The savanna
Mahogany and baobab.
Ikiwaner — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ikiwaner — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bjørn Christian Tørrissen — CC BY-SA 3.0 · uploader Atamari has eMail-contact with the photograph „KG“ — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ikiwaner — CC BY-SA 3.0
Kiang West National Park is one of the largest and most important wildlife reserves in The Gambia, on the south bank of the Gambia River about 145 km from the capital, Banjul, and about 49 km in a straight line from Kunta Kinteh Island. It was declared a national park in 1987, covers 11,526 hectares and is managed by the Gambia Department of Parks and Wildlife Management. The Gambia River forms its northern boundary, and three tidal creeks divide the interior into three sections. Nobody lives inside the park; villages sit just outside its borders, and its headquarters is in Dumbuto village. Most of the park is a low plateau of Guinea savanna and dry deciduous woodland, dotted with baobabs and mahogany, along with tidal flats and mangrove creeks. Warthogs, bushbuck, sitatunga and monkeys live here, and West African manatees are sometimes seen in the Jarin creek. More than 300 bird species have been recorded, including 21 birds of prey, and the bateleur eagle is the park's official symbol. Tracks inside the park are unpaved, so hire a guide at the park headquarters or in nearby Tendaba. Birds of prey are most numerous in the dry season. Bring water and a hat, as it is hot most of the year.
Mahogany and baobab.
Twenty-one species.
Mangroves along the river.
Dumbuto, Kiang West District, Lower River Region, The Gambia
A guide from the headquarters or Tendaba is advised.
In the dry season, when birds of prey are most numerous.