I travelled to Gambia in November with my extended family (8 of us) and stayed a The Sheraton Brufut Heights. Being the usual sceptic I thought it best to book a couple of trips with the tour company, that was until we went into senegambia and came across Arch Tours. We were not hassled at all by the staff and while passing stopped to look at the tours they did and so went inside and met Abdul, the owner.

Abdul is a lovely person and is very knowledgeable and passionate about his country. We spoke about the 4 in 1 tour and decided to go back to the hotel to cancel one of thr trips we had arranged with the rep. This we did and then went back the next day to organise the trip. As there was 8 of us we were offered a large discount on the usual price and Abdul threw down a challenge to us that he would be able to supply us with ice cold drinks all day and we couldn't possibly drink him dry. Believe me we tried and failed miserably. With the tours operated by the travel company drinks and food are not usually included and you have to buy them as you go, not with Abdul. You do not need to take any money with you if you do not want to as all refreshment and food are included in the price and although basic the food was hearty and catered for all tastes, even the fussy eater in our group. You will not be thirsty or hungry on these tours.

Abdul collected us from our hotel on time and we found we had the jeep as well as Abdul and 2 other members of staff for the whole day. The tour sounded very intense but was actually conducted at a lovely pace that suited everyone and Abdul had to keep reminding us to slow down and that the day was ours to enjoy with him.

His knowledge and passion for his country and customs are immense and his english is very easy to understand so the day was fantastic.

One of our group is not very steady on his feet so getting in and out of the back of the landrover could have been an issue but Abdul and his staff were exceptionally attentive and nothing was too much trouble.

If you do go on any of the tours make sure yiu have pens and pencils to hand, or throw, out from the jeep.

If you want a fantastic experience that is well worth the money ditch your tour operater and take the trip into senegambia and find Abdul and Arch Tours

Regards
The Hopkins Family

Would really recommend Arch Tours for trips in Gambia.Very frendly staff who really look after you. They have a real passion for the region and care.
Prices for tours are extremely competitive .Professionally run and cannot fault

The event was billed as FOUR IN ONE . Sounded exhausting, but as we were only there for a week seemed a good way to see some REAL Gambia.
Called in at the office to be told the trip the next day was fully booked. When Abdul saw how disappointed we were he did some juggling and accomodated us.
I cannot express how well organised this company is.


The boys Amadou (so far so good) , Modou ,and young lady AMIE who accompanied us on the day were excellent. Well informed,with a good sense of humour . Although we covered a lot of ground, and saw a lot of places, at no time did we feel pressured or rushed. Refreshments flowed at an astonishing rate and the lunch provided was superb.

I was very wary of venturing out, but these people made me feel very relaxed and comfortable, in what I thought may be scary surroundings.

I cannot praise Arch Tours and their staff highly enough, , I have been disappointed plenty of times by second rate trips, but this one is AN AMAZING DAY OUT.

We had one day to spend in The Gambia and wanted to make the most of it so we signed on for the Arch Tour 4 in 1 tour. It was a hectic day albeit wonderful exposure to life in The Gambia. This was one of the few companies in West Africa that was not constantly increasing their quoted price. Lots of cold water and sodas were on hand and the lunch and coffee break were excellent. I can't recommend Arch Tours highly enough. ([--])