Kachikally Crocodile Pool

Kachikally is one of three sacred crocodile pools in The Gambia, long believed to bring fertility to those who bathe in its waters — and it remains an active religious and cultural site, not a zoo. The Nile crocodiles here are habituated to people, and visitors can, entirely at their own discretion, reach out and touch the largest and most famous of them, Charlie, dozing on the bank. Resident guides explain the pool's significance and the rituals still associated with it, and a small but worthwhile museum covers Mandinka history and culture. It's an inexpensive, easy half-hour or so in the heart of Bakau, and slots neatly into a morning that also takes in Cape Point beach or the nearby Bakau craft market. Treat it with the respect a sacred place deserves, and it's one of the more unusual stops on the coast.