In the Footsteps timeline, it hardly seems possible that in January 2022 we will have been in business for 20 yrs.
It seems like just yesterday I was making plans to open an accommodation in The Gambia.
Principles that start with its team and end with them too. Looking back over 20yrs I’m proud of what we have achieved and look forward to the challenges of the next 20yrs.
Footsteps timeline
Click on the arrows to move left/right and click on the date to read more about that Footsteps timeline 😉
Footsteps Timeline
Arrive in The Gambia
Our very first time in a country we would come to know as home
Begin to make a business plan
Just a few months had passed and our business plan was taking shape
looking for land
David returned to The Gambia to buy land in Gunjur.
start building
David and his local workforce started building Footsteps. The project begins.
A family business
Davids father-in-law and friend Len joined the Footsteps project.
We open
We opened Footsteps to the public!
Annie
Our first lodge dog and what a beauty. We found her on the beach in 2002, her mum was dead as were all but one of her brothers & sisters. We kept Annie and Sankule beach took the other. Annie remained with us until 2014 😀
Bushfire
On the 24th of February 2007, we fell victim to a horrendous bushfire.
Len
To our deep sorrow, our partner and friend Len passed away. May he rest in peace.
Rebuild
We began clearing up and rebuilding with the help of the local village and an extremely nice Dutchman called Gijs
Grand re-opening
Footsteps rises from the ashes with a grand re-opening of the new and improved sustainable lodge.
Kaira Kunda
We built Kaira Kunda, our first log cabin.
Kaira Bunga
We built Kaira Bungo, our second log cabin.
Sunbird House
We build our luxury accommodation Sunbird House
Travelife Gold Award
We were assessed by Travelife and received their Gold Award for sustainable tourism.
Seven
Our second lodge dog, we decided to get Seven as company for Annie who by this time was 11 years old. Seven is still with us and she is much loved by all that have met her 😀
Travelife Gold Award
We were assessed by Travelife and received their Gold Award for sustainable tourism.
TripAdvisor Award
Although we were only there for a few days we managed to cram in a load of activities. On the first day, David took us beach fishing which was brilliant! After a great day’s fishing we were rewarded with a good size butterfish which David’s team very kindly cooked for us – easily the tastiest fish I have ever eaten! On the second day, Serani (who is an excellent guide) took us on a great tour of the local area which included an extremely welcoming visit to his house.
We were really sad to leave and can’t wait until we go again! We strongly recommend a visit!!
Oli & Suzi
Birdhide
We opened our brand new bird hide.
Travelife Gold award
We were assessed by Travelife and received their Gold Award for sustainable tourism.
TripAdvisor Award
Have just spent an incredible week at Footsteps – absolutely fantastic. David and all the lovely staff did us proud – amazing food, comfortable airy huts, exotic, well-tended colourful gardens (not to mention the birdlife), local music and entertainment of an evening – what more could anyone want?
Oh, and the incredible beaches are just a glorious 20 minutes of ‘footsteps’ away!
Fallen for the Gambia – will be back! Jan W
World Responsible tourism Award
We were awarded Silver at The World Responsible Travel Awards at London’s WTM in the category ‘Best for engaging people & culture’!
Our new logo
Santa brought us a new logo for Christmas 🙂
Travelife Gold Award
We were assessed by Travelife and received their Gold Award for sustainable tourism.
Ebola
Even though The Gambia remained Ebola-free many tourists stayed away during the 2014-2015 season epidemic. Footsteps also had a rough season, but not as bad as others did. We made it through and decided to do better than ever next season!
TripAdvisor Award
All food was freshly cooked/prepared and delicious. The pastries (amazing pastry chef!) would grace any patisserie in Inverness. The soso beans and veggie burgers are a must! We tried a wide variety of dishes…all excellent. Clean plates spoke volumes!
We were warmly welcomed by all staff. Such generous and kind hospitality. Nothing was too much trouble and we made some good friendships.
The stunning beach was only a 15/20 min walk away…and apart from a polite young man who wanted us to visit his beach bar for a drink…we were all alone.
The birding was great. (102 bird species seen) Some birds seemed “painted by numbers”. The large lodge hide was the go-to place at sunrise and sunset and many times in between. A trip with the resident birder Lamin to local reserves etc proved an interesting and informative day. That was fun.
