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The holiday resort and residential area of Fajara is located
partly on the coast and spreads
east, encompassing around 50% of Kairaba Avenue (Pipeline)
eastward inland towards the Latrikunda area. It is divided into
sections called "M Section" and "F" Section. The western part towards
the Atlantic coast is called Fajara "M" Section" and is one of the most
sought after residential areas to live in Gambia however, it is beyond the reach
of most people in the country and the real estate house prices there are
comparable with parts of the UK!. It is also dotted with a number of
hotel resorts, lodges and guesthouses such as Fajara Hotel & Safari
Garden.
Beach Area
The beach is made up of two types (see
pictures).
From Bakau's African Village right down south to the northern edge
of Fajara Hotel the beach is either narrow or non-existent at high
tide and is overshadowed by red cliffs made of laterite stone. However
it is much wider southwards from the hotel heading towards
Kotu Strand
and offers plenty of opportunity for sunbathing, beach volleyball,
watersports or a pleasant morning or evening stroll. Before swimming in the beach
area do lookout for the lifeguards warning flags and if you attempt to
sunbathe by the cliff areas do not fall asleep
as the sea water there can be treacherous and you may have difficulty
getting back up the cliffs.
Eating Out
There are a number of
good quality restaurants located such as Ngala Lodge
(which serves excellent à la carte dinners)
and along the Pipeline Rd., such as Cotton
Club (a quality restaurant and night club), Mama's Bar (open-air
diner), the Butcher's Shop and the highly
recommended Clay Oven (Indian) Restaurant located just off Atlantic Boulevard
south of the MRC.
African Living Art Centre
 The art
centre is located on the southern end of Garba Jahumpa Rd., and is
packed full of vibrant art works, unique textiles, African jewellery,
antiques and wood carvings. The building structure itself is said to
be a work of art because of its visually impressive external finishing composed of glass, steel
and silver coloured pillars. There is a café
within the building that serves snacks and drinks.
Shopping
If you wish to do some
shopping nearer
the residential areas then you can start from the traffic lights and
head towards the Atlantic Ocean where you will find dozens of retail
stores
lining that part of the Kairaba Avenue. The shops here however are not
geared towards tourist trinkets and souvenirs they are aimed more at
relatively affluent
Gambians who are looking for household furniture, lights & other
retail goods. If
your
holiday budget can spread this far then you must visit the
Emporium
Shopping Mall which is located just after the southern end of the
Garba Jahumpa Road. It is packed full of high quality imported household
items (both small and large) which you might just want to take back home. A similar, but
smaller store is located next to the Shell Petrol Station
(heading east) near the traffic lights called Camelot as well as the
Kairaba Shopping Centre (basically a large supermarket selling some
non-food items) about 2 km away from there. If you want to do a bit of book reading then there is the bookshop called
Timbooktoo
located on the southern end of the Garba Jahumpa Road which is a 3
storey well stocked bookshop with a computerised internet book
ordering service for local customers.
Fajara Golf Club
This is an 18 hole
golf course located near Fajara beach which also offers lawn
tennis,
badminton, table sports, squash,
a pool and
restaurant area. Green fee players can have short-term
membership of around £10 per day or £40 per week and handicapped
Green-fee players
must be at least 16 years old. Golf tournaments are held each weekend.
Please note that during the tourist season the greens resemble brown
due to the lack of rain however you will at least enjoy the sea
breezes.
There are rooms available at the
Fajara Golf Apartments.
War Cemetery
 The cemetery which is maintained in an
immaculate condition is located on Kairaba Avenue and the people laid
to rest there include Gambian, British and Canadian soldiers who
lost their lives in WW II.
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Attractions / Excursions
Nature Reserves
Resorts
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