Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
Delta and Dune
The Sine-Saloum mangrove delta, the Casamance forest, and Sahel sand in the north.
West Africa · Afrinkong
Senegal
Where the Sahel meets the Atlantic.
The westernmost point of Africa, with Dakar on its peninsula, Gorée offshore, the Sine-Saloum delta, the Djoudj bird sanctuary and a music tradition that shaped a good deal of what came after.
Where it is
Africa · West Africa · Senegal
The land in brief
- Spans
- 600 km E–W, 510 km N–S
- Latitude
- 17°N to 12°N
- Borders
- 5 countries
- Sea
- Has a coast
- Best time
- Dry, and cool enough on the coast until the heat arrives in June.
Also in West Africa
BeninWhere vodun comes from, and the palaces of DahomeyBurkina FasoThe best cinema and the best masks in West AfricaCôte d'IvoireLagoons, forest and the AtlanticThe GambiaA river with a country around itGhanaThe forts, the forest and the highlife
Compare Senegal with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
Dry, and cool enough on the coast until the heat arrives in June.
01Highlights
What Senegal is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Wildlife
Djoudj
Three million migrating birds winter in the Djoudj — one of the great bird sites on earth.
Fouta Djallon Foothills
No high peaks — the ground rises to the Fouta Djallon foothills in the far south-east.
Beaches & Coast
The Petite Côte
Saly, Somone and Cap Skirring — Atlantic sand from the peninsula down to Casamance.
Casamance
Palm and rice country south of the Gambia, greener than the rest and quite different.
Culture
Teranga
The word means hospitality, and it is the thing the country most wants you to notice.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Senegal with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- Delta and DuneThe Sine-Saloum mangrove delta, the Casamance forest, and Sahel sand in the north.
- Fouta Djallon FoothillsNo high peaks — the ground rises to the Fouta Djallon foothills in the far south-east.
- DindefeloA hundred metres of water off the Fouta escarpment, near the Guinea border.
- The Senegal and the SaloumThe Senegal river along the Mauritanian border, and the Saloum spreading into the sea.
- The Petite CôteSaly, Somone and Cap Skirring — Atlantic sand from the peninsula down to Casamance.
- CasamancePalm and rice country south of the Gambia, greener than the rest and quite different.
Wildlife
- DjoudjThree million migrating birds winter in the Djoudj — one of the great bird sites on earth.
- Niokolo-KobaLion, hippo and Derby eland in the south-east, in a park that is slowly recovering.
- Community CampementsThe Casamance campements villageois — village-owned, village-run, and thirty years old.
- Surf and SailDakar's breaks, kite-surfing on the Petite Côte, and pirogue trips through the mangrove.
People and culture
- TerangaThe word means hospitality, and it is the thing the country most wants you to notice.
- Wolof, Serer and DiolaWolof across the country, Serer in the delta, and the Diola of Casamance.
- Dak'Art and the MagalThe Dakar art biennale, and the Grand Magal of Touba, which moves millions of people.
- Glass Painting and WeavingSous-verre glass painting, and the strip-woven cloth of the Manjak weavers.
- ThieboudienneRice and fish, cooked in one pot, and the national dish by common consent.
- Short Flights, Long BeachesSix hours from Europe, and beaches with a shallow warm Atlantic in front of them.
- Ataya and the MarketThree glasses of tea, poured from height, and each one stronger than the last.
Places
- DakarThe most westerly city in Africa, on a peninsula, with the ocean on three sides.
- Colonial and Sudano-SahelianThe balconies of Saint-Louis, and the mud-and-timber mosques of the interior.
- GoréeThe island off Dakar, and the house of slaves that stands on it.
- Saint-LouisThe old colonial capital on its island in the river mouth, with the Faidherbe bridge.
Ways to travel
- Surf, Sail, PaddleDakar's surf breaks, pirogues in the delta, and the Paris-Dakar's original finish line.
- Delta LodgesSmall lodges on the Saloum islands, reached only by boat, with birds outside.
- Light on WaterDelta light at either end of the day, and pink water at the Lac Rose.
- Bassari CountryThe Bassari and Bedik villages of the south-east, up in the hills, and rarely visited.
03Why go
The case for Senegal.
Why Visit This Country
The Easy Door to West Africa
Stable, straightforward, six hours from Europe, and the friendliest reputation on the coast.
Hidden Gems
Bassari Country
The Bassari and Bedik villages of the south-east, up in the hills, and rarely visited.
Eco Tourism
Community Campements
The Casamance campements villageois — village-owned, village-run, and thirty years old.
Heritage
Saint-Louis
The old colonial capital on its island in the river mouth, with the Faidherbe bridge.
04Go deeper
All of Senegal, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Senegal starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.