The first time I heard about Makasutu was when I came across it in my guidebook.

It said that Makasutu means "sacred forest" in Mandinka, and after 10 years of effort by a couple of wandering souls from Britain, it has developed into one of the most complete and popular eco-tourism sites in Gambia.

It all started on Christmas Eve in 1992.

Back then a university graduate from England called Lawrence Williams and his uncle James were just about to give up on their dream of finding a place for a surfers' lodge in East Africa.

As a last resort James suggested that they try Gambia instead.

The two were just three days away from heading back to the West empty handed, when they came across Makasutu.

Shock

According to Amadu, one of their longest-serving employees, this was the place that they were looking for.

Makasutu boasts a lush forest, mangroves, birds, fish and wildlife, and would make for a perfect eco-lodge, instead of a place for surfers.

The next mission was to get some land.

They headed to the then acting chief of the 6,000 strong Mandinka tribe who owned the land, and after some discussion, they were given one-and-a-half hectares and put a fence around it.

When James and Lawrence returned to Makasutu after six months away working and saving money for their project, they were shocked at what awaited them back in Gambia.

James told me that in that short period of time more than 200 trees had been cut down.

This was because many refugees from war-torn countries like Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau had started farming there because they couldn't get any other work.

And if you are going to farm, you have to cut trees down.

Return to life

Both men decided to go back to the tribal elders.

They explained that a deforested rainforest was no place to set up a successful eco-lodge and was disastrous for the environment.

One of the tribesmen - Jammeh Sanneh - helped to convince the elders that if the two white men from England could help stop trees from being cut down then their long term plan to have a lodge should be supported.

At more than two metres tall, Jammeh does cut an imposing figure, so maybe that's why the Mandinka gave the two white men from England custody of a mammoth 1,000 hectares of land.

Since then, James and Lawrence and the villagers have not looked back.

Today, Makasutu boasts one of the best eco-lodges in the west of Africa.

The Mandina River Lodge, as it is called, comes complete with floating houses on the river, and more importantly a dense forest which is seeing a return of its wildlife.

Fifteen thousand trees have been planted, the land is fenced and there has been a dramatic increase in weaving, pottery, and wood carving.

People in the village agree that if it were not for James and Lawrence they too would be cutting down trees.

But - as barman Noah told me - there are now 100 employees at the lodge which continues to expand, much to the delight of the Mandinka tribe who cannot believe their good fortune.

'Devil's land'

After my conversation with Jammeh Sanneh from the Mandinka tribe I could understand why.

He admitted that the 1,000 hectares of land - which now attracts such praise - was once thought to be less than desirable.

"That area is known as a devil area," bellowed Jammeh during our interview.

All the more reason to be impressed with the work of the two white gentlemen from England, said Jammeh.

It was James who sat on the jetty of the striking Mandina River lodge and confirmed: "There's lots of negativity about the land. People believe that the devil lived here and a dragon lives underneath our baobab tree."

Thankfully he did add that they have not seen him yet.

Success story

That is one myth that seems to have been dispelled, but as with any good tale, one has to save the best for last.

For the local myth has it that Makasutu - which really means "maker of the forest" - would be brought to life by two white men from Europe.

Could James with his mane of silver hair, moustache and beard and beer belly, and Lawrence with his pierced ears and youthful looks, be those two men?

They certainly don't know what to make of it all.

Both agree that they feel honoured, and are now called Momadu and Lamin Sanneh, having been welcomed into the Mandinka tribe.

But it has not been easy, Jammeh says: "We took a risk but the dream of the eco-lodge and reserve has become a reality.

Then he looked at me and said: "To think at first I thought that James and Lawrence could not do anything... for the first few years if you saw how they moved and worked on the land, we thought they were mad, but now I am very proud".

And so Jammeh should be, because the local community has a sustainable economy, an eco-tourist lodge that rivals some of the best in the world, and it is a success story in Africa.

A story where Europeans and Africans have come together to create something that even a dragon has not been able to burn down.

By Emma Joseph In Gambia