What to do in Senegal? Our 5 essential activities

Apart from the usual clichés – dream beaches and guaranteed sun – the country of Teranga (hospitality in Wolof) is a mine for travelers with its fabulous mosaic of cultures and landscapes, from the arid savannahs of Fulani pastoralists to the luxuriance of Casamance, stronghold of the Diolas. Between nature reserves, rivers and lagoons populated by birds, cities with bubbling creativity and sacred animist forests, you can take a big bath in nature and culture. We'll take you!

To discover

• Podcast Elsewhere: Singapore's hidden surprises and treasures
• Trips to Africa: tours, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners

Take pride in art in Dakar

The house-workshop of the sculptor Ousmane Sow and his thirty works including the major series on the peoples of Africa. (c) Béatrice Soulé / Roger-Viollet

Chanel in Dakar! With its Métiers d'Art show in December 2022, the luxury label paid a beautiful tribute to the creativity of Senegal's first city to become the cultural capital of Africa with Dak'Art, the Biennial of Contemporary African Art. From the working-class district of the medina whose walls are adorned with graffiti artists' frescoes to that of the Plateau where art galleries echo colonial architecture, the artistic effervescence guides the steps in a city in full metamorphosis. From the top of the rooftop of the Mamelles lighthouse, popular for an aperitif at sunset, the view embraces the Atlantic, but also the ocean of concrete bristling with towers. The most futuristic? Daktower which promises to be the highest (122 meters). You can also go back in time by climbing in the rowboat to Gorée, at the end of the day, when this pocket island of 28 hectares regains its calm. Classified by UNESCO, this symbol of slavery is a nursery of artists, to meet along its sandy streets hemmed with colorful houses.

Where to put your suitcases?

In the Plateau district, the Pullman Dakar Teranga completely renovated, offers 247 spacious rooms overlooking the city or the Atlantic and Gorée, heated pool, two restaurants, Spa and private beach. From 284 € the double room in breakfast. Pullman Dakar Teranga, 10 rue Colbert, place de l'Indépendance, BP 3380 Dakar. Tel: +221 33 889 22 00.

The idea in +: visit the house-workshop of the sculptor Ousmane Sow and his thirty works including the major series on the peoples of Africa, and the residence of Léopold Sedar Senghor, former president of the Republic, poet and writer, designed in the 1970s.

Ousmane Sow House. Villa Sphinx lot 10 street 65. 12500 Dakar. Tel. +221 (0)77 557 14 96. Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 15 p.m. to 18 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 15 p.m. to 18 p.m. Entrance € 7.6 (€ 3.8 children).

House of Leopold Sedar Senghor. Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 12pm and from 15pm to 17.30pm. Entrance € 3 (€ 0.75 children under 12 years).

Giving in to the whims of a river in St. Louis

At the Archipelago of Museums, "Kër Repentigny" named after a former governor of Saint-Louis of Canadian origin. The space tells the story of the antiquity of photography in St. Louis. Press photo / Mupho

A strip of land crisscrossed with streets crossing at right angles, which stretches over 2.5 km long and 300 to 400 meters wide between two arms of the Senegal River. The first French trading post in West Africa (1659), Saint-Louis is a unique city, island and topography: only the Faidherbe bridge with its typical Eiffel era architecture (1894/1897) connects it to the continent. To explore this singular island classified by Unesco, we stroll on the quays where old warehouses stand guard, before traveling in a horse-drawn carriage through the quiet streets scalloped with pastel-hued mansions... Under the impetus of Amadou Diaw, a patron concerned with safeguarding the city through culture, nine of them have been restored, forming the Archipelago of Museums. Photography occupies a predominant place - Saint-Louis is the cradle in West Africa - but other arts are celebrated there such as souwère, Senegalese art of painting under glass to Kër Guillabert, or literature to Kër Ameth Gora. Inescapable! (8 € the course). musee-mupho.com.

Where to put your suitcases?

Hotel La Résidence. With its 1950s lines, this address of 33 rooms and suites (and an apartment) with decoration and neat services is an institution in Saint-Louis, and one of the best restaurants in the city. From 101 € the room for 2 in breakfast. The Residence, 59 rue Blaise Diagne. 46024 Saint-Louis, Senegal. Tel: +221 (0) 33 961 12 60.

