Trip Report: Senegal
Date of visit: February 2019
Senegal is in my opinion the best travel destination in West Africa. At least, it is the country I like the most among the nine countries I have visited in this region. I have spent four days in Senegal during two separate trips.
Senegal in 2019
It was pitch dark when I left the airport in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, at 5 o’clock in the morning. I just had a red-eye flight from Istanbul and slept maybe three or four hours at most. “Why the detour via Istanbul?” you might ask. On the one hand the prices were clearly more favorable and on the other hand also the flight times.
There were also night flights from Paris, for example, but they were much shorter and for a red-eye flight it can make sense to fly a few hours longer and sleep more. Nonetheless, when I arrived, I felt myself whacked. However, I was also euphoric because I had just landed in my 81st country.
When I left the airport, I was immediately surrounded by taxi drivers. Since I arrived so early, I was practically the only white person to leave the airport, and thus a welcome prey for the gentlemen out there. It was not as bad as in Lagos for example, but some taxi drivers here in Dakar doesn’t want to accept it that you want to take the bus instead of the taxi.
One of the drivers turned out to be particularly annoying. I told him several times that I didn’t need his services, but he then suggested that he would drive me for free. ‘Sure,’ I thought, ‘it certainly wouldn’t have been free. In the end you always pay’. He then tried to blackmail me emotionally in the last attempt by showing me pictures of his baby and girlfriend. I stuck to my first statement.
What followed was a relatively tedious journey from the airport to the city center. In Senegal the international airport is 60km away from the capital and taxis cost 40 Euro. So I took a bus to the city center and took a taxi from there for to my hotel. In the end, this trip took maybe 10 minutes longer, but cost me 27 Euro less. Good deal, huh?
An introduction to Senegal
Well, here I was. Senegal was my starting point of a new West Africa trip and I had a whole day in Dakar. A full day is certainly not enough, neither for Senegal nor for Dakar, but my consideration was that Senegal is one of the main hubs in West Africa and sooner or later I would probably come here again anyway.
Senegal is the 87th largest country in the world, but by African standards it is rather a middle or small country. 16 million people live here and, like most African countries, this number is made up of a large number of ethnic groups.
The largest tribe are the Wolof, who make up about 43% of the population. Various African languages are spoken in Senegal, but French is the official language. 92% of the population are Muslims. Moreover, Senegal lies at the westernmost point of the African mainland.
Senegal’s economy consists mainly of the export of food, chemicals, fabrics and cotton. India is one of the largest buyers of Senegalese exports, followed by the USA, Italy and the UK. The country is regarded as politically stable and more or less safe for travelers.
Although I have already been to 11 other African countries, I still entered Senegal with a certain degree of respect. I mean it’s still Africa, i.e. you attract attention and can quickly become a target for dubious people. But it soon turned out that I didn’t have to be nervous here. Senegal is probably the easiest country in West Africa.
The slave island of Gorée
To be honest, I didn’t have the highest expectations of Dakar. Senegal’s capital is a city that seems rather unpopular among travelers. If you read various travel reports online, opinions about Dakar tend to be negative. However, it is also a city with relatively many sights compared to other West African cities.
One place that is worth visiting is not even in Dakar itself but an island next to the city. A taxi took me to the terminal from where the ferries to Gorée Island leave. On the way I quickly noticed that Dakar is indeed an ugly city. The buildings are anything but pretty and as Dakar is huge, this enormous accumulation of unsightly houses makes Dakar unattractive. In addition, the streets are dirty and the colors grey and brown dominate the city.
Soon after, I arrived at Gorée Island. Already at first sight it became clear to me that this island is in total contrast to the capital. Colorful houses and ships immediately caught my eye. In addition the dark blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. A wonderful sight.
Gorée Island was definitely idyllic compared to the hectic capital Dakar. This small island, which can be explored on foot, seemed like a huge museum outside in nature.
Gorée Island has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. In former times, the island was the main transshipment point of the slave trade of that time. For many slaves, this was the last destination in Africa before they were shipped to their new homes. Few to none of them ever came back.
Gorée Island is not only like a history museum but also an art gallery. Numerous street vendors exhibit their drawings and crafts. If I hadn’t traveled with just hand luggage (what I always do), I might even have bought something.
The harassment factor of the street vendors, however, was high. In a partly charming and partly aggressive way the ladies and gentlemen tried to sell me their goods. When I thankfully declined, they mostly showed a snap reaction.
I strolled through the island for a while and encountered objects like a gigantic cannon…
…and objects that I don’t know exactly what they would represent.
My trip to Gorée Island ended with my first African meal during this trip. I asked the waiter in the restaurant which dish was typical for Senegal, and he brought me fried chicken in onion sauce with rice.
Gorée Island was a fantastic start to my Senegal trip and I can recommend this place to anyone visiting Dakar.
One afternoon in Dakar
As I sat in the boat back to Dakar, the maximum tiredness overcame me. My night on the plane was short and I had to rest a bit. So I lay down briefly in my hotel, slept for three quarters of an hour until my alarm clock ripped me out of deep sleep again. It was time to see the other sights of the city.
Although Dakar is not a beautiful city, it offers some cool attractions. Unfortunately, one afternoon is not enough to see everything, but I didn’t want to miss two sights. The first sight I visited was the African Renaissance Monument. It is an impressive 49 meter high bronze statue standing on a hill. The statue is the highest in Africa.
