Across the River from James Island on the north bank are the villages of Albreda and Juffureh;  (see Juffureh Photos) the former a French-dominated slave trading post and the latter popularised by Alex Haley when he traced his ‘Roots’ back to this typical Mandinka settlement with a history of involvement in the slave trade.

Juffureh, Alex Haley’s ancestral home; and the site of the Maurel Freres Building, now housing a small museum on the Slave Trade in the Senegambia. The building was originally built by the British around 1840 and was last used by a Lebanese trader called Maurel, from whom it takes its name.

Getting there:
The Albreda / Juffureh / James Island complex is forty minutes by road from Barra which is connected to Banjul by ferry. The ferry crossing normally takes about 30 minutes. When running on schedule the ferry makes six to eight trips to Barra daily. Visitors can either join an excursion from Banjul, organised through a tour operator or they can make their own way by ferry and bush taxi. There is a rest house called the "Home At Last Hostel", for those wishing to stay in the village.