Senegal

December 2025 / January 2026

Dakar

I flew from Rwanda to Dakar, the capital of the West African country of Senegal. Dakar stretches across the westernmost peninsula of the African continent. The greater Dakar area has a population of around 4 million. Here, I was able to practice my French as best I could.

The city consists of countless alleys teeming with life. Handcarts used to transport heavy loads are a common sight.

The most beautiful sights are the small offshore islands, of which I visited the two most interesting ones.

Gorée Island (French: Île de Gorée)

The ferry to the island departs from the port of Dakar. Here I bought a ticket right away for the trip taking place three weeks later on the ferry “Aline Sitoe Diatta” from Ziquinchor to Dakar. Since I booked early, I was able to reserve a two-person cabin, the best category. As we left the harbor, I saw the ferry on the left side of the picture.

The island is just 4 km from the mainland.

It is about 900 meters long and 330 meters wide and has fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. It has had an eventful history. On the one hand, it was an important center of the slave trade between 1526 and 1848; on the other hand, the island was also strategically important for the defense of Dakar.

Arrival on the island

There are many historic houses to admire.

One restaurant served fish-filled omelets that tasted wonderful and were very filling.

Baobab trees and art along the way to the island’s highest point

Mémorial Gorée-Almadies

This monument commemorates the island’s history of slavery and the struggle for freedom.

Nearby, rusted defense cannons serve as a reminder of the island’s strategic location off the coast of Dakar.

Some of the fortifications have been taken over by artists who have made a home here.

A picturesque restaurant

A nail fetish. Each nail hammered in represents a contract, a request, or a problem solved.

House of Slaves (French: Maison des Esclaves)

Once a transit center for slaves, this museum now preserves the memory of the slave trade.

A worthwhile day trip!

Ngor Beach on the mainland

The next day, I took a taxi to the north coast of Dakar to Ngor Beach.

For a small fee, boats took passengers to Ngor Island.

A view back toward the mainland

Ngor Island (French: Île de Ngor)

Ngor is a small island, about 600 meters long and 350 meters wide at its widest point.

On the way back, I stopped at the African Renaissance Monument.

African Renaissance Monument (French: Monument de la Renaissance africaine)

The 50-meter-tall statue was unveiled on the 50th anniversary of Senegal’s independence and is intended to symbolize Africa’s rebirth and resurrection. In reality, it became a symbol of the waste of state funds urgently needed elsewhere, corruption, construction delays, and foreign influence, as the monument, built in a Stalinist style with no connection to Africa, was constructed by a North Korean company with experience in monumental structures.

Independence Square (French: Place de l’Indépendance)

At the end of December, the square was decorated for Christmas.

The illuminated sculptures were particularly well received by the public in the evenings.

Saly

After spending three days in Dakar, I traveled 90 km south to the beach town of Saly. Unfortunately, the taxi driver wasn’t honest and tried to charge me more, even though we had agreed on a price in writing.

The beach is perfect for swimming and jogging.

In addition to tourism, fishing remains a source of income. Here, fishermen are pulling a net ashore.

The town is still very traditional. Most of the streets are dirt roads, and cows wander through the town.

Children playing on the beach.

Fishing boats and sunset

While out for a walk, I came across this drum band practicing …

… and this fisherman in the evening glow.

Somone Lagoon

A day trip took me from Saly to the town of Somone, 13 km away, where the Somone River flows into the sea and forms a lagoon.

Vendors sell souvenirs made from marine materials

The sandbar on the opposite side of the village of Somone, where restaurants and bars are located. The restaurants’ boats wait to take guests across the river to their respective restaurants.

A boat ride in the lagoon is a must!

Oyster farming

My favorite picture: A fisherman casting his net.

The Rasta restaurant “Chez Bob” is popular.

Joal-Fadiouth

Another day, I visited a village on an artificial island made of shells that had formed over the course of centuries.

The locals raise pigs as livestock.

Since there is no motorized traffic on the island, horse-drawn carriages are used.

