HOLIDAYS IN AFRICA ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR. WHY IS SANYANG IN THE GAMBIA BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF A TOURIST MAGNET? - Bsozd.com

In the opinion of more and more tourism experts, The Gambia is the right summer or, even better, winter destination for those who want to jump into the waters of the warm Mid-Atlantic not only in June, but perhaps also in December at a daytime temperature of around 30-33°C, the whole provided with a feeling of freedom that is now unusual for us. The sea here has a pleasant water temperature of 26-27°. Senegambia or Banjul, Kololi or Brufut are well known. But as a real insider’s tip, we dedicate ourselves today to the small town of Sanyang, 35 km from the capital, and also tell you how you can reach „TITUS MANSION“, Sanyang’s No. 1 overnight accommodation. This wonderful oasis is situated on a secured area of almost 3ha with a pool, its own quad school and a quad rental. Here beginners and even advanced quad enthusiasts learn a lot, as it is to see also in the following Youtube link:

The village of Sanyang and some simple beach resorts are located in the Kombo South district of the West Coast region in the southwestern coastal area of The Gambia in West Africa. The ancient village centre is 5 km from the coast on the Kombo Coastal Road and about 30 km from the capital Banjul. The estimated population of about 9,000 people is mainly composed of Mandinka, Wolof, Fula and Jola. The most important economic sectors are agriculture and fishing.

CHANCE TOURISM? TRAVEL INDUSTRY CAN FEED MANY PEOPLE AND INCREASE PROSPERITY

Tourism is also becoming increasingly important, as the nature and beaches are ideal for a few days or even weeks of relaxation, sports or quad biking in a low-traffic environment. There is a paved road leading east from the city centre through Jambanjali (Jambanjelly) and Jalabang and on to the district capital Brikama. The whole area around Sanyang is dirt road and from there a quad bike (see cover picture) is optimal for adventurous holidaymakers who want to explore beautiful landscapes and beaches this way. An introductory course for quad beginners is offered on request and at no extra charge by the dedicated guys from Jatta Easy Quad…

SANYANG BEACH IS SOFT, SIMPLY GOLDEN. THE ALMOST ALWAYS SHINING AFRICAN SUN ALSO MATCHES IT

A 5 km wide curved stretch of coastline shines with the fine-grained beaches of Pelican, Osprey and Paradise Beach (collectively known as Sanyang Beach). The area attracted tourists even when the adjoining settlements were far from touristy. It is considered by many to be one of the best beaches in The Gambia and seems to have been largely spared from earlier coastal erosion. South of the fishing centre, the beachfront is at its most secluded and deserted and is fringed by inland lagoons fringed with mangroves.

SANYANG HAS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY SIMPLE BEACH ACCOMMODATION AND, SINCE 2018, THE DIGNIFIED ‚TITUS MANSION‘, REMINISCENT OF THE COLONIAL ERA

In an interview with Jaalib, one of the owner’s sons, the English-born, likeable 25-year-old reveals some previously undisclosed background on the naming and intention behind ‚Titus Mansion‘. In doing so, we look at a family-run business that was founded in 2018. The residence takes its name from the late Titus Barrett, father of (Abu Bakr Barrett). He owns the entire property, the surrounding land and the associated „Jatta Easy Quad“ quad rental business

(https://www.jattaeasyquad.com/).

Abu Bakr’s dream since childhood was to come to Africa, it was something like a return to the motherland for him. He first came to The Gambia in 2012 when he toured Africa’s smallest country on behalf of his brother, who was looking for investment opportunities in the country. It did not take long for him to fall in love not only with the beauty of „THE SMILING COAST OF AFRICA“, but also with the open-minded and hospitable people of The Gambia, who quickly welcomed him with open arms. He immediately felt at home in a place that, as he and his father agreed, resembled Jamaica. He was born in Jamaica. The Gambia is a very stark contrast to the hectic, dreary concrete jungle of England, with which Abu Bakr was very familiar, having worked and spent most of his life in England.

The acquired plots of ‚Titus Mansion‘ are absolutely quiet in Sanyang and have beautiful trees and lots of green surroundings. After buying the neighbouring property of ‚Titus Mansion‘ (which belonged to another English couple at the time), he started the ecologically careful transformation of the site into a holiday home for himself and his family. Together, the whole family visited Sanyang for the first time in spring 2014. After visiting The Gambia a few more times as a holidaymaker and the length of the stays became longer and longer, Abubakar set himself the goal of leaving England and making The Gambia his permanent home. No sooner said than done.

SANYANG IN THE GAMBIA BECAME THE FAMILY’S NEW ADOPTED HOME

Jaalib continues his explanations, „In 2017, my grandpa, Titus Samuel Barrett passed away, may he rest in peace. On his death, he left a certain legacy to his descendants. Abubakar saw this as an opportunity to move forward with his plan to move to The Gambia and decided to invest here as well. This led to the purchase of Titus Mansion and the surrounding land, which was now available as the previous owners/neighbours had put it up for sale.

Of course, we initially only thought of a private holiday home, but that soon changed and we started planning a very well equipped guest villa for discerning travellers and those who want to enjoy Africa with certain amenities that they might be more familiar with from Europe or the USA or even Canada.

