Dakar, Senegal 2017

Dakar, Senegal (September 2017)

• I spent 4 days in Dakar with two different sets of collegaues during September 2017 
• I include Senegal as one of my top 3 favourite places in Africa so far
• Most attractions in Senegal are near Dakar, thus if you do not have too much time I would focus in Dakar and its surroundings

Main places visited:

• a) Goree Island
• b) Pink Lake (Lake Retba) 
• c) African Renaissance Monument
• d) Ngor
• e) Yoff
• f) Downtown

a) Goree Island:

• Probably the most visited attraction in Dakar
• Goree Island traded slaves to America and Europe during several centuries
• Our group booked a tour but you can take ferry from Dakar terminal to Goree Island for 5,200 Senegalese Francs (€9) roundtrip
  

• As a curiosity, Tam Tam is forbidden onboard... Senegalese people love it

• Arrival into Goree is beautiful. There is a huge contrast between the beauty of the colourful island and its sad history

• The ferry drops you next to several restaurants and a beach where you can see plenty of people swimming, mainly kids

• Once in the island, I recommend either booking a guide or reading a bit beforehand in order to fully understand the historical importance and shame of this place
• The House of slaves is the most popular visit here. There used to be separate rooms for men, women, kids and virgin girls, where people were stored like animals, and a secong floor were traders came to stay while selecting their "purchases"
  
• Currently in that second floor there is a small museum with some explanations but some videos beforehand will help understanding better
  

• There are many beautiful spots in this small island, all at a walking distance

• And of course, several souvenir sellers and interesting people

• We spent around 4 hours in Goree Island and we had a nice lunch before leaving. Most of us tried the local "Yassa" (normally onion, rice and either chicken or fish)

b) Pink Lake (Lake Retba):

• Our tour included a visit to the popular Pink Lake, one hour north from Dakar
• This lake gets a pinkish colour due to algae living there, but its pink colour depends of many factors
• Thus, depending on the day, the rain, sun etc it will be more or less pink
• We were quite lucky but still do not expect internet photos
  
  
  
  

• What impressed me the most was the amount of salt in this Lake and they amount of salt they extract daily

• As in the Dead Sea, you can enjoy floating in the water
  

c) African Renaissance Monument:

• Built in 2010 with support of North Korea and deeply critisized for its huge cost 
• It is an inconic monument of modern Senegal and from the top offers nice views of Dakar
  
  
  
  

•  Nearby you can visit the Mosque of Divinity, which is located next to a beach, offering wonderful views
  
  
  
  
• Apart from that one, there are several great beaches around Dakar and Senegalese people are very friendly
  
  
  
  
  

d) Ngor:

• Ngor is a humble area located very near the airport
  
  
  
  

• By the beach you can cross to Ngor Island (1,000 Francs return or €1.5) where surf is popular... (island at the background as I did not go due to bad weather)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• or go diving. I went with Nautilus diving center and in my opinion the owner was not specially friendly. Also the diving was not incredible but ok, visibility was not too good but there were several fishes (unfortunately I do not have photos of the dive but for this one)
  
  

e) Yoff:

• In Yoff I spent one of the best days in Senegal maybe because I did not expect much
• We went for surf in Yoff as Ngor island was not recommended for beginners and we were happy not to see rocks or any danger and lovely waves to practice
  
  
  
  
• Also we had great fish for lunch at a very cheap price, we saw plenty of sportive locals who go to the beach afetr work and as usual, Senegalese people were amazing... really recommended!

• By the way, between Ngor and Yoff you can find most clubs for a night out. In our case we tried "Charly" and the atmosphere was very nice with latin party on Wednesdays
  

f) Downtown:

• I had some time also to visit the city center
• There are plenty of chaotic markets and some beautiful street art
  

• I found Dakar Central Mosque very beautiful, probably the most in downtown
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I visited a few other places but not in detail:
• Mausoleum of Seydou Nourou Tall, an important figure in Islamic conquer of West Africa in the 19th century
  

• Dakar Cathedral (1936)

• or the Presidential Palace
  
  

• Also in downtown we went for a dinner at the restaurant Le Lagon. In my opinion it is expensive and overrated, but the location is really nice and it is the first place ever where I tried sea urcion
  
  
  
  
• Also from downtown it is possible to take local transports to many locations within Senegal (also there are buses at a very reasonable price which connect to many other countries in West Africa after 1, 2 or 3 days drive)
  
  

• It was a delight to know a bit of Senegal and I am sure I have much more to discover
• I definitely recommend this visit and hope this post helps :)