ONE of the smallest and friendliest countries in West Africa, The Gambia has emerged as a favourite in the winter sun league, writes Sylvia Kingsley.

A former sliver of Britain's colonial past, hugging the banks of the River Gambia as it meanders from the Atlantic 300 miles into Africa's interior, it is the only English-speaking country in the region.

Despite having only 30 miles of superb beaches, there is considerable space compared to most Mediterranean resorts, and it is a year-round destination which now offers short breaks. It is in the same time zone as the UK, so the six-hour flight will not leave you jet -agged. A local joke is that GMT means "Gambia Maybe Time", meaning that things will or won't be on time in relaxed African fashion, but they won't let you down, either.

The Gambians care very much about visitors, as tourism has been their lifeline since independence in 1965. The country boasts both luxury hotels and more modest accommodation, often built African-style, and there are no high-rise buildings to tarnish the view.

To get to know Africa you must take excursions with local guides who have been well trained to keep track of groups. "If one of you goes astray," said our charming guide, Ben, "it will be difficult for me to notice, you all look so much alike. So nobody should go wandering."

Banjul, the little coastal capital, formerly called Bathurst, was built by the British in 1816. It is a lively and vibrant town with an informative museum, colonial buildings, busy port, brewery and hectic market. The people carry umbrellas against the heat. Under the hot African sun, life is social and humming like a happy village on fete day. Squatters sell mounds of fruit and bicycles interweave with cars and strollers.

In the nearby suburb of Serrekunda, there is another gathering of traders big enough to fill Wembley Stadium. Women sellers predominate behind stalls of food, goats' horns, herbal cures and objects strange to Western eyes. Regal and beautiful, the women are wrapped in stunning fabrics and topped with matching turbans. That they emerge from mostly "compound homes", villages of huts with corrugated iron roofs, no electricity, running water nor main sewerage, is hard to reconcile. Along heat-hazed, dusty red roads lined with acacia, frangipani and mango trees, women can be seen pounding millet in backyards, their animals resting beneath the trees.

In sturdy Land Rovers, you can visit schools up country, a compound, and lesser known bush areas dotted with baubob trees, winding up with lunch under a thatched roof on a surf-lapped beach. Not far off are villages which still beat out messages as a way of communication and tribes who still practise age-old customs.

The River Gambia, lined with dense mangrove swamps and bordered by cotton, bamboo trees and salt flats, is home to a rich variety of bird life. For lions, baboons and hyenas, visit the Abuko nature reserve just ten miles from the hotel areas.

Unmissable is a day's cruise up the steamy river to the land of author Alex Hailey's Roots saga, the place where Hailey's ancestors were captured as slaves and taken to America. You follow the same route as ancient traders to the village of Juffure, where Hailey's distant relatives still live. The whole village turns out for tourists whom they show photos of the author. Further on is James Island, steeped in slave trade history. Back on board, a spicy African meal is served while dolphins dance in the river as the sun begins to set in a melon coloured sky.

Entertainment in The Gambia is mostly confined to hotels, which have their own discos and put on fashions shows and tribal dancing displays. European and African food is available at all hotels, and restaurants offer a range of world cuisine. For all the tourism, though, The Gambia remains very much a third world country and tips and small gifts for children are eagerly sought. Pack anything you can for your hosts - clothes, toiletries, ballpoint pens and paper. People have huge extended families, many with no jobs. A few coins go a very long way.

Fact File

Sylvia flew with Air Gambia and stayed at the five-star Kairaba Hotel on the beach with a huge swimming pool. Several tour operators offer packages, but the year-round specialists are The Gambia Experience, Kingfisher House, Rownhams Lane, North Baddesley, Hampshire, SO52 9LP. (Tel: 023 8073 0888; Fax: 023 8073 1122.)

Reading: Rough Guide to West Africa; Africa, Lonely Planet.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

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