The Must-See Attractions of Sénégal

Arrival and welcome at Dakar airport.

We immediately head to Lake Rose, its real name Lake Retba, whose violet waters have a very high salt content.

Check-in at Campement Keur Salim (or similar depending on availability) in the middle of the dunes and by a lovely swimming pool. We taste our first Senegalese specialty at dinner and delight in this enchanting natural setting.

Route to the Lake Rose where salt collectors are at work. Our local guide tells us about the origins of the lake and salt extraction activity, after which we begin an unusual crossing of the lake in a salt pirogue to the opposite shore. Extraordinary experience of floating on the lake and relaxation on the arranged beach. Local lunch in a bamboo restaurant.

Optional:

- 1-hour horse ride along the lagoon and return via the dunes: €20/person

- 1-hour mini quad raid on a cart path around the lake: €45/quad for 1-2 people

We then cross the "Dakar dunes" in a 4x4 truck to reach the immense beach of the Grande Côte then the cart paths to the largest artisanal fishing center, Kayar. We witness the arrival of fishermen, unloading of fish, negotiations on the beach, loading into carts, salting, smoking and drying of unsold species, sale of the finest specimens under the hall, etc. Superb spectacle!

Continuing to Saint-Louis. Stop at the basketry market, specialty of the Thiès region, then crossing Tivaouane, holy city of the Tidiane brotherhood, the largest in Sénégal in terms of membership. Magnificent forest of ronier palms and baobabs. Arrival in Saint-Louis and hotel check-in. Dinner and night by the ocean.

Heading to the Gandiolais, a market gardening region, and the Langue de Barbarie national park. We board a pirogue to sail down the river along the bird island where many species build their nests: terns, gulls, pelicans… We land on the tongue of land between river and ocean, the favourite territory of sea turtles that come to lay their eggs. We continue along the water to the historic mouth of the Sénégal river where we may have the chance to admire pink flamingos.

Lunch in a lodge on the riverside followed by a moment of relaxation and swimming in the pool, the river or the ocean.

We take to the road to reach the Lompoul desert. A 4x4 truck will be necessary to tackle the dunes and experience our first unforgettable Saharan experience! We settle in the Lompoul desert in a charming bivouac located in the heart of an oasis in the middle of the dunes. What joy our first camel ride in a grandiose panorama of the desert and coastline!

At the bivouac, welcome cocktail then traditional meal (kid goat couscous with vegetables and Moroccan wine) to the sound of djembes and local dances, followed by traditional Sénégal tea. African night in the middle of the dunes under khaïmas (traditional Moorish tents) equipped with full bedding and individual bathroom.

Heading to the Small Coast via the "capital of Senegalese shoemaking", Mékhé, where we visit artisanal workshops. Our next stop is Thiès, airy and shaded, a former "rail city" whose past importance is visible through the many colonial buildings. A tour of the central market with its eclectic products: foodstuffs, fabrics, snake skins, traditional remedies, aphrodisiac powders, … a colorful and aromatic experience!

We continue through the baobab forest of Sindia to the Nguerigne park for an extraordinary lunch in a vast aviary within a lush botanical garden : parrots, cockatoos, crowned cranes and pink flamingos display their many colours in the enchanting setting surrounding the restaurant. Visit to the park.

Continuing towards the Saloum through a very beautiful bush area, baobabs and ronier palms of Sénégal then an area of tanns, vast expanses of sand covered with water during the rainy season or at high tides. Arrival in Palmarin, in the heart of the Saloum delta natural park.

Installation in an ecolodge with mixed architecture located on the strip of sand between the ocean and the Saloum river.

This morning we resume our northbound journey towards Dakar. Along the way, we stop by the seaside in the small town of Joal Fadiouth. Located at the end of the Petite-Côte, it is made up of two communes, Joal and Fadiouth, connected by a wooden bridge. What makes this place unique is that the island of Joal is entirely made up of shells! We stroll along its main street nicknamed the Champs Elysées and admire other local curiosities: the millet granaries on stilts, the shell cemetery for Catholics and Muslims, and the famous "one-clawed crabs".

Lunch in a restaurant on the Petite Côte.

Arrival in Dakar and boarding in the late afternoon in the Goree boat. The views approaching Goree Island are superb: cliffs, colonial houses, flower-lined streets, … Accommodation in our colonial charm inn. Dinner at the restaurant and overnight stay.

Early afternoon return by boat to Dakar and city tour: Independence Square, old colonial buildings, train station, cathedral, presidential palace, Kermel market. The corniche offers a magnificent panorama over the Madeleine Islands at sunset. Stop by the Ouakam Mosque then the African Renaissance Monument.

Departure aperitif at sunset with your feet in the water at the Ngor restaurant, on the Pointe des Almadies, the westernmost tip of the African continent. Our Sénégal journey comes to an end here! Transfer to the airport, assistance with final formalities.