airline for free. Claims services such as AirHelp handle it for you in return for a share of any payout. Eligibility depends on the flight and the reason for the disruption, so compensation is never guaranteed. A claims service is not travel insurance.

The currency is the Gambian dalasi (GMD). Larger hotels and some restaurants take cards, but cash is used widely, particularly at markets and in taxis. Tell your bank you're travelling, and carry more than one way to pay.