Here’s what happened to us at the Gambia border and how we dealt with the situation. 

How it All Started at the Gambia Border

Crossing Borders 

In order to get to the Gambia, we travelled from Guinea-Bissau, back into Senegal, and stayed overnight. We then continued our journey in the morning to reach the smallest nation in Africa – The Gambia.

We arrived at the border of Senegal and the man in charge of the customs asked where my visa for Senegal is. There is only a stamp required as Australians don’t need a visa. We answered and explained this to him politely, but he seemed to disagree.

He checked his papers and seemed to be convinced I needed a visa. We waited and were polite but firm that Australians do not require a visa, in fact, this was our second trip in the last month to Senegal.

We mentioned he can certainly call the embassy or we can. He called someone to confirm. 

When he hung up he shouted at us to go to the embassy in the Gambia to get a visa for Senegal.

Weird, since we were leaving Senegal.

Clearly, it was so he wouldn’t have to admit that he was wrong or that his move to get some bribes didn’t work.

We nodded and said we would and then walked away. 

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Entering the Gambia

Wow, this Senegal Gambia border crossing was going to be fun! On the Gambian side, things got complicated once again.

We were welcomed by the eagerly friendly men in uniform and ushered into the boss’s office.

Slovakian passport holders need a visa and can get it at the border, so we knew we will have to pay for Marty’s visa. The visa is $60.

Do Australian passport holders now need a visa?

However, Australians are granted visa-free entry. The man in charge, however, didn’t seem to agree. He produced his printed list of all countries that require a visa and it included Australia – oddly the only one in capital letters. Here we go again…..

The story has changed as it went on and as he tried to explain that it’s visa-free only if you fly in. We remained polite, yet we were firm and suggested for them to call the embassy of Gambia in Dakar.

We had researched this recently, so we were 100% positive that I don’t need a visa to enter here at the Gambia border.

We showed him the visa requirements listed in our guidebook on the phone. We had all the time in the world and we were not going to give in. One of the officers was very unhappy that we hadn’t given in yet and just paid them. 

After 15-20 minutes at the Gambia border office, talking about our imaginary boyfriends and the beautiful beaches in the Gambia, Marty simply said she will now go and change the money to pay for her visa, but we won’t be paying for a visa for an Australian passport – as it’s not required.

And that was it.

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Change of story – Australian passport doesn’t require a visa 

Within minutes, the man who was there at the beginning came by and said that he just made a call and found out that Australians no longer need a visa.

Surprise! Oh, Africa – what cannot be done in one moment seems to be doable just 30 minutes later. 

We got our one visa and stamp for Marty and a stamp for myself and off we went to find a ride for our onward journey.

Corruption is spelled in capital letters in most Western African countries and money often seems to help make problems disappear. 

Today’s score: Corrupt officials 0 – Marty & Rach 1

We check the Smart Traveller website for the latest updates about visa requirements for Australian passport holders for every country.

You can also visit our Visa Page for more information about applying for some challenging visas in Africa and worldwide.

Travel Tips for Africa

We have many travel guides and tips for Africa – what a massive continent!

Have you ever wondered how many countries in Africa there are? 54 or 55? We cover them in depth in our ultimate Africa bucket list.

There is some delicious cuisine to be enjoyed across Africa, and these ten best African countries for food will inspire your food journey.

Check out how many of these 15 most popular foods you can taste.

If you’re wondering what they eat for breakfast in Africa, check out these 20 popular breakfast foods.

For food lovers, our Food Map of AFRICA lists the quintessential dish you need to eat in every nation!

It’s worth reading these 17 ESSENTIAL Things to know before travelling to West Africa, and our packing list for Africa may be helpful to you.

Don’t miss our recap of our travels across West Africa for even more helpful tips, and try these popular West African dishes; they’re fantastic!

You’ll need to stay connected while travelling in Africa. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries in Africa, or consider a regional eSIM for Africa (which covers 36 countries)

If your travels in Africa are part of a much larger global adventure, then a Global eSIM may be the answer. It connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text Global eSIM. This eSIM has been a game-changer for us, and we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.

If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour. Check out our Group Tours first for any upcoming departures in Africa, or view Tourradar for deals on group tours in Africa.

Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.