My Partner and I decided at the last minute on this accomodation and really glad we did. On arrival 10pm Sat night nothing was too much in our requests. A large drink was provided along with a meal of delicious fresh fish followed by a great nights 1st sleep in West Africa. The sounds were truly amazing and to be gently woken by the Dawn Chorus set the athomsphire for a proper restful vacation. The lodge ( which accomodates up to 25 but 10/16 apears more the norm). The lodge is iwned by a very gongenial chap called David, who has set this holiday camp up over 10 years ago and is constantly on it to provide each guest with their individual approach. He has built a team of staff which remains loyal to the concept 'that nothing is too much'. A fresh water swimming pool in the grounds offers refreshment in an idilic environment. By staying here we were afforded a first class safe opportunity to mingle with the locals and experience their culture in everyday life. The craftmanship of 'Jamma the Drummer' and the cratfman ship of the silversmith would take you back a hundred years. The food provided from the kitchens of 'Footsteps' was second to non. On the beach, a managable stroll from the lodge was something we never expected to experience. We spent some great days on the beach fishing with David and caught some great fish including Butter fish, Captain fish and Snapper fish which were cooked to perfection each evening. You get an opportunity to meet some interesting people when you
stay here. Wouldn't have happened in a bigger environment however we did have some interesting conversations during and after dinner in the evenings. It is a great venue to launch any holiday from. Ossi the taxi guy is a field of information and £25 pretty much buys him for the day which can take you anywhere in the Gambia and you avoid having to camp down in the rat race of the Senagambia and other commercial sesspits.

My husband and I and 3 children (ages 12, 9 and 7) stayed at Footsteps for a week. We stayed in a 2 bedroom spacious house at the Lodge which was very clean. The food was delicious and David was very welcoming. We went fishing and the children played football with local children on the most stunning beaches. We loved the drumming lessons and David's enthusiasm for sustainable tourism.

We stayed at footsteps for 2 weeks over christmas in one of their log cabins which gave excellent space for our two children aged 7 & 5. The best thing about footsteps and what seperates it from all the rest is the staff, a big thank you to Buba, Lamin, Dodo, Buba (night watch) and Jamma who were absolutley fantatsic with us and especially with the children. Nothing was too much trouble and they made sure that we all had a great time. We loved the laid back atmosphere of the lodge and the wildlife, David the owner was excellent and always made sure we had all we needed. The location was right in the bush and I can highley recommend Sirani the lcoal guide who took us round the village, school, fishing village and monkey park all with ample patience with our two monkeys! so here are my ratings:-

Room - Clean, comfortable, spacious, water pressure a bit low, lizards noisy on the tin roof at night

Enviroment - Clean well maintained and fantastic bird and wild life

Staff - fab all of them

Food - the only minor negative, a bit pricey as others have commented and I think the menu does need to be a bit of expansion if you are staying more than a few nights. Also if you have fussey kids it may be a struggle.

All in all a fantastic holiday and a wonderful lodge thanks to David and all the fab staff.

Footsteps is a gorgeous eco lodge set in a beautiful garden. It’s run by David and Linda who have an obvious enthusiasm for sustainable tourism, and have achieved a Travelife Gold award for the lodge. The activities on offer provide an opportunity for a real connection with local craftspeople and guides, and the life of the local village.
We stayed in our own immaculately clean roundhouse with domed roof, designed to keep as cool as possible without the need for a fan or air con. We had a clean efficient compost toilet and a solar heated shower.
The centrepiece in the garden is a naturally filtered shallow plunge pool which is filtered through a lush reedbed, acting as a magnet for a huge range of birds including pygmy kingfisher and red bellied flycatcher. David is planning to build a new bird hide, which will look over the gardens and nearby fields in this rich area for birdlife. The area is great for birding (and the chef came in specially to provide us with early breakfasts for our regular excursions)
We felt we had been welcomed into a lovely community of people; staff and guests, and the food was absolutely first class. We would really recommend this special lodge.