Mandina Lodge
· The Gambia
Apparently Chris Packham stops here as well according to our guide. This was our second hotel and final hotel. It’s inland but on the side of the creek, about 30 mins down dusty tracks off anything that can be called a road. The hotel is set in grounds and has two types of lodges, some on stilts built out into the river and others like ours in the grounds. It’s a very grand looking place, each table has a waiter allocated, fish forks and cloth napkins as appropriate and sheets for on the sunbeds, not the sort of place we normally stay . Alas here my Banjul stomach really hit, and therefore I couldn’t fail to notice that housekeeping never cleaned the bathroom. Each lodge is assigned a guide who morning and evening the takes you for a walk or a canoe ride. The guide wakes you up each morning with a tray of tea very civilised. We also did a sunset cruise in a small fume spewing motorboat getting some of the best snaps of the trip. Luckily this day I was able to eat and drink so the included bottle of wine was not wasted. We wandered around local villages and the oyster women invited us in and showed us their processing of the oysters.
Early morning walk near Mandina Lodge A bird watching platform, unaccessable as the stairs where all rusted in a centre where Mandina Lodge used to be based Sunset cruise, my first drink (and food) for days! OurLodge, the whole of this building Mandina Lodge The bar, Mandina Lodge A Mosque Village centre tree Oysters fisherwomen’s boats. The front one is all one log Mandina Lodge – restaurant Mandina Lodge – Swimming pool Mandina Lodge – swimming pool Mandina lodge restaurant Mandina lodge landing stage John at 7am with his ealry morning cuppa and one of the local cats Our lodge – Mandina Lodge Village Weaver Yellow crowned gonolek Scops owl White crested helmetshrike Baboon Baboon Senegal Thick Knee Purple Heron Pelican Pelican Pelican Goliath heron Goliath heron Goliath heron Goliath heron Goliath heron Osprey Osprey Osprey Palm nut vulture African harrier Hawk Giant kingfisher African harrier Hawk white-throated bee-eater white-throated bee-eater Orange Cheeked Waxbill, Red cheeked cordonbleu White crowned robin chat Speckled pigeon Western grey plantain eater Cow – these wandered everwhere. in garage forecourts, on the side of roads, and through the fields Vieillot’s barbet Tawny flanked prinia Monkey Pied hornbill Swallow tailed bee eater Lizard buzzard Orange Cheeked Waxbill Black winged red bishop Red-billed hornbill Violet turaco African paradise flycatcher termite mound Mandina Lodge from the river White throated cormorant