Information
Eco Stars:
5 star
Stars:
unrated
Location:
Africa
Country:
The Gambia
Farakunku Lodges
Farakunku Lodges is located 2km inland on the west coast of The Gambia in an area of trees and open countryside with some small local farming compounds.
There are prolific numbers of birds (one guest spotted over 90 species in 11 days here) which are spotted simply by walking on the local tracks from the
Lodges. There is no traffic noise and no-one has a generator in the area. You wake to bird song and can walk through the gardens spotting lizards and
birds (who come to the many water bowls) and sometimes a visiting monkey.
There are locally made hammocks strung between trees and local- made sunbeds at the pool and on each flower edged patio. The grounds are cared for by
2 gardeners. The chef is a local man who has worked in the Lebanon and consequently has a range of local and Arabic dishes all using locally sourced
ingredients. A varied 3-course evening menu is planned daily by the owner and served in the open-sided restaurant with candles and fresh garden flowers
on every table. The spacious lodges are furnished using locally made king sized beds and rattan chairs and tables. The shower rooms have hot water
showers and flushing toilets using their own well water and are fitted to a high standard. The octagonal design of the lodges and the louvred windows
on each wall ensure that the rooms are cross ventilated and therefore cool in hot weather. Ceiling fans run on solar power.
Green Star Rating Results:
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Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Energy Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - Fully Solar powered integrated system for lighting, water pumping and hot water heating
No generator on the premises!
Water Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - We are fully self-sufficient as we have our own well water to provide guests with drinking, showering, toilet flushing and swimming pool use as well as all our garden watering.
The water is pumped by solar submersible pumps from the upper water table (rather than the bore hole system which goes deeper) and therefore does not draw water from surrounding compounds.
All our laundry is done by hand by a local Gambian lady who uses her own well water and local soap plus a charcoal iron.
The small plunge pool uses a spoonful of diluted chlorine solution every 2 weeks and backwashing pumps water onto the garden with no ill effect to plants.
The grounds are planted with indigenous trees (already here when the site was landscaped) as well as local flowering shrubs from West Africa, mostly propogated from cuttings from my adjoining garden.
Disposal Rating: ★★★★ (4)
Staff Comment - All organic waste from the kitchen is composted
All burnable non organic waste is burned in a local pit and the ash used as compost fertilizer in my garden.
Glass or plastic bottles are given to my staff for storage purposes or used by me for home made jam, marmalade, chutney etc
Metal tins are crushed and taken to the local quarry tip.
Old clothes are donated to staff and local families
Waste water and sewage is passed into a septic tank which needs emptying only every 5 years and is used to fertilize local rice farms.
Guest handbooks in each lodge ask that towels are reused until dirty and left on the floor for collection.
Very little food stuff is packaged as it is mostly bought from local markets.
Guests rubbish is sorted and placed accordingly by cleaners.
Eco-Active Rating: ★★★★ (4)
Staff Comment - We are a new business in our second season.
Staff now have a trained awareness of how to stop littering. (It a national problem with Gambians usually throwing their rubbish on the street and from cars) Bins on the site are evident.
As mentioned above, clothes are donated to local families or staff. We have no old towels or sheets yet!
Any broken appliances are mended rather than replaced. E.g. have just repaired a CD player and a tape cassette player.
Protection Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Staff Comment - Many bird watchers come to stay here. The land for the business was initially bought in order to save the trees that Gambians cut down for firewood.
My husband takes guests out to local natural sites of interest. E.g. mangrove river trips by paddle canoe, beach walks, protected forest areas, Concern Universal’s Organic Experimental Farm etc.
We provide free use of bikes for guests to explore local tracks and woods.
I do not have a written constitution (4) but talk frequently with my staff about tree preservation, plant propogation etc
I grow my own organic vegetables for the restaurant with my groundsman taking responsibility for maintaining the vegetable plots.
We take guests to the local produce markets for their own needs and to local hand craft markets for souvenirs.
Contact Details
Name:
Farakunku Lodges
Address:
Tujereng
The Gambia
Telephone:
+22 072 60669
Website:
www.farakunku-lodges.com
E-mail:
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