The idea in +: between November and the end of April, do not miss the visit of the Djoudj Park, sanctuary of 16,000 hectares classified by Unesco and 3rd ornithological reserve in the world with 3 million migratory birds each winter, to be completed with the Langue de Barbarie National Park, and its 2000 hectares where royal terns, pelicans and flamingos flock.

Crisscross the Siné-Saloum delta

The Saloum Delta National Park (PNDS) is one of six national parks in Senegal. Mariusz Prusaczyk / Adobe Stock

To crisscross the Siné-Saloum delta, it is better to have sea legs! It is by pirogue, the usual mode of locomotion of the Niominka country, that we immerse ourselves in the landscapes of this fabulous maze of saltwater arms (the bolongs) and islands classified by Unesco: some 5000 km2 (including more than 3000 km2 of biosphere reserve) of an aquatic universe where more than 400 species of birds coexist. Kayak rides along narrow channels scalloped with mangrove where mangrove oysters cling, fishing or swimming in the white waters of the bolongs... We drop anchor from time to time to feed on the land resources of the delta: shellfish islands bristling with baobabs, tanns (flat lands) punctuated by salt marshes, lush forests full of cheese makers, but also colorful markets where to work up an appetite before tasting local specialties.

Where to put your suitcases?

Yokan Lodge: at the gates of the delta, this recent ecolodge has been tastefully furnished in an ethno-chic and eco-responsible spirit. 2 2 bedroom villas with shared pool and 6 suites, Spa, gym, yoga studio, private beach, kids club. Also a second lodge, Patrick's Lodge, with suites and villas of 2 or 4 bedrooms (privatized). From 410 € per room for 2 full board at Yokan Lodge, 300 € at Patrick's Lodge. Yokan Lodge, Djiffer Road. Palmarin Tel +212 (0)7 81 96 70 01.

Mix beach and nature

La Somone and its lagoon classified as a marine protected area. AdobeStock

Senegal has long been reduced to its seaside dimension, obscuring the incredible diversity of experiences to be lived. But it would be just as unfair to skip the beaches, a real asset of this tropical destination where the average ocean temperature oscillates between 20 ° and 29 ° depending on the season. South of Dakar, the "Little Coast" renowned for its calm waters, unfolds resorts cut for idleness: Saly, the largest, and its long golden sandy beaches saved from erosion, Pointe Sarène or La Somone, the wildest, with its lagoon classified as a marine protected area: 4000 hectares of mangrove populated by sea turtles, fish and migratory birds. And for a 100% natural seaside resort, we head for the coast of Gandiole facing the Langue de Barbarie near Saint-Louis, the confidential coves of Siné-Saloum or the scalloped beaches of Casamance, from Cap Skirring to Kafountine.

The idea in +: go on safari in Senegal? If wildlife is concentrated in the Niokolo Koba Park, more than 500 km from Dakar, you can also get a glimpse of it with the private reserve of Bandia, 15 km from Saly. On 3500 hectares, you can observe giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, or Derby elands during a mini-safari. Every day from 8 a.m. to 18 p.m. Entrance € 18.5, € 10.5 (children from 3 to 12 years old).

Learn about the mysteries of Casamance

In the heart of a coconut grove by the beach, this historic Club Med Cap Skirring resort reopens its doors in October 2023. Club Med

Between the Atlantic and the river, it is the kingdom of deep forests where villages and diola villages with animist beliefs are nestled. Long absent from the tourist scene due to unrest related to independence movements, Casamance is once again opening up to travelers in search of encounters and authentic experiences. On a motorized circuit, but also on foot or by canoe in the middle of the islands and fishing villages, we are introduced to the traditions of this mysterious Africa where fetishes (protective spirits) punctuate the life of the inhabitants. As in Oussouye, an enigmatic village surrounded by sacred woods where one of the last kings guarantor of the rites lives, or in Djembéring, a pretty village with a museum of traditions in the bush.

Where to put your suitcases?

Club Med Cap Skirring. In the heart of a coconut grove on the beach, this historic resort with 9-hole golf course, reopens its doors in October 2023 after renovation of its 205 rooms. A 2nd phase with 122 new rooms including 20 Deluxe and 4 suites is planned thereafter. Two restaurants, three bars, wellness area, swimming pool, nautical base and junior club (11/17 years). From 1066 € per week in a double room in all inclusive, excluding transport. Club Med Cap Skirring, BP 46 Kabrousse. Casamance, Senegal 27009.