Besides the Christian church ‘Eglise Saint-François-Xavier’, there is also a mosque on the island.

On another island lies the cemetery with its many impressive baobab trees.

I drove about 60 km further south and spent a few days on the Marogit de Dojor tributary near Mar Fafako. My first stop was the small village of Dangane, from where boats set out into the extensive river system. Unfortunately, I missed the boat heading in my direction, but my Airbnb host found a private boat that I could ride on for free.

Mar Fafako

The middle bungalow was mine. The bathroom was located in the main house on the beach.

An evening stroll along the river.

The next day, I hiked from my lodging to the next largest village, Mar Lodj, in about an hour. Several footbridges jutted out into the water along the river.

Mar Lodj Village

Here, too, people mainly get around on horseback.

I asked a woman for a restaurant, but there wasn’t one. Instead, she offered to cook for me. So I followed her to her house, where she lives with her sister. First, she made me Senegalese coffee.

The meal consisted of a vegetarian stew.

In the village, a woman was grinding grain in a mortar.

The kids are in a great mood!

On the way back, I saw this crab hiding in its burrow.

Sunset from my bungalow

To get to Cap Skirring, my next destination in Senegal, I had to travel through The Gambia.

From The Gambia, I continued on to the Senegalese town of Ziquinchor, where I spent the night. The next day, I took the bus to the beach at Cap Skirring, 72 km away.

Cap Skirring

Starting in the 1960s, the town became a beach resort for the French residents of Ziquinchor, and today tourism is the most important economic sector alongside fishing.

The town has a relaxed atmosphere with its small restaurants. The beach is long and perfect for jogging. The only downside is the many dead fish on the beach, which cause my running shoes to smell like fish for days afterward, even though I didn’t step directly on them.

Just like everywhere else in Senegal, there are cows on the beach here too.

A short distance from the tourist beach, fishermen are hard at work with hundreds of boats.

The Hotel ‘La Pailotte’ has a good restaurant.

The Africa Cup soccer tournament was taking place during my stay. After Senegal beat Egypt 1–0 to advance to the final, people danced joyfully on the beach.

On the beach, vendors displayed their creative wooden birds.

Every Friday, there is a buffet and live music at ‘Chez Roland’.

A religious site of the Diola culture

Bicycle tour around Oussouye

I took a shared taxi to the inland village of Oussouye, about 30 km from Cap Skirring, where I rented a bicycle. This allowed me to explore the surrounding villages, which are rarely visited by tourists. The village is the center of the Diola people, who are found in The Gambia, southern Senegal, and Guinea-Bissau.

A small lake along the way

First, I cycled to the traditional village of Siganar, 6 km away. In the main square, I met a young man who was drawing water from the village well.

Although the Diola are officially Christian, most of them continue to practice their animist beliefs. The photo shows a sacred fetish site.

This friendly family invited me over for tea.

Many buildings are made of clay. Here, a clay wall is just being built.

Another fetish site in a sacred forest

By Ferry from Ziquinchor to Dakar

To avoid the long drive through The Gambia, the ferry ‘Aline Sitoe Diatta’ runs twice a week from Dakar to Ziquinchor and back. Launched in 2008, the ship is named after a female resistance fighter against French colonial rule who died at the age of 24 in a French concentration camp. Including check-in and check-out, the journey along the coast and through the mouth of the Gambia River took about 15 hours. I shared the two-person cabin with a Frenchman.

Before the ship reaches the open sea, it first travels along the Cassamance River, where dolphins swam alongside us.

At the mouth of the river, the ship stopped at Karabane Island.

After a pretty good night’s sleep, breakfast was served early in the morning in Dakar for those with a cabin on the ship. I arrived in Dakar before the sun had even risen.

Saint-Louis

The bus ride from Dakar to Saint-Louis took about 5 hours. The city was the capital of the French colony of Senegal from 1673 to 1902. The city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Hotel de La Poste

This historic hotel was the lodging for all the airmail pilots who made the mandatory stopover in Saint-Louis on their way from Europe to South America. The building now houses a museum dedicated to airmail history.