Janjanbureh

Janjanbureh (known as Georgetown until 1995) is a historic town on Janjanbureh Island — also called MacCarthy Island — in the Gambia River, in Central River Region. The island was purchased in 1823 by British captain Alexander Grant, in exchange for annual payments to Kolli Camara, king of Lower Niani, and settled as a home for freed slaves; the town later served as a colonial administrative centre and was, until 1995, the second-largest town in the country. It retains colonial-era buildings and a quiet, atmospheric character.

By car/road: take the main road from Banjul to the ferry crossing at Kuntaur, then a short ferry ride to the island. Bush taxis connect to Kuntaur.

Walkable. The island is small and easily explored on foot.

• The Old Courthouse — a cluster of colonial civic buildings around the town square.
• The Slave House — a late-18th-century building with thick stone walls and barred cells, used to hold enslaved people before transport along the river.
• Janjanbureh Museum (Georgetown Museum) — colonial and local history exhibits.
• The former governor's residence, still standing as a colonial-era landmark.

Explore the colonial heritage. Walk the island. Birdwatch on the river.

Small restaurants in town serve Gambian staples.

Local bars.

Basic guesthouses on the island.

Local crafts.

• Kuntaur — ferry crossing and river town
• Wassu — stone circles, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• River Gambia National Park — chimpanzee sanctuary on Baboon Islands
• Bansang — 20 km east, largest town in the division