Friday, December 26, 2008

Tours in Gambia

Dear Abdul and colleagues,

We are very impressed with your organization. Our day with our family of seven was fantastic.

Very smooth, kind, relaxed, with humor and sense of responsibility.

Special thanks to Allagie, Gin and Solomon

26th December (tour was on 23rd Dec) 2008

The Van Stapele and Resinh Party, Bussum , Holland

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

British Tourist in Gambia

I have highly recommended the Arch tours experience to my friends.

I took the 4 in 1 tour a few days ago and not only enjoyed seeing hitherto unfamiliar Gambian features and learning about them from Yaya and Alex, but was impressed by the variety of aspects they highlight. If you want to enjoy excellent value-book here!.

Eddie Wildmary
British tourist.

See the real Gambia

I went on 3 tours with Arch tours and can honestly say it was fantastic. The staff are very well trained and informative.

They made the whole journey really enjoyable.

I highly recommend the tours and want to return with my sister to have fun in the Gambia and to see the real Gambia by doing the tours with Arch tours.

Marian Ampofo
London, England

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Roots by Land: Trips to Juffureh, the village of Kunta Kinteh

Thanks to all the Arch tour guys, we thoroughly enjoyed Roots and 4 in 1. We will highly recommend Arch tours to all, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

See you next year guys!

Andy and George Smith
London, England

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Professional tour operators in the Gambia

I traveled on two tours, south Senegal and 4 in one day.

The organization for both was excellent; the staff were both friendly and professional in their service and advice.

Having been to the Gambia many times, Arch tours are second to none, well done Abdul.

Steve Clarkson
Salford, G Manchester
England, UK

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Tour Guides in Gambia

The four in one tour.

Our choice proved to be a wonderful experience.

The overall organization was extremely professional and the tour guides Alex and Ali were so knowledgeable and helpful.

Plenty of food and drink and all destinations were clearly well presented.

We would highly recommend Arch tours for anyone who wants to see the “real Gambia”.

John & Angela Parker
Tim & Tener Davie
Blackburn, Lancashire, England

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Roots, Gambia and South Senegal

We went on three tours, ‘Roots by land”, ‘Four tours in 1 day’ and ‘South Senegal’.

All very good and interesting.

Exceptional value for money.

I would definitely go with Arch tours again.

Peter & Shelagh Barlow
England

Both 4 in 1 tour and 1 day in Senegal were superlative. Learnt a lot about Gambian life, excellently organized and superb value for money.

The boys are great and really looked after us.

Diane & Hughie
Derby, England

4 tours in 1 day. A truly excellent day out. It would not have been better. Everything was excellent, personal, polite, informational and a great experience.

Ice cold drinks as promised supplied all day, Incredible. Abdul and his staff took such good care of us all day too.
Just brilliant.

Jill & Roger Parker
Preston, England

We went on the roots trip, and really enjoyed the experience, our tour guides were excellent and nice, and answered many questions regarding the Roots tour, and the buffet in Jufureh was really well prepared, and there were plenty of drinks along the way.

We would highly recommend this trip to anyone wanting to learn about the slave trade.

Darran & Adele Brown
Blackpool
England

Thursday, November 20, 2008

If Carlsberg ran tours....

Both 4 in 1 tour and I day Senegal is excellent very well planned and delivered with no problems.
Food at lunch was excellent and the boys in red did a good job of repelling the bumsters away.

If Carlsberg ran tours…

Terry & Jill
Derby, England

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Excursions in Gambia

4 in 1 – What a fantastic day!.

We are people who don’t do excursions but I can honestly say that this day was the best experience of our stay in the Gambia by far.

Abdul and his team looked after us very professionally and we seemed to spend most of the day laughing.

If you go on this trip, you will not be disappointed.

Mike & Angela
Bolsover, UK

(P.S. Ask Abdul about the rice pounding!! It’s his specialty).

Experience the real Gambian people

4 tours in 1 day- This tour covers everything and we experienced the real Gambian people. Fantastic.

“It does everything it says on the tin and more!!

Mark recommends the fish and chips.

The team and staff made the difference. They were polite, informative and lots of fun.

Most enjoyable

Mark & Denise (The castles)
From Cheshire, England

Tourist Guide in Gambia

There is never a problem in the Gambia.

All the days here are very nice, friendly people.

Maybe in other year we come back and visit your tourist burs. A good guide and driver.

We have had an interesting day.

Greetings

Geert en frea Wind, Holland

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Gambia tourist trips and tour guides

We did the 4 in 1 trips.

We are lucky enough to have traveled the world and been on many tourist trips such as this and can honestly sat that this was one of the best we have experienced.

The tour guides were excellent and ensured that your day was fun, informative and hassle free!

To be recommended highly!

Anne & Terry
Sevenoaks, UK

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Gambian life and history

Have excellent days for both trips. The guides were very good and spoke well, explaining local Gambian life and history.

Thanks and hope to see it again

Two great days, thanks to Alex, Ali for looking after us and giving us a true Gambian experience.

Roots trip was on some boat as the first choice tour and trip was cheaper and more personal than through the rep.

Peter & Myra
Wales, UK

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Tour Guides in Gambia

We have been on 3 trips while we have been here, everyone is very helpful in every way possible, very polite. They look after you very well and don’t rub you off.

Brilliant people, brilliant trips and brilliant time. Thank you all.

Joyce & Jim
England


Brilliant day, excellent tour guides and driver.

John 7 Joger
England

We had a brilliant day. The tour guide was excellent. Great value and good to see “real’ Gambia.
Thank you

Sully & stavant
Bishaps, Statford
UK

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Educational Trips in Gambia

We had an excellent trip. The 4 in 1 tour. Arch tours were recommended to us by Terry Butcher and Margaret Thatcher, our neighbors at the Sea view!