The overall result of our plans is now definitely worth seeing. Our guests are thrilled and enjoy their stay in this beautiful garden setting, which is also matched by our pool, which is really wonderfully integrated into the park landscape…“

Jaalib: „At the beginning, we „only“ had the quads in mind as a means of transport for ourselves. But the reaction of holidaymakers made us think of a good business. Towards the end of 2017, my father took the step of starting the quad biking business for quad rides and excursions. Having previously bought a couple of quad bikes for his two sons‘ leisure time, he discovered that there were many areas that could only be accessed by these off-road vehicles, which are not normally accessible by car and difficult to get to on foot. The nature of the terrain was not due to the natural geography of the land, but to the years of sand mining that the land had been subjected to. Initially, eight of the all-terrain vehicles were procured in England.

After months of negotiations with environmental and tourism authorities, he was able to obtain the necessary permits and began setting up the JATTA EASY QUAD quad workshop and quad rental business.“

Jaalib: „The reaction of our quad bike beginners is always similar: some are so enthusiastic that they even buy such a vehicle later on. More and more holidaymakers came to us and wanted to learn how to drive a quad bike on sandy terrain or generally experience one or two adventures alone or in groups with these means of transport that are considered cool…“

His brother adds: „A little more than a year later, in 2019, after our father had established himself as a thoroughly industrious businessman, the family began to convert the holiday home, which had previously been used privately, into the prestigious property that can now be admired. The result is now known as ‚Titus Villa‘ or ‚Titus Mansion‘. There are different bookable rooms in the main house. A separate complete villa can also be rented for days or weeks or even months.

All guest reviews are positive, which is also due to the well-equipped rooms. Titus Mansion is known as one of the best B’n’B accommodations in the Sanyang region and is ideal for short or long term stays. This is also the case for Brit Lew Marsden, who booked himself in here directly for three months and has been travelling the Gambia for years.

Lew Marsden: „Here I feel at home, I have sun and the sea in front of my nose every day and I can prepare my favourite dishes in the 40sqm kitchen in the main house. Yesterday we had lentils, an Indian recipe, and my friends and I polished off the huge pot in a few hours.“

TITUS MANSION IS NOT ONLY THE BEST ACCOMMODATION ON SITE, IT ALSO KEEPS THE MEMORY OF THE ANCESTORS ALIVE IN THIS WAY

The house was titled as such to honour and continue the legacy of the owner, builder and residence provider of such an opportunity for those who came after him. Everyone who has the privilege of experiencing the residence and all it has to offer is a recipient of years of hard work and a great deal of effort. The whole family is now active, a family business straight out of a picture book.

SECRET TIP TITUS MANSION … IS A SUCCESSFUL COMBINATION OF LUXURIOUS COUNTRY VILLA AND DIGNIFIED COMFORT LODGE IN THE MIDDLE OF A HUGE GARDEN

Some aspects show that we also meet the taste of demanding travellers. We have compiled a small list of things that our readers and perhaps future holidaymakers should know:

1.
The ambience of the surroundings and the serenity of the environment

2.
The abundance of agriculture and green spaces

3.
Short distance to the beach (about 2 km)

4.
Amenities on the totally secure grounds: swimming pool, bantaba, Wi-Fi, TV, selection of books/reading material

5.
Almost 100% self-sufficiency! During the day, the entire site is powered by solar energy. In addition to solar power, there are two other sources of electricity, so there is always an alternative in case of a power cut

6.
Breakfast and dinner can be provided for guests on request, but there is also a very large and fully functional kitchen for those who wish to self-cater, including fridge, freezer and cooker

7.
Laundry room with washing machine

8.
Day hire of quad bikes for guests at a discounted rate. Introductory lessons for quad bike beginners

9.
Guests can be picked up and dropped off at Banjul airport on request

10.
Hot water for showers (not available everywhere in The Gambia!)

11.
Remote from the hustle and bustle, but only 2km from the main road/village area

12.
Organic food from the region (partly grown on the premises, partly home-grown)

 

TITUS MANSION VISIONS 2025

Our vision is to be on the top 5 list of places to visit for every visitor to The Gambia and to continue to provide exceptional service. In the future, we want to further expand our reach to help those new to the country and those from, for example, the hectic life in Europe, to get accustomed to an African country/lifestyle that may be unfamiliar to them.

We want to help holidaymakers settle in, not be trapped in a hotel room, but be embraced by the smiling coastline, bask in the hammock and still have access to certain amenities and home comforts.

TITUS MANSION QUAD HOLIDAY

Jaalib: „We have some promising plans for expanding quad bike services. First and foremost, we want to significantly improve the awareness of our services. Especially the group tours are very popular and lead through beautiful landscapes, almost without car traffic.  We want to maintain and consolidate our position as the number 1 quad bike operator and luxury residence in the country. To this end, we are all working diligently together on optimisations…“

……

Much more information about this nice family business:
https://www.jattaeasyquad.com/titus-mansion

eMail contact:
JattaEasyQuad@gmail.com

So welcome to The Gambia, the ‚Smiling Coast of Africa‘ ❤️