Ndemban Community Based Tourism Booster Project

Ndemban is a traditional Gambian village beautifully located in the mangrove creeks off The River Gambia. In recent years the community has been working hard with the Gambian Tourism Board (GTB) to develop community-based tourism (CBT) as an alternative livelihood for local families and an opportunity for visitors to learn about their culture, nature and way of life. The plan is for Ndemban to be a key stop off on the new Ninki Nanka Trail being developed along The River Gambia to give visitors the opportunity to meet local people and experience authentic natural and cultural heritage, as well as learn about the famous legends of the Ninki Nanka dragon.

Photo: Visitors travelling to Ndemban on the Ninki Nanka Trail boat

Photo: Visitors to Ndemban enjoy breakfast with their host family

Photo: Ndemban Women's Group demonstrates tie & dye

Lots of progress has been made - with the training of local guides and women's groups to deliver village tours and cultural activities, and the construction of tourist home stay accommodation in three family compounds, a community 'restaurant' and an office.

Photos below: Ndemban 'restaurant' and tourist home stays

However, Ndemban's tourism product is like a beautiful gem that needs polishing off and looking after responsibly in order for it to flourish as a way to make life easier for local people. The village need to raise £2,000  to get it 'more market ready' and fund the training and salary of a local person to be a CBT Coordinator to manage the village's tourism activities. This would include funds to improve the interior design of their family home stays to give them more local character and make them more comfortable - hopefully by mid April in time for a visit by local tour operators who we hope will be interested in helping sell the 'Ndemban experience'. 

Ninki Nanka Encounters will be collecting and administering the funds for this Ndemban GoFundMe campaign and providing the support of an amazing sustainable architect and interior designer (Carolyn Ingle). Ninki Nanka Encounters is a new Gambian charity founded by myself (Lucy McCombes, UK) and Adama Bah (Gambia) and a group of social entrepreneurs to help develop the Ninki Nanka Trail and river trips with local communities. Furthermore we have the continued support of the Gambia Tourism Board and the Ndemban Tourism Committee to get the job done on the ground.

You are most welcome to visit Ndemban to enjoy the experience for yourself and see how much your support is appreciated. If you can't make it to The Gambia we will be regularly reporting and providing photos on the progress made.

Photo: Lucy McCombes and Adama Bah, Founders of Ninki Nanka Encounters