Gambian Cooking Experience: Local Cuisine & Market

Immerse yourself in the vibrant flavors of traditional African cuisine with a full-day Gambian home cooking experience. Explore local markets, learn to cook Gambian dishes, and enjoy a delicious meal with family and friends.

Duration: 1 day
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Black and White Safari - Day Tours - This is a popular place to visit
  • Serrekunda - You will be guided around the market to purchase ingredients for the cooking
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Minimum 2 adults per booking
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Local guide
  • Driver/guide
  • Lunch
  • Non alcoholic beverages
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Gratuities
  • Solo travellers
Additional Information

Our menu is varied, offering meat and fish meals such as Yassa and Benachin rice. We also prepare native juices like Baobab and Wonjo juice, a dark cranberry-shaded beverage created by boiling the deep red blossom of the sorrel plant. We’ll guide you through a local market, dressed in Gambian traditional attire, and assist you in shopping for food items…

Location
Black and White Safari - Day Tours
The Strip
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(18 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Amarap115
Jan 8, 2026
A little taste of true Gambia - A really great experience - from being taken to the market to purchase ingredients, to wearing traditional dress, to cooking in a Gambian family’s garden. The meal was beautiful, and you feel much more appreciative once you know the effort that goes into it! I was surprised that it does take the best part of a day, I left at 9:30am and returned at 4pm. I thank the family for opening their home to me. Highly recommend if you want to do something slightly different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bajanqueen06
Dec 28, 2025
A maz in - We had an ammaazzing time at the Home Cooking Experience. Seven of us went on this trip. We all dressed in the Gambian clothes both men & women and have some beautiful pictures for our memories. We went to the market to buy the food. Everyone got involved. We ate like traditional Africans and the food was to die for. We also made sorrel ((Wonja) and Baobab. We would do it all again. Black and White Safari Tours you done it again. Thank you so much. We will be back for the fourth year in December.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_g
Nov 18, 2025
Excellent Authentic Exper - Sofie provided an excellent authentic experience. We drive to her home in a smaller town abouy 15km from Banjul stopping atca huge wonderfyl Market to buy the fresh fush and all the other vefgetabkes etc for the meal. Then we were welcomed warmly to herr home and she gave us traditional gambian clothes to wear for the day. Then we were outside under the mango tree where her sister Fatima built the fire and together we all prepared the food which was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend visitors to try this tour. You will be very glad as we were. Barbara
Review provided by Viator
Bajanqueen06
Aug 8, 2025
Simply the Best - My friends and I been to Gambia twice and more of us are going this year again. Black and White are simply the best. We use them every time and planning ahead with them now for our trip to Gambia later this year. We have done so many trips with Black & White just to name a few Senegal walking with the lion, Safari, Kunta Kente Tour, Reptile Park, museums, Paradise beach. I can go on and we have never been let down. Armstrong the owner Yaya and Lamin the tour guides are amazing. We are so excited about going back to see more of Gambia with Black & White tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancy_w
Mar 27, 2025
An Experience I Will Never Forget - This was the best excursion I have been on so far on my cruise through west Africa. We were looking for a true peek into local life here in The Gambia, and Black and White Safari could not have delivered that experience more perfectly. We were picked up by MuHammed and Bax at the cruise port, and immediately welcomed warmly. We were then driven to a local household where I met the woman who made our entire day and experience as wonderful as it was. Her name is Kalla and she is the kindest and most generous soul. She dressed me in local clothes and it was absolutely beautiful. Afterwards, she guided us through a local market and we shopped for the ingredients we would be cooking with for the day. Kalla asked what I wanted to eat and we purchased ingredients accordingly. I cannot overstate how unique and special it was to have the opportunity to experience the markets in The Gambia. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life and I will treasure this memory forever. After we were done getting produce and meat, we went back to Kalla’s home and began cooking immediately. It seems like the experience is as hands on as you make it, so I made it clear I wanted to fully help and prepare lunch with Kalla. I highly recommend getting involved in this process because it was so fun and educational and rewarding to see the fruits of your labor in the meal at the end. I was able to help prepare our meat, clean and chop the vegetables, wash rice, prep every ingredient that went into our food in the way that Kalla would do at home for herself and her family. Everything was new to me and I was shown immense patience and felt so much joy and love from Kalla welcoming me into her space and routine. The food ended up being DELICIOUS. I was not expecting the delightful flavors and textures that would come from ingredients I prepped myself from scratch. I highly recommend eating Domoda, or their peanut sauce stew with chicken and rice. At the end of the meal, I helped clean up and do the dishes and this also taught me so much about the local way of life. Kalla also sent me home with some Gambian peanut butter of my own and some snacks so that I can recreate the meal myself in the future. I am amazed by the people here and their joy and disposition. The call this country “The Smiling Coast of Africa” and I feel like I really understand how they’ve earned that name after today. Despite being Africa’s smallest country, the spirit and love I felt here was huge and life changing. Please try this experience if you want to be welcomed like family and experience the authentic local spirit. I’m so grateful for the experience I had here and it’s one I will never forget.
Review provided by Viator
Sightsee47415267064
Mar 3, 2025
Cooking in Gambian compound. - Amazing experience with Sophie in her beautiful home, shopping, cooking and eating traditional Gambian food. Armstrong and his team are so accommodating, and think of everything. We had 3 excursions and all 3 were fantastic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marktourist
Aug 6, 2024
Outstanding full day shopping for, cooking and eating a festive meal - When visiting The Gambia, to can count on Armstrong and his amazing team of Black and White Safari. We were 14 guests for this private shore excursion off the Holland America Zuiderdam. We started our cultural experience working thru the Banjul outdoor market where staff purchased the food and spices we would prepare for our opulent meal. We were hosted at Armstrong’s family home were we pitched in preparing the meal. Delicious. A real cultural immersion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Funenada
May 26, 2024
Relaxed boat trip in Gambia with Janeya Tours - A relaxing boat trip with Janeya tours. A delicious lunch buffet was prepared on the boat itself, in a 1 m2 kitchen. While the two cooks were busy, the boat sailed between the mangroves. We saw birds, women harvesting oysters and there was time for fishing. There was plenty of drinks on the boat, coffee and tea with something on the side, but also soft drinks and beer. On the boat you have the option to sit in the sun or in the shade. Highly recommended for a relaxing day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen
Apr 9, 2024
Black and white - Had a 7am start with Muhammad from black and white went down to banjul ferry not there got carried to a dugout wow experiance in its self went other side of river gambia and into a open top 4x4 crossed into Senegal no problem and on to safari Park was given a huge stick and went walking with lions fantastic experiance and then into safari Park needless to say returned on real ferry thank you Muhammad for a fantastic day a memory for life
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lkwezi
Mar 19, 2024
Cooking a traditional Gambian meal - Myself and my girlfriend went on the cooking tour. It was amazing we saw a traditional Gambian Compound, went to the market to buy fresh food and fish then we returned to the compound to cook two complete meals that would feed 30 people. Being in the open air, seeing the young children and helping with the cooking was delightful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $123
up to 8 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).