Country guide

Gambia

Destinations

Visa & entry

eu passport	Visa-free for holiday/business up to 90 days (per gov.gm and UK FCDO guidance, 2026).
us passport	Visa-free entry per multiple 2026 visa-guide sources (visago.dev, accessgambia.com), though this contradicts older reporting that US citizens needed a visa or visa-on-arrival — treat as recently liberalized and verify at booking.
uk passport	Visa-free; entry stamp typically grants 28 days on arrival at Banjul, extendable twice by 28 days at the Immigration Office in Banjul or tourist police stations (gov.uk foreign travel advice, 2026).
entry or eco taxes	USD 20 Airport Security Fee charged on both arrival and departure, payable in USD/EUR/GBP or GMD (year: 2026, source: gambiahcsenegal.com entry-requirements PDF). Where no Gambian embassy exists, visa on arrival at Banjul airport costs USD 108 (visaverge.com, 2026).
notes	CONTRADICTION: sources disagree on whether the 90-day visa-free window and the 28-day arrival stamp are the same policy or describe two different things (general visa-free eligibility vs. actual stamped stay length) — the 28-day/extendable figure looks like the operative on-the-ground rule. Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry regardless of nationality.

Money

currency	Gambian Dalasi (GMD)
card acceptance	Limited outside Banjul/Kombo tourist belt; ATMs mostly accept Visa, Mastercard less reliable. Carry cash when leaving urban centres (atmfeesaver.com, 2025/2026).
atm networks fees limits	Per-transaction withdrawal limits typically GMD 3,000–4,000; some ATMs cap daily withdrawals at GMD 10,000 (others have no daily cap for foreign cards). Foreign-card ATM access fees run GMD 180–200 per withdrawal (atmfeesaver.com, 2025/2026).
local instant payment	No confirmed nationwide instant-payment/mobile-money app usable by foreign tourists without a Gambian SIM and local ID; Africell/QCell mobile money exists but foreigner support is limited (findallgambia.com / 360nations, 2025). Wave's presence in Gambia was not confirmed in this research pass.

SIM & internet

operators ranked for coast coverage	Africell QCell Gamcel
esim options	Africell is the only local operator currently offering eSIM to prepaid customers (in-store, passport required). No other Gambian operator offers eSIM as of 2025/2026; Airalo tourist eSIMs are an alternative that skips local SIM registration entirely (phonetravelwiz.com, gigago.com, 2025/2026).
id required for sim	Yes — passport required, SIM registration with passport details is mandatory by law.
notes	Physical SIM cost roughly GMD 50–100 (~USD 1–2); small data bundles from ~GMD 50 (gigago.com, 2026).

Insurance

kite excluded by standard policies	Generally true industry-wide — kitesurfing is commonly classed as an extreme/adventure sport and excluded from standard travel insurance; a specialist or adventure-sports add-on is typically required. (General industry knowledge — not independently re-sourced in this research pass; verify with specific insurer.)
evacuation note	Gambia has limited hospital capacity; serious injuries commonly require evacuation to Dakar (Senegal) or Europe — confirm evacuation cover explicitly.

Health

vaccines	Yellow fever vaccination certificate required for all travelers 9 months+ (single dose valid for life since WHO's 2016 update); no booster required.
mosquito disease seasons	Malaria present year-round across all regions of Gambia; antimalarial prophylaxis (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, or tafenoquine) recommended (travelhealthpro.org.uk / passporthealthusa.com, 2025/2026).

Driving

Regulation

Calendar & costs

beer	Local beer ~50 GMD (~USD 0.70) bought locally; ~USD 4-5 at a bar
meal	Street food (afra/benachin) 50-100 GMD (~USD 0.70-1.50); mid-range domoda-style meal 200-400 GMD (~USD 3-6); McDonald's-equivalent McMeal ~300 GMD (~USD 4.10)
currency	USD equivalents shown
year	2025/2026

airline: TUIfly
policy: Kitesurf equipment accepted as pre-registered sports baggage; up to 30kg in one bag; must pre-register online or via call centre or bag may be refused/charged extra at airport.
fee: EUR 65
limits: 30kg per kite bag
year: 2025
source: airline-baggage-fees.com/sports/kitesurfing/tuifly.html

US-passport visa requirement: 2026 visa-guide aggregators (visago.dev, accessgambia.com) state visa-free entry, but this conflicts with historically-reported requirements for a visa or visa-on-arrival for US citizens — confirm current status directly with a Gambian embassy or gov.gm before travel.
Stated visa-free window is 90 days in general guidance, but the UK FCDO describes an on-arrival stamp of only 28 days (extendable) — unclear if these are the same rule described differently or genuinely different entry categories.

Open questions