Senegal travel guide

Our Senegal travel guide takes you along the roads and rivers, mangroves and Muslim heritage of this fascinating West African country. Kick back in the jazz bars, cruise along the Senegal River, meet the Tukolor and Dioula and sample the delicious dishes, fusing North and West African and French cuisine. Check out our interactive map to plan your route across Senegal.

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Senegal travel guide

It’s no coincidence that Youssou N’Dour was briefly made Senegal’s Minister of Tourism, his serene Mbalax music has put this diminutive West African country on the map, and visitors today can visit Dakar bars frequented by the singer-songwriter. But the significance of music here stretches far beyond light entertainment. Senegal’s music has its roots in the tradition of griots – keepers of oral traditions and storytellers who use their songs, drumming and wit to make political commentary, reinforce customs, and spread gossip. Even Senegal’s first president, Léopold Senghor, was a renowned poet.

If you want to know what Senegal is like, listen to its music, popularised by Youssou N’Dour. Joyful, seductive, tropical – and foot-tappingly, hip swayingly addictive.

Our Senegal travel guide takes you along the rivers and roads of this West African nation, to meet its pastoral Tukolor of the Sahel, the animistic Dioula of the Casamance, and the swinging jazz bars and fusion cuisine of Saint Louis and Dakar. Senegal combines Christian and Muslim heritage, French and North African influence, forests and desert – into one fascinating, uplifting harmony.

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What to do in Senegal…

The tiny, former Portuguese colony of Guinea Bissau makes Senegal seem positively touristy. Vacations combining these two nations make the most of Guinea Bissau’s deeply traditional culture and well preserved nature, with dancing mask festivals, villages hidden in the forest, remote, tropical archipelagos and saltwater hippos. If you’re feeling extra intrepid, month-long overland tours take you from Guinea Bissau through Senegal and right up into the Western Sahara or Atlas Mountains.There are plenty of opportunities to take to the water in Senegal, with multi-day cruises on the Senegal River bobbing gently past French forts, Wolof and Tukolor villages, and breeding grounds for migratory birds. Beginning in Podor, you’ll travel downriver to the colonial town of Richard Toll, which you can explore by horse and cart, and finish in the coastal town of Saint Louis. Traveling between Senegal’s northern and southern regions involves a ferry ride along the coast – bypassing the Gambia – and cruises continue up the Casamance River to Ziguinchor or through the mangroves to Cap Skirring.Whether you’re cruising or overlanding, spending time with Senegalese people will be a vacation highlight. Catch up with contemporary culture in Dakar or in Saint Louis’ captivating jazz bars; spend a night in the desert with the semi-nomadic Tukolor or Fulani people; explore Senegal’s Islamic roots; and head to the Casamance region to meet the animistic Dioula – and their king if you’re in luck.

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What not to do in Senegal…

Buy souvenirs made from endangered species. West Africa has suffered the worst of the illegal bushmeat trade – and with that comes hides, furs, feathers, shells and all kinds of trinkets made from the body parts of endangered species. It may be part of the culture, it may be tradition – but please don’t buy it and fuel the trade that is driving species to extinction. Likewise, if bushmeat is on the menu, just say no.Snap away. Senegal is beautiful, and its people are sure to make for some stunning pictures – but never take anyone’s photo without first asking permission – even better if you can ask in French. Senegal is fairly new to tourism, particularly away from the coast, and our tours often reach remote areas and traditional communities who are not as keen on the selfie culture as we are. So it’s extra important to act sensitively and respectfully as tourists.Stay in an all inclusive hotel on the coast. The coast is the only part of Senegal that could be described as “touristy” – but the big-name resorts that dominate are also where you’re distinctly less likely to feel like you are in Senegal. It’s the usual story – local people are often kept away, money stays in the resort rather than spreading to the wider area, and international menus make little use of delicious local produce. You’ve come all this way – you might as well see Senegal!

Senegal travel guide