YMCA Hostel & Backpackers

Run by the Gambian YMCA in Kanifing South, this hostel is something of a rite of passage for backpackers and volunteers passing through the country. Its thirty-four single and double rooms share clean communal facilities, though double rooms with a private bathroom can also be booked, and rates start at just D250 a night (about £3.50) — about as cheap as a safe bed gets in The Gambia. There's free WiFi in the common areas, a shared kitchen and common room, and even on-site computer training courses if you decide to extend your stay and do something useful with it. The setting is everyday urban Gambia rather than tourist strip, which is part of the appeal for budget and long-stay travellers wanting to meet locals and other backpackers. Friendly, cheap and well established, it's the natural choice for shoestring visitors and volunteers.