Tendaba airport, The Gambia

I was on my way from Banjul to the bush camp at Tendaba in a 4×4, a brutally long trip in scorching heat, when we stopped at Tendaba Airport to stretch our legs.

The little airport didn’t get much use back then, although the occasional aircraft did use the landing strip; carrying the president and other dignitaries mostly.

These days, most of the flying at Tendaba airport is done by birds. In fact, it could very well be the world’s most bird-friendly airport. This region along the River Gambia is birdwatcher heaven: you’ll likely see bee-eaters, night jars, harrier hawks, love birds, herons – and if bird spotting isn’t your cup of tea, there are baboons, chimps, bush babies, crocs, hippos, snakes and heaps more.

Now, what about Tendaba airport terminals 1 and 2, you ask? Where are they? That, dear reader, remains one of life’s great enigmas.

I love Africa.

World at a Glance is a series of short, one-photo articles here on Sophie’s World, portraying curious, evocative, happy, sad or wondrous, unexpected little encounters.