Dakar Things to Do

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Other people have mentioned the obvious places on the island like the yellow painted church and the Maison des Esclaves.

You will almost certainly be approached by people offering to guide you round the island. We preferred to avoid the standard tour and armed with a Guide book we explored the island on our own. There was plenty to see and the harbour has a number of waterside restaurants all serving a variety of interesting and appetising food.

You will need to be prepared for the inevitable marketing ploy of street traders engaging you in conversation whilst trying to sell their wares. I was amused by the strategy of one trader who asked our names and then quickly passed them on down the line of other stall holders so that by the time you had reached the end of the stalls the final owner approached you personally by name even though you'd not visited their stall before. I defy anyone not to buy at least several souvenirs from these stalls.

The photos will give you a sense of the history and architecture of the place.

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One of the acitivies I enjoyed most in Dakar was the visit to the Bandia animal reserve. It has a lot of beautiful jiraffes, zebras, crocodiles, white rinhos, no elephants though. They walk free in a natural setting, no fences (just for the crocodiles of course). You pay an entrance fee and enter it on a van. The guides let you step out of the van and next to the animals when possible. There are many baobabs as well. I really loved it. It is located some kms outside of Dakar, and that way you also get to see the outskirts of the city, some less touristic villages and get a broader impression of the place. You can take a taxi to get there. The excursions are usually expensive. Negotiate the price of the taxi beforehand, of course.

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This is the dead sea of Senegal a true natural phenomenon. Due to the high salinity of the lake it shimmers pink with the African sky. Besides being a nice outing as a day trip to explore the Senegalese countryside one can also see the locals harvesting the salt from the lake. If you like to take a "dip" remember to bring a towel!

I did not get to go to the Ile de Goree, as I chose the Lac Rose tour instead. This island was used as a staging area for the slave trade. Sort of like Alcatraz is an island prison, so too was the Ile de Goree. It is quite the anomoly that this pictuesque island has such a dark history.

Without that history this island would probably be a rich persons resort.

I send a lot of postcards and I have a scheme to make them special. Each card is written in the language of the country visited. Here in Dakar, Senegal my post cards were in French. Since I do not speak all the languages of my travels, I get help from the local newspaper. Foreign newspapers are fairly easy to read, even if you do not speak the language. You may not get every word, but the ideas can be understood. I write out the headlines on my cards and get many reactions, "What did it say?" is most common.

In Dakar I found a US Mail letter tray in the market where I purchased my paper, postcards, and stamps.

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Dakar in the dry season has very bland coloring. I think that is why the people choose to garb themselves in brighly colored garments. There is a never ending parade of beautiful garments on display as you travel along the street.

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We stopped at a village where they know how to take your money. Every time you lift your camera, someone is asking for money. Because the tours stop here regularly, I am sure that these are some of the richest people in the area. It was interesting, even if it was a show, for all I know this might be their reality, but somehow I doubt it. It seemed too staged.

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It is impossible to compose that great shot while being buck boarded in the back of a truck. It would be better if we could dismount to get that magical shot, but alas, this tour was about taking our money, not showing us the sights.