Thank you to David and all the staff for helping make our adventure a memorable one, for all the right reasons. Would we recommend Footsteps? Definitely!
Eco Tropical resorts
We were awarded a perfect eco-rating by eco-tropical resorts!
A new website
To kick off a season dedicated to creating an even better experience for our guests, we launched our new website created by the lovely Kristel.
A new sundeck
With the help of Paul and Jo Heath, we replaced the roof of the pool with a sundeck. We also rebuilt the bantaba, upgraded the kitchen, bar and upstairs sitting area and topped that off with a new look and comfy furniture.
Yoga
Yoga came via Ben who owns the yoga shala on the edge of our land. She still belongs to Ben but she spends all her time with Seven at the lodge. I guess she and Seven are very close and mostly you find them together.😀
TripAdvisor Award
Hotels combined Award
We were awarded the 2017 recognition of excellence by HotelsCombined!
Election in Gambia
General election and our president of more than 20 years is defeated by Adama Barrow. Jammeh subsequently refused to step down effectively killing the season from the end of January onwards.
#Gambia Has Decided
TripAdvisor Award
TripAdvisor Award
TripAdvisor Award
The accommodation is in Individual eco huts. They are cool by the round design of the buildings and are en-suite with eco-friendly composting toilets. All the power is from solar, which means there are no power cuts!
The food is superb, a selection of local and western food.
David, the owner, is mostly on-site and has a wealth of local knowledge.
I am not a birder, but we now know quite a few beautiful species. They can be seen visiting the dipping pool, and from the bird hide at the edge of the property.
Several excellent local bird experts can take you on tours.
We started our holiday this year with an amazing 4-day trip upriver, arranged by Linda, David’s partner. She has her own travel tour business, EthicalTravelPortal.com. We saw things not normally seen on tours and now have a whole new understanding of the country.
The staff are so friendly and helpful. They feel almost like family now. We will return. Read our guest blog post here.
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook announce they are ceasing operations.
Covid19
On the 23rd March 2020 Gambia was officially not receiving holidaymakers. This meant our season had been cut short once again and little did we know but we were not to have the following season either.
TripAdvisor Award
Enormous hospitality given by the host David and kind personnel, nothing you ask is too much. Even at a moment of global crisis, their door was still open. The lodge has got a beautiful garden with a lot of beautiful birds, flowers and geckos.
The lodge is only a 20-minute walk to the beach, and 60 minutes walking to Gunjur centre. Gunjur is a village with kind people, in case you would like to get to know any locals.For some relaxing or cultural activities in the lodge area or on the beach, you can talk to David. Beautiful African cabins, always clean.
An excellent place to come for a relaxing holiday! Sabrina Asselman
2020/21 season is cancelled
Covid19 has been devastating for everyone without exception. We hoped and prayed we would be able to salvage any part of our season, but it wasn’t safe and it wasn’t to be.
☹️
save this date 🥳🥳
We have supported all our full-time staff from March 23rd 2020 until now and we are so excited about the prospect of welcoming visitors once more. We are ready, we have covid guidelines in place, the team are trained in different operating procedures and we just cant wait to see you all again in The Gambia.
To celebrate 20 yrs of looking after the very best guests any lodge/hotel could hope for. We will be giving each and every guest that stays with us in the upcoming 2021/22 season a birthday gift from us. By becoming a member, which is free by the way, you can choose from the following list of presents. Yours to enjoy while staying at Footsteps.
A double celebration
Incredible as it may seem, several members of our team have also been with us for 20 yrs. Dodou Touray ( General manager ), Buba Low ( Driver ), Karamo Touray ( Eco-pool maintenance ), Buba Manneh ( Waiter ), Lamin Camera ( Waiter ). Meet the entire team.
We will be dedicating several of our entertainment evenings ( socially distanced & outdoors ) to celebrating our wonderful Footsteps family. Live music with Jeli Yankuba and Katus, The voice of Mariama, local drumming with Mani, BBQ’s and much more!
Start looking forward
To some sunshine, beaming smiles, sandy beaches, and seeing old friends. The entire team is hoping you will make it to our 20th birthday celebrations. They start October 15th, 2021, and end on the 15th June 2022, See you there 🥳