West Africa can not compete with East and Southern Africa when it comes to National Geographic level fauna. Expansive human settlement and overhunting are the main reasons for that. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for pied plovers and green monkeys (no disrespect to them). Increased conservation efforts and a growing spotlight on [...]
Senegal
Stories, recommendations and more concerning the country of Senegal. See the country guide here for more trip planning information.
Senegal's Petite-Côte (little coast) runs from just south of Dakar down to the Sine-Saloum. While most people gravitate to the beachside town of Saly, if you want something a bit more laid back the small town of Toubab Dialaw is your spot. It is a short drive from the airport and it has this immaculate [...]
I just recently watched The Endless Summer for the first time. Any images from that immediate postcolonial period in West Africa are to be treasured, and this film offers a unique angle with a sport that many West Africans on the coast were likely seeing for the first time. Enterprising surfers have long been combing [...]
We enjoy traveling throughout West Africa, but we are often stuck in the orbit of Senegal's southern province. The Casamance is naturally beautiful, culturally fascinating and incredibly easy to travel given the limited tourist infrastructure. Unfortunately, a lot of people skip the region because there is this inconvenient thing called the Gambia that separates the [...]
Just a short drive from Ziguinchor, the capital of the Casamance, you will find a collection of villages that make up the Oussouye department. This tiny commune, sandwiched between the border of Guinea-Bissau and the Casamance river, is one of the most unique in the entire region. The scenery is typical of the Casamance. Rice [...]
I woke up in Ziguinchor yesterday morning and whilst I was enjoying breakfast at Le Perroquet, a friend asked me if I’d like to see a West African Manatee in the wild. I’d heard a bit about them and I knew that they were somehow related to the Dugong. Other than knowing I’d like to [...]
For overland travelers planning on visiting multiple countries in West Africa, organizing visas is often the biggest logistical headache. Visa policies are asymmetric and often vary from embassy to embassy. In one country, the Ghanaian embassy may not grant you a visa unless you are a permanent resident of the country where you are applying. [...]
We've already written about arriving in Casamance via "the back way." If you happen to use that border crossing, the first substantial village you will come across is Abené. We have been visiting Abené since early 2017, and it's one of our favorite spots in all of West Africa. Just a few kilometers south of [...]
Situated south of Dakar and north of the Gambia, the Sine Saloum delta is 24,000 square kilometers of villages, water ways and salt flats dotted with baobabs and palm trees. Two rival Serer kingdoms, that of Sine and Saloum, left their mark here, and in addition to the diverse flora and fauna, the region is [...]
There are a few ways to get between Dakar and Ziguinchor, the capital of Senegal's southern territory, the Casamance. You can always go by road via the Gambia, but this involves a border crossing and can be a hassle if you need to get a Gambian visa. There are also daily flights between the two [...]
