Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Sine-Saloum

This private reserve covers 6,000 ha, in the heart of a preserved forest ecosystem on the Gambian border, near the banks of the delta. At the initiative of the South African owners, several species have been reintroduced, such as giraffes, buffaloes, Derby elands and zebras. It offers several activities open to non-residents of the lodge, the most popular of which are game drives to observe all sorts of wild animals in the forest and lion walks, for thrill seekers!

An agro-ecological farm-school that deserves a visit and has initiated many collaborative projects in the region. You can meet the young people in training, visit the coconut tree nurseries and other plantations, while discovering the ingenious methodology aimed at making the students independent and eco-responsible. You can also eat delicious meals and spend the night there. Other activities are offered to discover the surroundings.

On the main road to Palmarin Facao, the Ecotourism office offers excursions by dugout canoe, horse-drawn carriage and cart. Price lists are available on the spot. The must? A pirogue trip in the bolongs, with a stopover in the village of Falia, with a tasting of fresh oysters. Two women ecoguards in GIE, Ariette and Louise, take care of the visits on foot (hiking in the salt mines or lagoons) or by cart (observation of hyenas). You can also go fishing in the delta or in the sea, among other proposed activities.

On your way back from Bird Island, why not stop for a picnic at Oudierin, on the beautiful beach in the village of a woman marabout, which is extremely rare in the country. One hut, then two were built around her lair, then a mosque. His fame is acquired in the area. She worked mostly telepathically, and it is said that even the governor travelled to consult her. Today, tired with age, she has gone to rest in her native village. It is her son, Mamadou Diouf, who has replaced her at the head of Oudierin.

A priceless treasure from this region of Africa, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2006. Four major stone groups are spread over a 100 km-wide strip between Senegal and Gambia. Sine Ngayène, Wanar, Wassu and Kerbatch, the four groups, bring together 93 circles and numerous tumuli, funerary mounds - heaps of stones above a tomb - organized in two alignments generally known as the tombs of the king and the king's mother. Some have been excavated, revealing archaeological material that can be dated between the ^3rd century BC and the ^16th century AD. The Sine Ngayène site, actually located in Dialloumbere, 400 m west of the village of Sine Ngayène, near Nioro du Rip, is one of the most extensive. It comprises 52 circles with 1,200 megalithic stones and around a hundred tumuli. Twenty kilometers from Nioro du Rip, Senegal's second site, Wanar, is less extensive, but just as interesting. In the middle of nowhere, this necropolis comprises 21 megalithic circles, including one double circle. The site is characterized by the presence of numerous lyre stones, megaliths split in two and thought to have an astronomical function. A hundred meters to the north-west, note the stone, left unfinished, not far from the laterite cuirass. Some sixty bodies have been exhumed to date, some wearing copper bracelets.

From Toubacouta, near the village of Bamboung, in the heart of the eponymous reserve, don't miss a trip to the island of Sipo, home to this picturesque little bush village of around a hundred inhabitants, once ruled by a queen like no other, Fatou Mané. Died in April 2022 at the age of almost 100, the Queen of Sipo was a bubbly, funny personality who received visitors from all walks of life with a smile. Legend has it that she was kidnapped by djinns at the age of 5, who transmitted mystical powers to her. Today, her eldest son Insa Touré has been crowned King of Sipo. He is now the guardian of the sacred wood and in charge of the Serer prayer sites on this island, which used to be a stopover for piroguers. Their family history is closely linked to the creation of the village in the early ^20th century, since it was founded by the late queen's grandfather, who was fleeing with others from the Islamization of Guinea. They were later joined by Malians, and later by another ethnic group from northern Senegal. They lived harmoniously by gathering oysters, the shells of which were then burned to produce lime. Today, the village lives from agriculture, fishing and tourism. Don't forget to bring your bathing suit! And don't forget to buy rice, tea or pens for the children to donate to the village and thank them for their welcome.