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 Casamance from the rest of Senegal.

Of course, you can have an excellent time in the Gambia on your way down south, but if you don’t have the time or the desire to visit the anglophone country sandwiched in the middle of Senegal, you might consider skipping the Casamance altogether. Don’t. There are plenty of ways to get to the Casamance by either blasting through the Gambia or going around it entirely.

Getting to the Casamance from Dakar

By Plane

There are 4 ways to get to the Casamance from Dakar. The quickest is via plane. There are currently two companies flying between Dakar and Ziguinchor: TransAir and Air Senegal. A one-way ticket is a bit less than $100. At the time of this writing, Air Senegal is running promotional rates of around $85 for a one-way ticket. We have flown with both Air Senegal and TransAir and have not had any issues outside of the occasional delay. There are usually at least two flights a day from each company. We arrange our tickets through Ramata at Casamance Voyages, who can be reached at +221 77 577 01 76.

By Boat

We have written a detailed article about the overnight ferry service that runs between Dakar and Ziguinchor. Check it out here. We highly recommend this option, especially if you are not prone to seasickness. It is cheaper than flying (even if you opt for a private cabin, which we would recommend) and it is an experience in itself.

By Road

With the completion of the bridge at Farafenni, traveling to the Casamance from Dakar by road has never been easier. Instead of relying on inconsistent ferry service at Bara or Farafenni, you can cross the Gambia river on a brand new bridge (inaugurated in January 2019). Give yourself a full day for the drive, whether you are taking public transport or a private vehicle. Immigration at Farafenni is as streamlined as possible for a West Africa border crossing. Whereas it is often difficult to get a transit visa at the Karang crossing, immigration officials in Farafenni regularly give it out. The UK and most EU countries don’t even need a visa.

The easiest way to travel between Dakar and Ziguinchor via public transport is through the Dem Dikk bus service, which costs 9000 cfa. Otherwise, you are looking at a combination of mini-cars and bush taxis, which will be less comfortable and far more tiring.

By Road (the Long Way)

If you really don’t want to go into the Gambia, you could drive to Tambacounda and then from there head south to Ziguinchor. Give yourself two days to do this. There are public transport options that go to Tambacounda from Dakar, including the Dem Dikk bus and plenty of Malian bus companies that travel in that direction on their way to Bamako. From Tambacounda, you can then get a bush taxi or a mini-car to Ziguinchor.

Getting to the Casamance from Mali 

Traveling by road to the Casamance from Mali is straightfoward. You just need to get a bus ticket (or drive yourself) to Tambacounda. Once again, Tambacounda is the junction where you will have to change transport to go in the direction of Ziguinchor. In order to get to Tambacounda, we highly recommend using a bus company that takes the Kenieba road rather than passing through Kayes. You can read all about that here.

Getting to the Casamance from Guinea-Bissau 

Considering the Guinea-Bissau border is only 20 km from Ziguinchor, you would think there would be more bus companies running between the two places. There are plenty of bush taxis and mini-cars, though. The cost is around 4000 cfa on public transport, and the ride will take four hours or more depending on how quickly you get through the border. The tarmac is perfect for the 20 km between Ziguinchor and the border. The Guinea-Bissau side is a different story. There are plenty of potholes and tank traps and several stretches of floodplains where the road has been washed out during previous rainy seasons.

Getting to the Casamance from the Gambia

The most well traveled route is of course the Trans-Gambian highway, which passes through Farafenni. However, there are plenty of other places to cross including the smuggler’s route (although, we can only advise this route if you just want to dip into Abene and the nearby area and then return to Gambia) and a small chilled out crossing that leads into the Senegalese village of Seleti. Needless to say, wherever you are in the Gambia, it won’t take you long to get to the Casamance.