So much better than the trip booked through your travel company. Very educational and informative and well worth a day out of your holiday.

Cill & Nick, Bury
Nr M/CR – MUFC!

Hey everyone,

We’ve been here for only one week, but in the trip, we’ve seen more than the rest of the week. An experience you mustn’t miss.

Next time, we want to see more. We have had a lovely day and have a lot of fun. We advise everybody to do this because Kololi is different. You must see more.

Best wishes from Sjaah en vera Smit from Holland

De were
See you later

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Knowlegeable tour guides in Gambia

We had done 2 tours with Arch and they were all thoroughly enjoyable.

Much better than hotel or travel company. Go with these guys, good fun, educational and we made good friends. We’ll be back

Ian & Ber Hutchinson, England

Highly recommended. Friendly, knowledgeable tour guides. Had a great time.

Jie & Rob, England

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Arch Tours

WHO IS ARCH TOURS
ARCH-Tours was founded in the year 2004 by Mr. Abdul Rahman Conteh in collaboration with some prominent Gambian personalities with the sole aim of providing first class customer service that would be equal to none bearing in mind the importance of tourism in our national economy.
The word ARCH -Tours represents, AFRICAN REAL CULTURAL and HISTORICAL Tours.
Arch tours are a locally based tour company operating in The Gambia and internationally recognized. Our guides and drivers have all received training in tourism and hospitality. They are all self motivated, highly responsible and dedicated in ensuring that customer’s needs are met.
What arch-tours offer you?
Well organized and hassle free tours throughout the Gambia and Senegal.
Lunch and soft drinks.{water and beer included]
Traveling in small groups 4 – 12 persons maximum.
An informative, reliable and safe way to travel around the Gambia and Senegal.
Each driver is an experienced safari driver and mechanic.
We travel in open top 109 land rovers or air conditioned buses when necessary.
What arch-tours is doing for THE GAMBIA?
Conservation.
Conservation may be practiced in many different ways. Habitat preservation is one of the principal forms of conservation. this can be done by establishing private reserves, supporting established national parks and reserves, or funding native tree reforestation projects. Though protected areas may be visited by tourist, it is important to recognize that their purpose is preservation. Whenever visiting a protected area, Arch-tours ensure that your visit will be made with minimal impact.
Minimal environmental impact
Minimal environmental impact is the fundamental goal of every eco-operator. How anyone manages its impact will tell you immediately if it is truly ecological minded. Ecologically responsible businesses recycle, conserve water and energy, manage waste properly, and allow guest to choose whether or not to change linens or towels daily. Arch tours believe that these simple efforts make a huge difference in the long term environmental impact tourism has in The Gambia.
Sustainable Tourism Development
Arch Tours believes that sustainability is vital to the long-term success of Gambia Tourism. The majority of products consumed at an eco-resort should be locally produced. Furthermore, construction should be done using local materials and methods, and local organic gardens should be the source of the majority of the food served. Ultimately, sustainability means a lifestyle that is in balance and that can be maintained indefinitely without depleting local resources.
Meaningful Community Involvement
Community Involvement is a crucial aspect of Arch Tours brand of ecotourism. Arch Tours believes that tourism should generate revenue for the local Gambian economy. Ideally, the local Gambian community should own the establishment and employ local labor. Moreover, in addition to generating revenue and providing employment, Arch Tours encourages and sponsors community development projects.
Environmental Education
Environmental education teaches others to be ecologically responsible. Arch Tours aims to ensure that every guest leaves our tour having learned something about environmental preservation and cultural sensitivity. This will ensure the continued growth of environmental and cultural awareness in The Gambia.
The Director and founder of ARCH Tours and Chief Guide as well Mr. Abdul Raman Conteh is a 48 years old Gambian national. After graduation from high school, he first served as a teacher in the Gambia covering history and English language in a junior Sec. School. When he left the teaching field, he served the medical research council (MRC) in the Gambia collecting data and information on malaria. Later, he joined the Gambian army and was a DRILL instructor for six years, Trained by the British Army. Resigning from the army in 1992, he started his private career as a tourist guide at the Senegambia hotel area. In 1994, he established the Gambia Adventure Safari which was popularly known as Abdul’s SAFARI or “THE BOYS IN RED”. In October 2002, he was appointed as tour supervisor for African Adventure Tours which was then the agent for the Olympia International in Holland.
In 2004, he founded ARCH-Tours. With his number of years experience in conducting excursions in the Gambia and working experience, the Director strongly feels that there is a lot to be done to upgrade standards. He believes “the only way to successfully upgrade standards in excursions in the Gambia is to set up your own safari company where you have all the powers to use your initiative as much as possible to set the visions that others would follow.
METHODS AND STRATEGIES
v Prioritize customer satisfaction.
v Small high quality tours in open top 4 wheel vehicles or mini buses with a maximum of 12 people.
v Providing training and workshops for staff on tourism, hospitality and management.
v We take radical steps to bring hassling to a halt and replacing this style of life with creativity; hard work and self discipline.
v Broad based employment on merit and great chances given to females in order to promote gender equality.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Visit to Roots by River

4 tours in 1 and Roots by river

We had an absolutely brilliant time. The guides ere friendly, funny and the whole tour were excellent. I’d definitely recommend the 4 tours in 1 as a starter.

Will be coming back
Lai Mei & Ben

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Gambian Tour Guides

We had an excellent trip and the full day exertion was tiring but well worth the money. The tour guides are very friendly and extremely knowledgeable.

We loved every minute of it.

So we would like to say happy New Year and “Nice and Easy”.

Thank you all for a lovely holiday.

Take care
Andy, Yolanda, Mitch, Sammy
Essex, England