AS soon as you step out of the aircraft on to Gambian ground and the sweltering air wraps around you like a hot towel, you need to take off your watch and forget about it.

Time does not matter here. In fact, GMT equals “Gambian Maybe Time”. Watches might as well be missing the second hand.

And it is perhaps because Gambians are so relaxed that their West African country is the ideal place to get away from it all.

Though English-speaking, in the same time zone, and only a five-and-a-half hour flight from the UK, The Gambia is a completely different world to the routine and hectic life most of us lead at home.

And with an average winter temperature above 30C you will not survive long if you do not succumb to the way of life there.

Dosed up on anti-malaria pills and African anticipation, I arrived at the modest country leaving behind the dreary November weather we famously tolerate.

Cut into the side of Senegal, The Gambia is one of the smallest African nations, and our local guide, LT, is quick to point out to us that the country’s biggest asset is not the impressive wildlife or picturesque beaches, but the people. The nation of 1.6 million likes to call itself the “Smiling Coast”.

It’s a rare thing to be able to go to a tourist destination and not to be met with the tired and disdainful eyes of locals who are sick of sloppy attempts at their native language.

But Gambians are genuine and genuinely pleased to see you. You are bombarded with smiles and this soon becomes infectious. I soon find I will have no choice but to enjoy my stay.

The Muslim country gets its name from the river Gambia. And it is this river that helps attract more than 540 different bird species to the area. Ornithologists flock to the country and television bird man Chris Packham is a regular big fan.

The Gambia offers birdwatchers the chance to see the world’s largest egrets and herons, pelicans, and colourful bee-eaters and kingfishers.

While the country does not have the lions and elephants that are synonymous with Africa, there are plenty of other creatures to quench your exotic thirst, including manatees, mongoose, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles and dolphins.

Even those who choose to spend their time welded to a sun bed in a resort could encounter a huge monitor lizard like I did. The Gambia is a place where you may see vultures on the beach or baboons and their babies sifting through someone’s rubbish.

For tourists, there is plenty of accommodation on offer – from beachside resorts, to floating lodges hidden in the jungle. Tour operators will pick you up from outside your place of stay and take you on a number of excursions available, including off-road drives through villages and countryside, to boozy riverboat cruises.

On the way to the 1,000-acre tropical nature reserve – the Makasutu forest – we were taken through many villages. It soon became clear that young Gambians get unbelievably excited to see visitors and would run towards our 4x4 truck cheering and waving frantically – making one feel like the Queen.

At the conservation site we were taken down a tranquil river in a dug-out canoe getting up close to oysters, crabs, and birdlife.

We then headed to the unusually decorated village of Kubuneh.

International graffiti artists have made their mark on the tiny settlement, turning it into an attraction villagers are proud to show off.

An undoubted highlight of the trip was a visit to a Gambian primary school. For many of the youngsters, mine was perhaps the first white face they had ever seen. Most of the village came out to meet us and dance to a beat created with a stick and an empty bottle.

Lord Williams’s School in Thame has links with the country and funded a toilet block at the Mansa-Colley Bojang Nursery that opened last year.

Travel firm The Gambia Experience celebrated 25 years in 2012. But unlike many holiday companies, it is keen to make sure it thanks the country for hosting it.

So the firm gives about £10,000 every year to help Gambian children go to school and to equip those schools under its School Development Fund.

A pit stop enjoyed in a hammock at Paradise Beach was followed with a visit to a fishing village.

The first thing that strikes you is the stench of hundreds of fish being smoked, but heading down to the seaside came one of the trip’s most colourful moments as villagers carried huge bowls of twitching fish on to the shore.

Gambian food is healthy and hearty. Fish is never off the menu and local favourites include chicken yassa (with lime, onions and pepper) and domoda (meat with peanut puree).

Fresh fruit such as mango, papaya, watermelon, and grapefruit is in abundance – though a strong stomach is needed as a big change of climate and diet can give some travellers problems, as I found out.

Put simply, a trip to The Gambia should be more than a holiday. It will be an experience.

But do not come with any misapprehensions. You are here to relax and if you do not, the country will force you to.

THE TUNES

The Tunes – Legend, by Bob Marley & The Wailers, £9.99, available from Amazon.co.uk

MANY Gambians love Bob Marley. His relaxing, peace-loving music is the perfect soundtrack for a trip to the Smiling Coast.

THE WORDS

Roots, by Alex Haley, £8.99, available from Amazon.co.uk

THE African-American author traced his roots back to The Gambia writing this book. The fishing village Juffure is now known across the world as it is was where Haley’s great-great-great-great grandfather was abducted into slavery in the 18th century. Brilliant, but deeply disturbing.

STAYING THERE

The Gambia Experience
0845 330 2087 gambia.co.uk

PRICES: (based on travel from January 2013 for host hotel and properties visited on itinerary)
 

  • Kombo Beach Hotel gambia.co.uk/kombo. Holidays from £499 per person for seven nights staying in a standard air conditioned room on bed & breakfast. Price includes flights (departing from Gatwick).
  • Mandina Lodges at Makasutu gambia.co.uk/mandina. Holidays from £1,199 per person for seven nights staying in a jungle lodge on half board, inclusive of flights (from Gatwick).
  • Coco Ocean gambia.co.uk/CocoOcean. Holidays from £1,099 per person for seven nights staying in a junior suite on bed & breakfast. Price includes flights (departing from Gatwick).
  • Ngala Lodge gambia.co.uk/Ngala. Holidays from £999 per person for seven nights staying in a standard air conditioned suite on bed & breakfast. Price includes flights (departing from Gatwick).

For special offers go to gambia.co.uk/specialoffers