Tendaba camp serves a purpose: it is a great base for boat trips to the Bao Bolong wetlands and Kiang West National Park; it's certainly not luxury accommodation but it does the job!

We stayed in one of the riverside rooms, which were clean and basic. The shower didn't really work but that's fairly usual based on our experience of the Gambia. The riverside rooms are slightly more expensive than the standard rooms and when I booked I was advised that they are slightly cooler but I'd find it hard to believe this was truly the case.

The food was OK but certainly not the best we found in the Gambia. It is a great opportunity to try bushpig, which is somewhat of a speciality here though.

Both the trips (to Kiang and Bao Bolong) were well worth doing. Although I'm not a true bird-watcher, Bao Bolong is incredibly impressive and surpassed any other place we went in the Gambia for seeing birds. It's hard to express the number of birds we saw but if you appreciate king fishers and herons, you won't be disappointed.

I really enjoyed the trip to Kiang West National Park but it also left me with a feeling of what could be made of the park if it was properly invested in. We saw baboons, Red Colobus Monkeys and Warthog, which I think is fairly typical. There is apparently a large population of hyena in the park too and they had seen them the previous day to when we were there. We were tempted to visit the park independently but on this occasion it would have been a poor decision as the guide's knowledge of where to find animals was invaluable.

Both the trips mentioned above take half a day and they were running early in the morning and late in the afternoon when we were there.

I would recommend booking ahead - when we were there, it was almost full with a government-organised conference and this is apparently not unusual.

Overall I would recommend going to Tendaba but go for the minimum amount of time that allows you to do the activities you want to do there. It is a lot hotter at Tendaba than on the coast in the Gambia and the actual village around there is, to be frank, a bit of a dump.

This is probably one of the worst places I've ever stayed. Terrible rooms. Awful food. Unhelpful staff.

We have used the camp twice while traveling up river with Hidden Gambia. One night is enough. The boat trip around the mangroves is wonderful, as are some local walks.
It is then best to continue up river to Bird Safari Camp, a much better option. Sometimes Hidden Gambia use Tendaba on the way back to the coast. Avoid the south bank road at all costs. Use the boats provided by Hidden Gambia, and see dolphins, hippos, baboons, monitor lizards,crocs, and fantastic bird life. Hidden Gambia guides will travel with you and look after your needs, they are very knowledgable about the wildlife.
The place is not dreadful. The pool is O.K., and if you avoid the soup the food is fine.
The location is stunning but so is Bird Safari Camp which is much better cared for , better staffed, and constantly upgrading its facilities.

After a 5 hour drive from the coastal resort area - 4x4 needed - we just turned up and booked in. Room was clean but the 'en-suite' was really ropey. Hand basin leaked all over the floor making it slippery. Had obviously been like this for a long time. The camp generally caters for short stays and sees no need to invest in keeping the place in good repair. Catering is basic and most of the menu was 'off'!
Against all this is the situation. You could sit out on the jetty, drink in hand, and watch fish eagles and pelicans fishing a few yards away. When the tide is out the mud-skippers pop out of the mud onto the beach.

Staff were very friendly but lacked leadership in the matter of keeping the place in good order.

Mosquitoes love the place so don't neglect precautions against malaria. Very dust drive, much on sand roads. Don't neglect the little fishing village just outside the gates of the camp.

Cost about GD280 ppn, plus GD110 for breakfast. Buffet most nights for GD300. (exchange rate at time was GD42=£1)