Tumani Tenda Eco-Village

Tumani Tenda is a Jola village of a few hundred people on a creek inland from the coast, and in the 1990s it set up a camp owned and run entirely by the community, with income going into village projects rather than to an operator. Visitors stay in simple huts and join what the village does: gardening, oyster gathering, batik, forest walks, drumming. It is one of the earliest projects of its kind in West Africa.

What you actually see

• The community ownership - a camp run by the village with income kept locally.
• The creek - the bolong the village works for fish and oysters.
• The village activities - gardening, batik, oyster gathering and forest walks.
• The forest - the community woodland the village protects.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. The rains from June to October green the country and complicate the roads. Stays should be booked ahead.

Honest expectations

Accommodation is genuinely basic, with bucket washing and no power in places. Meals are set rather than chosen. Visitors are guests in a working village and behaviour matters.

Nearby

Bintang Bolong is east, and Brikama is north.