Embarkation 4pm. Leave Banjul and sail upstream to Tendaba. Reach Tendaba late into the evening. African Night - Overnight at dock in Tendaba.

From the ship, takes motor pirogues in order to reach Tendaba, located on the South Bank in the Lower River Division, the starting point of our Tendaba morning optional excursion. It is a small fishing village of mainly Muslim faith with approximately 600 inhabitants whose main occupation is fishing. From there walk through to Batelling, a small village at the entrance to Kiang West National Park. The area boasts of over 250 species of birds; many of which are difficult to observe anywhere else. Other residents include Guinea baboons, bushbuck, warthogs, Senegal bushbaby, and marsh mongoose. After a refreshing stop in Batelling, we will board an open safari truck which brings us back to Tendaba. On the way, we pass again local villages where you get an impression of local life in The Gambia. In the afternoon, we are picked-up from the ship by motor pirogues for the afternoon Tendaba optional excursion to the Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve. This reserve, lying across from Kiang West National Park features six major belongs December 9, 2019, December 9, 2019 (creeks) that provide great birding and boating opportunities. Numerous rare and migratory birds also reside here including the Pel’s fishing owl, African fin foot and brown-necked parrot. Overnight docked in Tendaba.

Leave Tendaba and sail upstream on the Gambia River all morning. Early this afternoon, arrive in the bustling Gambian port town of Kuntaur, the last inland stop along the river that is navigable for ocean-going ships. Later in the afternoon board a large motor pirogue for a 3-hour optional excursion cruise on The Gambia River. First head to the southernmost tip of Baboon Island, one of the five islands of The Gambia National Park. There a local national park ranger joins you onboard to give more information about the park and its fauna & flora.

Turning around, the motor pirogue slows down and sails slowly back to Kuntaur following closely along the shores of Baboon Island. This island is home to the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project. If you are lucky, you can closely observe the chimps with minimal intrusion from the motor pirogue. There is also the possibility of seeing hippos, crocodiles, Red Colobus, Green Vervet monkeys and also The Gambia’s famous birdlife. Return to Kuntaur where you are met by the “Kankurang” and a local dance group on the pier. Believed to have spiritual powers the “Kankurang” dispenses justice and wards off evil spirits. Overnight docked in Kuntaur.

Join an optional excursion to the ferry station of Janjanbureh. Board the local ferry for a short cruise over The Gambia River to Janjanbureh. Continue your excursion with a visit to one of the oldest towns of The Gambia, formerly called Georgetown. Your walk gives a broad impression of this laid back town; see the residence of the governor, the market, and the Methodist church with its school. Afterward, take the ferry back and re-board the bus to reach Lamin Koto.

Through the generosity of your ship and of many of its clients, a new school building is being built. Later in the morning stop at the mysterious stone circles in Wassu, a megalithic site believed to be a burial ground thousands of years ago. Visit the little museum of this archaeological site, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. In the afternoon, after lunch, sail downstream to Kaur a small fishing village on the banks of the Gambia. Walk around this small community and see how Gambians live today.

This morning we anchor at St. James Island in the middle of the Gambia River, which was an important slave trading post under British rule in The Gambia. In 1976 James Island became famous due to the author Alex Haley and its bestseller book "Roots" and the story of a slave, called Kunta Kinteh. The island is now called and is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Optional walking tour: After disembarking by local tenders your local guide will tell you more about the history of James Island and afterward you will have some time to explore this island by yourself. After lunch, we leave "Kunta Kinteh" to reach Banjul around 4 pm. After formalities, later in the evening, we will sail out of the Gambia estuary into the Atlantic Ocean northwards to Dakar. Gambian Night with Kora instrument Concert - Overnight at sea to Dakar.

Arrive in Dakar early in the morning. After breakfast, join an optional excursion to Goree Island and a tour of the city. This is an exploratory adventure of Dakar's surroundings, which invites you to discover the traces of slave trading, and its transformation into today’s African modernity. The history makes room for the present development. Lunch outside the ship. Return to the ship in late afternoon and prepare for dinner. After dinner, set sail southward towards the Saloum River Delta. Overnight at sea, cruising southwards along the coast.

This morning we reach the Sine – Saloun Delta in Senegal, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and also an Important Birding Area, as designated by Birdlife International and natural habitat for many bird species but also such aquatic animals as marine turtles, dolphins, West African manatees, and crocodiles. Our optional excursion starts at the fishing village of Djiffere wherefrom we reach the village of Joal Fadiouth, set on an island of clam shells that also are used in local buildings and crafts. In the afternoon, we leave Senegal and the Saloun Delta and sail south to Gambia to reach Banjul, the capital of Gambia and gateway to the 700-mile Gambia River. Fishermen Night. Overnight in Banjul.

Disembarkation after breakfast.