Back to basics

Try something different

Trude’s Nest is a place to come back to basics — and to step into a life shaped by creativity, openness, and the unexpected. Here, Western and Gambian ways of living meet in a gentle, everyday adventure, where each day brings its own rhythm and possibility.

We hope that as our guests you will find your stay meaningful and inspiring. Sharing a glass and conversation, feeling at home, helping yourself in the kitchen and garden, in a relaxed and personal atmosphere.

Trude’s Nest is comfortable, homey, and always evolving — a place for solo travelers, couples, or small families who want something different from an ordinary hotel or B&B. Your hosts are also finding our way in the Gambian pace, finding unexpected opportunities around every corner. Nowadays you will find Trude buried in a waste-to-value project where as much of our own litter goes into some creative activity. It wasn’t hard to find real educational value for the community, because lack of funding and resourses in schools and beaches and streets full of waste combines into real artistic possibility. Gambia needs new ideas of how to make and save money as well as how to dispose of their litter. So we created gLitter. you might like to read more about here.

The beach provides calm, play, a variety of beach bars, pretty shells and strange encunters to spark your creativity

Back to Basics offers the simplicity of rural life in the Gambian village of Kartong. Here, you’ll feel like part of the family as you share in our daily rhythm and explore a way of living completely different from what we’re used to in Northern Europe. We love the peaceful atmosphere and the lush surroundings — close to the beach and alive with wildlife. You wake up to birdsong and the sound of waves, knowing the day ahead will be warm. Slow down, be present, and tune in to what you need today. In one of the poorest countries in the world, you learn to lower your standards and awaken your creativity — and you may find that surprisingly liberating.

Also, as part of your stay, you might want to experience other, busier parts of the Gambia. Visit a snake farm, see turtles and crocodiles, eat fruit fresh from the tree and see a part of the world that can really shift your perspective. As newcomers to this land we will gladly share everything that we have experienced ourselves.

Our services

Retreat

Escape your everyday stress and worries by retreating to the simplicity and tranquility of rural Gambia. Wake up of the sound of breaking waves and birdsong, follow the rythm of the day and you can’t help but be present in the moment. Join us in our ever surprising events of the day, or choose something more or less eventful at your choice.

Calm, creative restitution

Holiday

If all you want is a holiday, Tamba Kuruba Eco Lodge provides lodging, friendly service and good, Gambian food. The beach is minutes away and you are surrounded by birds and nature. There are other lodges in and near Kartong, but be sure to come say hello to us while you are here!

Change of scenery

In many ways the Gambia offers a different approach to life compared to the stressful Western world. Can’t afford a new kitchen? Of course you can. You just need to redefine what a kitchen really is. Think you don’t have time? Just wait to see how a power cut changes your perception of time. See for yourself what life is like in a poor country with a massive unemployment problem. See your own life with new eyes. We have a lot to learn from eachother.

What people are saying

“A super place for bird watching!”

Trude
Prime birdwatcher

Pricing

Holiday

$30/day

  • Bed and breakfast
  • Access to property and beach

Retreat

$42/day

  • Bed and breakfast
  • Access to property and beach
  • Join our everyday activities
  • Social eating
  • Access to personal coach