Another world: The incomparable Coco Ocean Resort and Spa (top) and Mandina Lodges at Makasutu. Right, completely chilled at Sitanuku.

Fly south for the winter

The Gambia – travel factsLuxury hotel: Coco Ocean Resort and Spa is exclusive to UK visitors through The Gambia Experience and prices for a seven-night stay (bed & breakfast) in a junior suite cost from £1,035 per person (Nov 28 to 11 Dec 11) or £1,097 ( April 13 to 30 ). Prices include flights, hotel transfers and airport taxes.New properties: Sitanunku and Omakan hotel feature in the new ‘unique collection’ of properties. Situated on the north bank of the River Gambia, Sitanunku opened in January 2011 with five lodges. Three, seven and 10-day holidays are available on a half-board basis and can be combined with another hotel as a two-centre holiday. Transfers to Sitanunku are a 45-minute speed boat across the river to the north bank from Makasutu. Day trips (two hour catamaran plus lunch) are to be introduced this winter). See website for multi-centre holiday options. The Omakan Hotel is in the village of Sukuta and prices are from £898

(seven nights B&B in a pool suite including flights). Additional three nights in December from £199 and £229 in April.Also check out information on Mandina Lodges at Makasutu and Ngala Lodge and on winter sun offers, on the webiste.Excursions: All the excursions are bookable locally through hotel reps with West African Tours. The four-wheel drive trip includes a visit to a local school, a Gambian compound and village, with lunch on a remote beach such as Sanyang beach along with cultural activities. Prices are from £45 per person for this full day trip with lunch.Travel advice: Check the latest medical advice regarding Yellow Fever and malaria.Contact: The Gambia Experience is a trade name of Serenity Holidays, established 24 years. It is the UK’s only specialist tour operator to The Gambia, operating year-round from Gatwick. The Gambia Experience Reservations, tel: 0845 330 2087 www.gambia.co.uk

Birds fly south in the winter, and so do many Brits – among them sports stars, royalty and celebs. About 40,000 tourists from the UK are drawn to The Gambia in the winter – and, as I found out on a recent visit, early in November, it is an inclusive destination with as much to offer the upmarket traveller as it does for

explorers and adventurers.First, the logistics. It is a six-hour flight from Gatwick

with Monarch Airlines, organised through travel firm The Gambia Experience, and transfer times to the most of the Coastal hotels is about half an hour.

Then there is the climate; our summer is their rainy season – though still sunny throughout. But from October through to May it is wall-to-wall glorious sunshine with temperatures between 28 and 33 Celsius and comfortable levels of humidity. The evenings are balmy, often with a hint of a breeze, and eating outside is a practical option, day and night. There are also far fewer insects in the winter months. Four days into my stay and I had not encountered a single mosquito.

The delights of the country, in no particular order are it’s friendly welcoming people, the food (fish, fruit, salads and herbs are prolific) its nature and wildlife and the hotels.

One group that has made The Gambia a main focus for the past 20 years is The Gambia Experience. This relatively small but influential firm has assembled an eclectic mix of luxury, boutique hotels and rustic lodges, many of which it has exclusive access to. It tailor-makes trips according to clients’ preferences, so you can start a trip with, say, a two or three-day stay at the sublime Coco Ocean Resort and Spa then relocate to Mandina Lodges to indulge in a spot of ultimate escapism in floating wooden or concealed houses, one on stilts, among the mangroves (feels remote yet is surprisingly close to civilisation). For those who like colonial splendour, Ngala Lodge in a dramatic cliff-side setting pushes the right buttons and for true adventurers with Robinson Crusoe leanings, there is the option of Sitanunku Lodge, a little spit of land which, for the most part, feels like an island. Here, there are just five lodges and an impressive team of about 45 staff, who tirelessly strive to make this an experience to be savoured and enjoyed long after the suntan has faded for a maximum of 16 guests. Another gem in the portfolio is the Omakan Hotel owned and run by Peter, an irrepressible Belgian former music producer who orchestrates his characterful lodge like a maestro. The majority – about 85 per cent of visitors – are return clients at Omakan and the figures are not too dissimilar for The Gambia Collection’s other properties. Set among citrus and palm trees and impressive gardens it is a tropical hideaway with the feel of a club.

During the course of a week we had the delight of a catamaran trip with a dolphin entourage chaperoning our return journey, leaving us to progress to the riverside moorings as the sun dropped behind the mangroves to be met on shore by a clambering troupe of green vervet monkeys clattering and skittering across the corrugated roof of the eccentric wooden harbour buildings.

Other delights were to be found in travelling around the villages by coach, to the markets – a daily excursion for most Gambians – eating out and about at Sanyang beach local style and the constant assurance of endless warm weather. And all the while, The Gambian Experience is mindful of the balance between tourism and putting something back into the country and its communities; the firm has its own ‘eco manager’ Katie Bushnell. Clients can opt into a £5 carbon offset scheme which supports a tree replanting programme and a sustainably-resourced oven project (the most common cause of death in women in the Gambia is from lung conditions caused by smoke from inhaling smoke from wood fires in confined spaces while cooking). The Gambia Experience also runs a school development fund.

The jewel in the crown is certainly the Coco Ocean Resort. With a capacity of 150 guests the hotel has 250 staff, though you wouldn’t know it – until you want something and then miraculously, help is at hand. A princess of Morocco, an English lord, Dwain Chambers and Jermaine Jackson have stayed in recent weeks. Yet it is far from a hotel which attracts only celebrities and high-profile guests; it is a beautiful hotel which makes a fitting location for a restful and indulgent holiday, though it is more suited to adults and couples than family groups. The 1,800 sq m spa is the best I have encountered and the menu of treatments is extensive and yet reasonably priced, a coffee body scrub for example is 700 Dalassi (£15). Travellers advice: Try it, the chances are if you go once you will return. Tip: If you plan to do a good number of tours and trips on land and water, take a good hat, basic first aid and antiseptic hand cleanser – just in case. Tours: These are run in conjunction with West African Tours using air conditioned transport and occasionally off-road 4x4 vehicles. Roads: The main roads are tarmaced and traffic moves at a steady pace – no nail-biting experiences on this trip. Judith Edwards

Endless sunshine, expansive beaches, gourmet dining, breathtakingly delightful hotels, a palatial spa, wildlife and nature. This is The Gambia and its delights are just a six-hour flight away