Senegal travel guide

With almost 100 km of endless beach, it is no surprise that La Petite Côte is home to the majority of Senegal's tourism. It's all centred around the tourist mecca of Saly. Here is plenty of beach activities and bars – and probably more tacky souvenirs than in the rest of the country combined. If you are not part of the charter crowd, you might want to head to one of the quieter villages elsewhere on the coast during the tourist season (December-May). Toubab Dialaw, Popenguine and Nianing comes to mind. Outside the season, it is necessary to be more careful picking a place to stay as large parts of the beach outside Saly are only cleaned when the sea-side hotels are busy. Thus, staying in Sali during the summer might be the best option. Fingers crossed, most of the souvenir-sellers will have returned home to help their families in the fields during the rains.

Most pictures of the "Pink Lake" will show the lake in an otherworldly, bright pink colour. The best chance of experiencing the lake in this state is supposedly on days that are both extremely windy and sunny. For the rest of the time, the waters here has a more murky, orange-ish glow. The reason for the this is that the micro-organism giving the waters its pink colour only comes to the surface when the conditions are right. However, less-than-perfect conditions should not dissuade you from the making the trek out here as the lake has plenty to offer other than it's colour. The lake is saltier than the Dead Sea, and anyone going for a swim here will float. For this same reason, much of the south shore is dominated by salt mining operations, where salt is extracted from the lake by hand and exported as far as Mali and Burkina Faso. This adds a certain cultural value to any visit to Lac Rose.

The House of Slaves is the lone survivor of 28 slave houses that used to operate out of Gorée. It is popular with American visitors and Dakar school classes alike. Visitors come to experience the dark chambers, the isolation cells under the staircases, and the "Door of No Return". All mark they the grim realities of Europe's first exploitation of the African continent. And while academics discuss how many slaves that did spend their last days on the African continent here, the Maison symbolic value remains undeniable. Most unbelievable are the thin planks that made up both the slaves ceiling and the slave traders living room floor. How it was possible to live directly on top of such misery is baffling.

Clouded in controversies, this monument is considered in eye-sore by many Dakarois. At 52 metres it's the tallest statue in Africa - taller than the Statue of Liberty. To visit the viewing platform on its top is expensive. However, there are decent views of Dakar from its base on top of one of Dakar’s two mamelles – or "breasts". A price tag of €20 million and the fact it's build by the North Koreans are enough to earn the monument some harsh remarks from locals. Add to this that local artists have taking a dislike to its aesthetics and that the religious complaint about the nudity of both the male and female figure. As if all this wasn't enough former President Wade, who initiated the construction, has claimed "intellectual property rights" landing him 35 percent of the entrance income.

The main border crossing between Mauritania and Senegal, at Rosso, is notorious for corrupt officials, hustlers and for being a dump of a town. This on both sides of the border. So why not cross the border 100 km to the east? Here are no hustlers and the border officials are friendly and helpful in all kind of matters (even if you have overstayed your Mauritania visa, as we found out). Best of all, the setting is a pretty colonial town. The border crossing itself is done by crossing the Senegal River in small pirogues from the renovated colonial port. Podor deserves a short visit in its own right and due to the scarcity of transportation here it's probably necessarily to spend a night regardless. One or two taxi-brousses go directly between the village of Leksaiba II on the Mauritania side, while transportation to Saint Louis from Podor leaves at first light. Alternative, it's possible to make the trip between Podor and Saint Louis in smaller stages in less than half a day.

What happens when a population eats shellfish for a couple of thousands of years and keep dumping the shells on the same spot? They create artificial islands, made out of tens of thousands shells. This is exactly what has happened in the northern parts of the Sine-Saloum Delta. Out of the more than two dozen shell islands, the biggest are the island of Fadiouth. Home to a large Catholic village its inhabitants are still expanding the island. Connected to the mainland city of Joal by a 500m footbridge, as well as to a the shell mount that contains the towns cemetery. The cemetery, made up entirely of shells, is a sobering place and one of the few in the world where Christians and Muslims are resting in peace side-by-side.

If drifting through dense mangrove forests in a small pirogue, passing quiet villages and tall palms trees is something that makes you tick, the Saloum Delta will be the go-to destination in Senegal. Celebrated for the remarkable synergy between the human inhabitants – the Serer people, whose ancient kingdoms used to occupy the area – and the extensive biodiversity. The delta consists of more than 200 islands and islets that are created by the three major rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean and more almost two dozen villages. Through the ages, the inhabitants, living off shellfish, have created 218 shell mounts, some several hundred metres long. 28 of these have further been used as burial mounts. Any visit here will require some patience regarding transportation between the islands and visitors should expect facilities such as running water and electricity to be limited. The delta is best entered from the villages of Djiffer or Toubakouta. Once here, pirogue tours can be arranged by the compartments as well as from the largest village of Niodior.

Drumming and dancing are essential to what can be described as the traditional and animist Africa, and it is relatively easy to find in Senegal. As it is most widespread outside Dakar, the Muslim north, and centre of the country, it does require some travel. Especially promising are the Serer regions just north of the Gambia, the Bassari Country in the south-east and the Casamance, squeezed between Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Once here, most accommodation, guides and tourist information will be able to point towards festivals and celebrations in the region's villages. It can be a somewhat hit-and-miss if anything is going on, but with enough time and patience, some kind of celebration will surely materialise. If not, any visit to these regions – outside the rainy season – should have plenty of traditional wrestling, called la Lutte, tournaments on offer.

A more crumbling and perhaps providing a more realistic picture of a Senegalese colonial town vis-a-vis the renovated splendour of Saint-Louis in the north. Ziguinchor's appear comes partly from this decaying colonial streets, partly from its relaxed atmosphere. Zig (as it is known to its friends) has the distinct feel of a tropical harbour. Its riverside location, the fumes and smell of the harbour, and the pressing heat. Oddly, this seems to work in the town's favour, and while here's nothing in particular to keep you for long, the city will grow on most visitors who spend a few days here. With plenty of banks, a well-stocked market, a good range of accommodation, plenty of wifi spots and the Casamance region's transport hub, Ziguinchor is also a good place to use as a base for exploring the region.