Bakotu Hotel - Mandina Lodges
Transfer Day
12.04.2019 - 12.04.2019
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Galavanting in The Gambia 2019
on Grete Howard's travel map.
Transfer day. After a leisurely breakfast, we get picked up for the transfer to our next – and last – lodge on this trip. The journey takes the best part of an hour, with the last half on dirt tracks that the driver describes as “African Massage”.
Mandina Lodges
The modest track leading down to the lodge from the main road is not indicative of the opulence that meets us at the lodge. Linda, the manager, greets us warmly and gives us a briefing about the lodge and its surroundings. I am a little disappointed that we do not have a private guide as advertised in the brochure, but share with a single lady from the UK. I can, however, understand the desire to keep staffing levels down this late in the season, especially as this evening there are only five of us staying.
Reception area
Porters take our luggage as we are shown to the room along elevated wooden boardwalks.
The rooms are nicely spread out to allow for plenty of privacy.
There are nine rooms at Mandina, including four floating lodges, one of which we are staying in.
Our lodge is # 3
As we are in the third room from the main public area, there is just one lodge beyond ours. The gangway from the main boardwalk leading across to our room varies in steepness according to the level of the tide.
The gangplank leads to a floating terrace where there are two sunbeds, plus a covered area with a couple of chairs and a table.
Another gangplank leads across to the room itself, which is also floating on the river.
The room has a small balcony that wraps itself around on three of the four sides, offering great views up, down and across the river.
The wood panelled inside is spacious with a four poster bed in the centre of the room.
The en suite bathroom is open to the elements out the back of the room.
A preservation order forbids the owners to bury pipes under the lodges, so the toilet is fitted with a de-compostable plastic bag which takes a bit of getting used to. It is changed every day, but flushing it can be a little awkward, and the sound when you pee is rather disconcerting.
Once we have settled in, we check out the large free form swimming pool.
We're amazed to see a Pied Kingfisher nonchalantly sitting at the edge of the pool.
He dives down into the pool, not for food, but to cool down in the hot, midday sun.
Dotted around the pool are covered sunbathing areas (or rather shady areas to get away from the sun), again spaced apart for privacy.
There is also a firepit, surrounded by chairs for sharing stories and keeping cosy on those chilly winter evenings.
A large wooden deck leads down to the river, where the lodge's boats are moored.
The restaurant features large, heavy metal chairs and ornate mosaic decorations on the floor.
We saunter down to the bar area, where there is a little bit of a cooling breeze.
David is delighted to find the bar stocks cider, while I choose a non-alcoholic ginger drink with a real punch.
Fancy going all the way to West Africa to drink British cider!
My ginger punch looks like mud but tastes delicious.
The bar overlooks the mud flats around the mangroves, which are dry when we arrive, but as we stay for a while drinking and enjoying some lunchtime sandwiches, the water rises with the tide.
The mud appears to be moving, and on closer inspection we see hundreds of little Fiddler Crabs.
Odd looking Mudskippers, who appear to have legs, fins and wings, also frolic in the shallow waters.
The flowerpots attract Red Billed Firefinches.
After lunch we retire to our new home for a siesta in the midday heat.
Posted by Grete Howard 03:27 Archived in Gambia Tagged birds africa pool bar birding crabs swimming_pool cider west_africa kingfisher transfer siesta boardwalks finch gambia firepit bird_watching the_gambia the_gambia_experience firefinch wild_birds bakotu kotu mandina_lodges makasutu mandina floating_lodge makasutu_forest four_poster_bed outside_toilet mangoves mud_flats fiddler_crabs muskippers Comments (6)
