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Senegal Travel Guide


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Popular Tourist Traps | Miscellaneous Tourist Traps Tips | All Tips (16)
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The "Slave Island" of Ile Goree
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  • Ile Goree, view from the top - Senegal
    Ile Goree, view from the top
    by Saagar
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    Many people and lots of local tourist info will tell visitors that this was the transshipment point of slaves for the Americas. By and large this is not true, but it serves to bring many tourists.
    The main roles of Ile Goree during colonial times appear to be administrative and trade related. It was also heavily fortified and served as a naval guard point of Dakar. There are and were no large slave quarters here. While slavery was partly administred from here and thus serves as a significant historical and traumatic site, the few cells in the "Slave House" (off to the right in this photo) were probably holding domestic slaves and bone fide prisoners.

    Learn the history of slavery in all its cruelty, but don't necessarily accept as a fact that this point was the last African land the Afro-American ancestors touched.

    Read and learn for yourself - plenty of reference literature on this subject.

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    Car traffic in Dakar
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  • If you arrive Dakar by night you'll have to wait maybe 2 up to 3 hours to make the last kms of the main "highway" towards the city centre. Traffic jams are huge and people seem to loose hours on this. Be careful with crazy drivers...

    Be patiente and put up some music. If you can come a bit ealier although you still have many cars but not as much.6 to 8pm should be the critic time.

    Arrive a bit earlier.

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    Temperature
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  • Expect high temperatures all year round. Best time to go there maybe its in European Winter and Spring. I went in April and was ok although we got max 53º celcius, which is hot but ok. In summer temperatures can rise up to 60 and 65.

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    Police officers
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  • Policemen in Senegal are the worst I've seen. Altough I know in some other countries in Africa they are even worst (how is this possible??). Even if you have all your documents and papers in order, follow all the rules and take care of people and situations, police will always try to get something out of you. Once a police in countryside Senegal told me I would leave until some money would be given to him...come one...

    In St. Louis on a road there is no road sign so I just turned left and he told me i made an infraction and should have gone to the roundabout (250m after) to make the run. He wanted some money and kept my drivers license. I didnt give him money and went direct to the police headquarters in St Louis. I made some pictures with my digital camera of place in St Louis with road sign and from the specific place without road sign to me to follow the rules, the head police was very understandable and gave me a paper that would stop my infraction and i went to the police on the sreet and he had to give my drivers license back.

    I had to wait almost 45 minutes to be able to talk to the head police. At the police station they will try to tell you YOU are the one wrong and should come to the police station...wait be perssistent, they are not going to eat you its just to frighten you and with this you can go away. wait and be precistent. tell loudly that polçice in senegal are bad and they dont like it...

    On the picture you have the place with no road sign telling you should keep straight. This is right in front of the big St Louis market in langue. On the picture the market is on your right side.

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    Little villages
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  • People in little villages see tourist a way of trying to win or getting something. This way when you arrive to little villages like this one on the picture xpect children to run towards yourself. Take many htings in consideration:
    becareful if you drive cos some kids can actually fall and you can hit them with your car; if you give someting to a boy, others will also want; if you give something to a boy others will fight him; give present if you desire to an elder person to make the distribution; ask for pictures before you make them or children can turn violent at you and throw you stones.

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    Getting sick while traveling
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  • Yes its me on the pcture, not lying on the beach cos I was having a great time but I was actually feeling really bad. This was the second time of many that I got sick in just 2 weeks period while traveling in West Africa. First time i got sick from my sinusites that got me into a little crises due to weather changing already in Mauritania, and theis one I felt sick cos I ate too much "Chakry" a senegalese dessert with yougurt and fruit along with couscous.

    Take pils to your stomach and intestines, take all vaccines you can at home: yellow fever, tetanus, hep A B, Typhoid also. Bring lots of cloride pills to mix with the local water.

    theres no alternative unless you stay home. Traveling to West Farica or Africa generally specking you'll problably get sick. If you eat drink like the local peole even taking care of normal things like wasing hands, food etc...we went 4 on this trip and everyone got sick at least 2 up to 3 times...

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    Water in tea
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  • You should take care and dont drink the local water. Sometimes the tea people offer you is made from that non good water and while making the tea, the water doesnt boil enough time. If someone invintes you for a tea at their place or in the street just say yes if you feel like but know or ask to boil the water well.

    If you get sick, you're done for a ocuple of days. take medicine and wait, suffer, rool over yourself, head aches, pains in intestines etc...suffer...

    Bring lots of cloride pills to mix with the local water.

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    Airport "assistance"
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  • While in immigration, customs and exit lines at the airport in Dakar, someone may come up to you with some kind of ID card and all and ask if you need help/assistance.
    Don't accept it, this is a scam, and the only thing that will happen is that you will have to pay for an unnecessary service. Obviously, these touts are in lead with airport officials (sharing the cash that comes out of it), but they are not able to render any service.

    Ignore the touts and stand in line as well as you can manage. This is generally speaking a hopeless airport...

    Just be prepared before you arrive with your necessary papers in order, patience and accept the fact you will have to stand in line for this immigration process.

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    Not a great beach...
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  • Plage Bel-Air (very close to the train station in Dakar) is a dirty beach. so best not to stay here, though it may have been cleaned up since I was there.

    Don't stay there too long!

    If you must stay near to the city, head for N'Gor a little further away. If you want beaches it is best to head further south.

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    Mosquittos
    Take all your vaccines, bring repelent and spend money on a good mosquitto net. Mosquitto nets are better if you can actually change and mold them in different positions and ocasions...

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    More Senegal Tips
    Overview
     
    General Tips
    Tips: 34 - Photos: 31
    Restaurants
    Tips: 19 - Photos: 13
    Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 44 - Photos: 37
    Things To Do
    Tips: 98 - Photos: 94
    Nightlife
    Tips: 11 - Photos: 6
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 51 - Photos: 50
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 16 - Photos: 12
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 31 - Photos: 22
    Transportation
    Tips: 34 - Photos: 31
    Local Customs
    Tips: 23 - Photos: 22
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 6 - Photos: 3
    Shopping
    Tips: 14 - Photos: 14
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 2 - Photos: 2

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