Introduction:
 The
Atlantic Road, officially Boulevard, runs for approximately 3.5
km parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in a south easterly direction
from the roundabout at the Cape Point
road down past the cliff top town of Bakau
and past the Fajara Hotel and terminates
a few metres further. It is an unlit highway and there are 6 road
humps which are not very well marked out so do drive carefully
at night and use your full lights when other cars are not approaching
you.
Places to See:
Travelling from the road's north end you will be at the Cape
Point roundabout which is straddled by largely exclusive residential
villas and bungalows to the west on coast. Immediately on the
other side you will find Bakau
which is on of Gambia's most urban area mostly made up of old
properties some of which are of the shanty
type with corrugated iron roofs and krinting or breeze
block walls all packed into a tight maze of potholed roads and
some open air gutters. In front of this area facing the roadside
is the bengdula, or craft market selling a range of crafts,
African style dresses, and stalls selling batiks. Further down
you will come across the general food marketplace and to the west
a number of local businesses including a Mauritanian food shop
selling rice, canned foods and all manner of other consumables,
the Bakau Guest House, and a church.
Further
southwards down the Atlantic Road you will finally get to go past
some of the smoke huts of the fishing beach then onto the African
Village Hotel on the junction of Sait Matty Road. This junction
is essentially the focal point for many visitors to the area with
its banks, postal service offices and
numerous local bitikos.
As you come down further south down the road you will pass the
fire station and the Gambia's defence barracks. From here on it
is distinctively peaceful being made up of private residential
villas
or well established homes on beautiful tree lined sandy roads
with walls draped in exotic flowers. To your right there is the
old Tropic Garden Hotel which was built in 1975 as Kamal Milky's
Club 80 and stands on 2.5 acres on the cliff. It was being renovated
by an Italian promoter and has just finished being refurbished.
There are just a few shops on the right just after the barracks
in a purpose build office complex, 2 local corner shops that line
the road. Further towards the health centre you will come
across the huge MRC
 medical
campus facility and towards the north Atlantic Ocean side is the
Ngala Lodge with its
first class menu and nearby is the British
Embassy.
A place well worth visiting further down is the Clay
Oven Indian restaurant which is just a short hop off the road
before the large water tank which dominates the skyline. The Atlantic
Road now goes past the former Gambian president's home, Sir Dawda
Kairaba Jawara's, then does a sharp turn to the right past the
EC Commission's residence and
onto the Total Petrol Station.
At this juncture you will come across the Kairaba
Avenue which continues to the left. Further up the road you
will see Francisco's Restaurant on the corner and finally you
will reach the Fajara Hotel
 and
the Club at the end of the road.
If you still want to see more of this part of The Gambia there
is a paved footpath that carries on skirting the hotel and heads
towards the beach and the local craft market.
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More pictures.
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Roads Getting
Around Bakau Fajara 