Allegedly, the statue also led to protests on Dakar’s streets. The opposition in Senegal called the building an economic monster and a financial scandal in the context of the current crisis. It was by the way built by North Korean slaves… construction workers.
Another attraction was about a 20-minute walk away. The Mosque of the Divinity is a rather special-looking mosque that I have never seen in such a design before. Its location right on the coast makes it an interesting attraction of the city.
From there I took a taxi to the Corniche of Dakar. This area is the richest of Dakar and, I was told, a place full of restaurants and bars. But what I saw there did not really impress me. I expected a nice promenade, but instead I found a line of restaurants along a busy road. It was anything but idyllic.
Funnily enough I went to one of the restaurants on good luck and noticed inside that it was one of the restaurants I had read about the day before: Chez Fatou. I had dinner there before going back to the hotel. I briefly considered whether I wanted to test the nightlife of Dakar, as it is supposed to be good. However, I was too tired at the end and since I had to get up early the next morning, I left it and went to bed at 10 PM.
I only had a short stay in Senegal, which I regretted afterwards. Because what I saw I liked very much. Although Dakar is not a very beautiful city, it offers a lot for the traveler. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see everything, but I think that the city is worth two or three days.
But I can understand that some people don’t like the capital of Senegal. Not only the unattractive cityscape is a minus, also the fact that one is forced to spend a lot of time in the car to get from one point to the other is rather exhausting.
The next morning I made my way to the Gambia. I drove with eight other people in a car for about four hours to the border of Gambia. From this part on the easy part of the journey was over and the hard one began…
Interested to read what happened next? Check out my report about the Gambia.
Senegal in 2020
Fortunately, my road to 197 countries got me back to Senegal’s capital just one year later…
When I visited Senegal the first time, I also visited the Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. At that time I had only one week of vacation and therefore had to focus on just a few countries.
One country in this region that I missed was Guinea-Bissau. In hindsight, it was not very reasonable to skip this country nestled between Senegal and Guinea, but in the end it gave me a good reason to return to Senegal.
I had the same flight with Turkish Airlines to Dakar and arrived in the early morning hours. This time, I had my hotel in Les Almadies, the upscale district of Dakar. As a location, it was definitely better than Yoff, where I stayed during my first visit.
As I had two more days now in Dakar, I used this visit to see the places I missed one year ago. The first one was Ngor Island, a small island in the north, just a five-minute boat ride away from the city.
Ngor Island has a nice beach and like Gorée many colorful houses. I used my time to wander around a bit, spend some time at the beach and have lunch. All in all, Ngor Island is a nice place, but Gorée is definitely the more interesting island. So, if you have time for one island only, then go for Gorée.
The second place I visited was Lac Retba also known as Lac Rosé or Pink Lake. This lake is about an hour away from Dakar and you have to take a taxi to get there. Unfortunately, most drivers will ask for 30,000 CFA (46€) or more, so it’s not the cheapest activity if you travel solo.
To tell you the truth, I hesitated a bit before I decided to go. The reason was that visiting Lac Rosé is actually a gamble, as it is not guaranteed that the color of the lake will be pink. On TripAdvisor, you can find several posts of disappointed people complaining about the brown lake they found.
I risked it anyway and I was lucky. This salt lake was indeed pink. The color of the lake depends on the strength of the sun plus the wind, and both were in my favor this day.
It is also impressive to see how the workers gain salt from the lake. Although the people around the lake can be pretty pushy, I recommend visiting the area in which you can see all the salt that people take from the lake.
On a day with good weather conditions, the pink lake is definitely worth a visit. However, it’s not a cheap activity if you travel alone and you might get disappointed if the lake doesn’t appear in pink. So choose wisely and be aware of the fact that it will be a matter of luck.
I left Senegal towards Guinea-Bissau the next evening, but returned again during this trip, as I had another flight from Blaise Diagne airport to Nouakchott, Mauritania. This time, I didn’t want to travel again between the airport and Dakar. That’s why I booked a hotel in Toubab Dialaw, which is closer to the airport.
Toubab Dialaw is like a nice oasis, especially if you campare it to hectic and ugly Dakar. That made it a perfect stay for this layover. But then, my time in Senegal finally come to an end. Anyway, I was happy that I did return to the country and saw a little bit more than during my first visit.
Senegal – a country for West Africa newbies
I have now visited nine West African countries and still think that Senegal is the most fun among them. Maybe, if I had spent more time in Sierra Leone, my statement would be different, though.
But anyway, the reason why I like Senegal is because you can do some cool stuff, the country is safe and is everything seems to go smoother than in the neighboring countries. Seriously, Senegal seems to be decades ahead of other West African countries like Guinea, Guinea-Bissau or even Togo.
Senegal is also way more touristy than one would imagine. You can see plenty of people from Europe, the United States or other African countries in Dakar.
Senegal, in my opinion, is a country where you can easily spend a week or even more. Besides Dakar, the country offers other interesting places worth a visit. For example the Pink Lake in the near proximity. But also places like Casamance in the South or St. Louis, which many people call the highlight of Senegal.
I have now been twice to Senegal, and I don’t think that I will come back soon, as I still have 95 countries to visit. Nevertheless, if you haven’t been to West Africa yet, I would definitely recommend to visit Senegal first, as it is in my opinion without a doubt the country that gives the best (and mildest) introduction to this rather difficult travel region.
Find the travel reports of the other countries I’ve visited here!
