Tourist Attractions in Senegal

You have to know that every people work as "guide", but unfortunatly they miss the essential and you will go straight to the artisanal market and it's boring and uninteresting. You probably go back with an expensive djembe under your arms, if you're lucky and you'll miss the most interesting things to do!!!

Senegalese people are very kind but very pugnacious, you have to be patient, keep smiling but firm, explain what you want to do, to see and say no to the other things, but if you're lucky, you will probably find someone kind and it's better to be with someone who know the place, especially if you want to buy something, they wiil discuss to obtain the good price...

Unique Suggestions: Keep smiling and you could say that you'll stay in the place for many days, or that you're living here, It's the best thing to do, try to find a real guide from the tourist office or a the same kind person all your trip long.

The bank in Tamacounda wouldnt change my travellers cheques what could I do I didnt have enoug cash to get back to Dakar. As I went back to the hotel and related my story to the hotel clerk another guy appeared. His brother works at the bank and he could sort it all out for a hefty commision what could I do he had me bent over a barrel. They refused me in Yoff as well and Im quite sure if I had been in one of the more popular hotels I could have found a similar philanphropist . but I had already checked out and did have enough cash to get by on the cheap for a few days so I told them to forget it. My advice take nothing but cash and hide it in a money belt under your clothes transfering a little bit to your wallet each day.

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.

Unique Suggestions: Don't stay there too long!

Fun Alternatives: 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.

This is well known to be the worst place to enter Senegal. From all border passages, the border here in Rosso is quite messy and full of currupt police officers in both sides, Mauritania and Senegal.

Coming from Mauritanian Rosso, you have to make all your documents signed from the head cheef police, and remember not to give your passport to the wrong guy, it can just disapear. give your passport when 2 people police men are with you, foloow them even if they say you can't pass, this way you can always follow them and when someone blocks your entry say lowdly they have your passports to stamp! this way everyone will know reducing the probabilities of getting your pasport robbed and being ripped of for it to appear again.

Unique Suggestions: after Mauritanian formalities you have to get a boat to Senegalese Rosso which will cost you 1500UM for a veicule and plus 500UM for each passanger.

On the Senegalese side things get worst eve. If you heard people talking about currupt police force but never saw them in action, here is the perfect place to meet them face to face. open your eyes and open your hears baby, cos you're going to give money away...

for entrance policeman that stamps your passport will ask you for money...doenst exists in other entrances to Senegal like in Diamba or south in the gambian border.

Police will tell you how the customs are closed and you have to stay there 2 days without passing unless you give double to costum staff. Don't give your passsport away to the men that are in the border telling you they will take care f everything for you just for an exchange of money, you can do it by yourself.

Fun Alternatives: IF YOU COME WITH A VEICULE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS YOU WILL NOT PASS INTO SENEGAL! you need carnet de passage...

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...

Unique Suggestions: 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.

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...

Unique Suggestions: 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.

Fun Alternatives: Arrive a bit earlier.

Taking whells to Africa means having to loose lots of hours cleaning and put everythignin order very often or you'll not be able to find anything after a while. Order and organization maybe every 2 days? 5 days? a week? 2 weeks? ok forget it...

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.