A fantastic location

Kotu Beach is an ideal location for a relaxed family holiday in the Gambia. Holidays on the coast of this welcoming West African country are popular with European couples and families as there is no time difference and flights from the UK take less than six hours. This pretty resort is located to the north of Gambia’s stretch of ocean-side resorts, which run south from the River Gambia’s estuary. Kotu Beach is 20 kilometres from Yundum International Airport.

Comfortable family hotels leading onto a magnificent beach

Kotu Beach boasts several African styled, low-rise hotels, spread out along the wide, endless, sandy beach here. Thanks to the luxury of space along this shoreline, each hotel is surrounded by colourful, tropical gardens and swimming pools. Visitors enjoy the peace and quiet, wonderful bird life, wide choice of international and African food, and breath-taking sunsets across the Atlantic Ocean. Running to the east of the resort’s hotels are the wetlands of Kotu Creek, which attract many exotic birds and provide ornithologists with plenty to watch and photograph. The resort itself has an interesting craft market, a mini supermarket, plenty of restaurants and a good choice of friendly beach-side bars. Many have live music entertainment, and provide the perfect setting for a cocktail as the sun slips down. Staying here, you will be within walking distance of the 18-hole Fajara Golf Course, and tour guides affiliated to the hotels will help you arrange memorable day trips elsewhere in the Gambia. Bird-watching safaris are particularly popular.

Dine on the beach and sample African delights

Most of the hotels along Kotu Beach feature beach-side cafes and bars, and many host evening buffets and barbecues. This is your chance to sample wonderfully fresh seafood, brought onto the beach by fishermen that morning, as well as spicy Gambian specialities and dishes from other West African countries. Mexican, Italian and Chinese food is also available.

Weather in Kotu

The hot dry weather here is ideal for those looking for a relaxing beach holiday with high temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Winter is the most popular season with British travellers, with the resort seeing some of the coolest weather throughout the year with highs of 31C - 32C, and 9 hours of sunshine each day. Coastal temperatures in the Gambia tend to be cooler and more comfortable than inland, with Kotu experiencing an average annual temperature of 32C, and dry winds coming from the Sahara Desert helping to temper the heat. Sea temperatures in October and November are a very warm 28C, dipping to 25C during December and dropping down to 22C in January. Night time temperatures hover between 16C - 20C from November to May.