KiteInsider
Photo
Kotu Beach, GambiaPhoto: Leonora (Ellie) Enking, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (originally Flickr)

MapCountriesGambiaCountries

Country

Gambia

SeasonNovember to Maysomewhere in the country
How we count
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan, no figure—
  2. Feb, no figure—
  3. Mar, no figure—
  4. Apr, no figure—
  5. May, no figure—
  6. Jun, no figure—
  7. Jul, no figure—
  8. Aug, no figure—
  9. Sep, no figure—
  10. Oct, no figure—
  11. Nov, no figure—
  12. Dec, no figure—

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Nothing has been measured or modelled for this place: twelve months and no figure in any of them.

No place here is in season in June, July, August, September and October, so those months carry no figure rather than a zero.

Which place is yours

the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Kotu, Gambia1 spot · November to Mayadvanced 4x4 needed budget

Destinations

The one place, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

Kotu, Gambia

Visa & entry

EU passportVisa-free for holiday or business up to 90 days (2026).
US passportVisa-free entry (2026), though older reporting said US citizens needed a visa or visa-on-arrival — treat as recently liberalized and verify at booking.
UK passportVisa-free; the entry stamp typically grants 28 days on arrival at Banjul, extendable twice by 28 days at the Immigration Office in Banjul or at tourist police stations (2026).
Entry or eco taxesUSD 20 Airport Security Fee charged on both arrival and departure, payable in USD/EUR/GBP or GMD (2026). Where no Gambian embassy exists, visa on arrival at Banjul airport costs USD 108 (2026).
NotesThe 90-day visa-free window and the 28-day arrival stamp may be one policy or two different things (general visa-free eligibility vs. actual stamped stay length) — the 28-day/extendable figure looks like the operative on-the-ground rule.Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry regardless of nationality.

Money

CurrencyGambian Dalasi (GMD)
Card acceptanceLimited outside Banjul/Kombo tourist belt; ATMs mostly accept Visa, Mastercard less reliable. Carry cash when leaving urban centres (2025/2026).
ATMs and feesPer-transaction withdrawal limits typically GMD 3,000–4,000; some ATMs cap daily withdrawals at GMD 10,000 (others have no daily cap for foreign cards). Foreign-card ATM access fees run GMD 180–200 per withdrawal (2025/2026).
Paying by phoneNo nationwide instant-payment or mobile-money app is usable by foreign tourists without a Gambian SIM and local ID; Africell and QCell mobile money exist but foreigner support is limited. Whether Wave operates in Gambia is unconfirmed.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • Africell
  • QCell
  • Gamcel
eSIM optionsAfricell is the only local operator currently offering eSIM to prepaid customers (in-store, passport required). No other Gambian operator offers eSIM as of 2025/2026; Airalo tourist eSIMs are an alternative that skips local SIM registration entirely (phonetravelwiz.com, gigago.com, 2025/2026).
ID needed for a SIMYes — passport required, SIM registration with passport details is mandatory by law.
NotesPhysical SIM cost roughly GMD 50–100 (~USD 1–2); small data bundles from ~GMD 50 (gigago.com, 2026).

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Kitesurfing is commonly classed as an extreme or adventure sport and excluded from standard travel insurance; a specialist or adventure-sports add-on is typically required. Unconfirmed with any specific insurer.
Healthcare and evacuationGambia has limited hospital capacity; serious injuries commonly require evacuation to Dakar (Senegal) or Europe — confirm evacuation cover explicitly.

Health

VaccinesYellow fever vaccination certificate required for all travelers 9 months+ (single dose valid for life since WHO's 2016 update); no booster required.
Mosquito-borne diseasesMalaria present year-round across all regions of Gambia; antimalarial prophylaxis (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine) recommended (2025/2026).

Calendar & costs

BeerLocal beer ~50 GMD (~USD 0.70) bought locally; ~USD 4-5 at a bar
MealStreet food (afra/benachin) 50-100 GMD (~USD 0.70-1.50); mid-range domoda-style meal 200-400 GMD (~USD 3-6); McDonald's-equivalent McMeal ~300 GMD (~USD 4.10)
CurrencyUSD equivalents shownSee Money
Year2025/2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Gambia

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Gambia:TUIfly

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Where records disagree

  • US-passport visa requirement: 2026 visa-guide aggregators (visago.dev, accessgambia.com) state visa-free entry, but this conflicts with historically-reported requirements for a visa or visa-on-arrival for US citizens — confirm current status directly with a Gambian embassy or gov.gm before travel.
  • Stated visa-free window is 90 days in general guidance, but the UK FCDO describes an on-arrival stamp of only 28 days (extendable) — unclear if these are the same rule described differently or genuinely different entry categories.

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 7 open questions
  • What are the tipping norms in Gambia, and is cash expected?
  • Which tourist scams run in Gambia?
  • What are Gambia's emergency numbers, how good are the hospitals, and is the tap water safe?
  • Do you need an IDP to drive in Gambia?
  • How does Gambia regulate kitesurfing and drones?
  • Is Starlink legal in Gambia?
  • Does Gambia have a digital nomad visa, and what is its tax residency day count?

Not written yet

Nothing has been written about Driving and Regulation for Gambia yet, so there is no section for them above. That is a gap in what we hold, not a sign that there is nothing to know.

Last updated September 2026