The most beautiful natural sites to discover Senegal

An exceptional maritime environment, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, stretching over 5,000 km² where the arms of two rivers, the Sine and the Saloum, meet. There are 28 burial sites in the form of tumulus-shaped burial mounds. Between mangroves and islets, we meander by pirogue along these saltwater canals, discovering piles of seashells, some of them hundreds of metres long. These shell mounds are the result of human activity in the region over the past millennia.

In the middle of the small island, this baobab, with a circumference of about twelve meters, is one of the most emblematic of Senegal. You will quickly notice that each village, each forest seems to have the biggest baobab of the country. But after this first consideration, the baobab is still impressive, both by its size and by its beauty. It would have more than 800 years, and the legend tells that it has never lost its leaves! Men come here to talk in the shade of its branches while some artists wait for the tourists.

Calm, clear and limpid water: this is the water that awaits you on the small beach of Gorée, bounded by the pier's dyke. It is protected from the Atlantic winds, like the whole island, being located in the centre of a harbour, but the water is cooler than on the mainland. Quiet during the week and out of season, it is however very busy during the holidays and weekends. In the event of large crowds, you may prefer the other beach of the island, below Fort d'Estrées, out of sight.

Created in 2010, this nature reserve covers 400 ha, between the arm of the Casamance River and the Atlantic Ocean. It is managed by an economic interest group that works in close collaboration with local populations, associations and training schools. Guides have been trained to accompany tourists to discover the local fauna and flora, especially birds, on foot or by bicycle. A small ecolodge with a panoramic view called Ecolodge Sembene Ousmane opened in 2014, and offers among other things a few rooms in an impluvium hut.

It is the oldest lighthouse in Dakar, built in 1864 and considered one of the most powerful in Africa. A keeper ensures the permanence and will give you a guided tour of the building. The spiral stairs quickly make you dizzy (sensitive to vertigo, please refrain!). The effort is worth it, because once you get to the top, you can kiss Dakar with one look, with beautiful panoramic views. Initially powered by oil, the lighthouse is now electrified, but it is still lit manually. A bar-restaurant has been set up where evenings are organised.

This is often the first place you go, at the southern tip of the island, to enjoy the superb view over Dakar and its bay. All the more so as the path leading to the summit is lined with colorful paintings by Senegalese artists, which you're more than welcome to take the time to admire. At the western end stands Fort Saint-Michel, built by the French in 1892 and on which the Slave Memorial was erected and inaugurated in 1999, a modern structure representing the hull and sail of a ship. Behind it, a telemeter dating from 1907, used to measure the distance of ships in order to adjust the cannons. Until recently, the top of the fort housed the open-air studio of Senegalese artist Balla Ngongo, who died in July 2023, where he exhibited a number of his works based on salvaged materials. Perhaps a local artist will soon replace him. On the other side of the castel, a cannon with a range of 14 km. It was used only once, on September 23, 1940, by Vichy France, to sink an English ship during the Battle of Dakar. The wreck still lies there, several meters underwater. A buoy marks the danger for boats, which is why the longboat that brings visitors to the island makes a wide turn before entering the harbor at the pier. At the time of Senegal's independence, the French sabotaged the cannon so that it could no longer be used. Before you leave, enjoy the breathtaking ocean views and take a deep breath of iodized air!

Like the beaches of the Grande Côte, the Lac Rose beach is splendid and different from the beaches of Dakar and the Petite Côte. A long beach of fine sand, very pleasant, clear water, dunes planted with filaos, and a very low density of swimmers: this beach would be a paradise if there were not a downside: flights are not rare. Also be careful where you leave your car. The beach is not supervised: so be particularly careful of waves and currents!

In addition to the waterfall, it is possible to visit the Dandé caves in the village of Alpha Yaya and to go to the source of the waterfall on the plateau with a guide. You can also hike to the top of the falls to get a bird's eye view and thrill in the descent (notice to experienced hikers). You can also make a full day loop through the potters' village of Nandumare and the Afia waterfall, with a view of the Ségou waterfall.

Here is one of the largest baobabs in Senegal, an impressive specimen with a circumference of 33 m and about 850 years old, in a forest that is home to multi-centenary baobabs. Its trunk is very wide, made up of bulges that form folds and folds. Vendors of all kinds are waiting for the tourists, but in order not to put pressure on them, they decided to organize themselves. From now on, each in turn invites visitors to enter the tree to discover a colony of bats and give very interesting information about the site.

This village of about 130 souls, founded in the th century, deserves a detour. It is the only one in Senegal to be tolerated in a national park. The decree thus gives Bakadadji a very special status, that the teacher of the village will tell you. Supported by the Sine-Saloum association for several years, it now has a school, a ecotourism camp, a vegetable garden and a multitude of projects. Various studies, conducted by trainees of the association, are regularly held. The history of the village was recently written…

The Simenti area, which extends from the large viewpoint to the Goose Paw, is the most popular part of Niokolo Koba Park. It is here that one meets the large ponds, along the Gambia and Niokolo Koba, and thus the large gatherings in dry season. Buffalos and hippotragues come to drink by tens, while monkeys, crocs and hippos populate the edges of the river. It is the queen region of the tourist, and it is often the only one to be accessible during the winter. Some fords become much more difficult.

With its unique biodiversity, the Dindéfello Community Reserve is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in West Africa. Renowned as an exceptional ornithological spot, it is also home to an endangered species: the West African chimpanzee (pan troglodytes verus). The Jane Goodall Institute in Spain, a foundation created by the famous primatologist, has set up a research, conservation and training centre there with the aim of protecting this endangered primate.

Under the aegis of the La Somone protected nature reserve, an ecological trail has been created. After crossing the lagoon by boat, this small and instructive 1.2 km long walk is done on foot in the heart of a lush mangrove swamp, thanks to explanatory panels. Here nests about a hundred species of birds that you can observe from a watchtower. For young and old. Entrance tickets are on sale at the reserve office located on the beach.

Just north of the Langue de Barbarie, this beach looks like a vision of lost paradise. A handful of filaos trees in the middle of the sand, facing the breakers of the ocean. When you consider that the beach continues for hundreds and hundreds of kilometers to the north, the coasts of Mauritania and Morocco lose their name of border in favor of infinite sand and the end of a continent facing the ocean. The walk from Ndar-Toute (accessible by cab) is short, barely a quarter of an hour. Bring plenty of water and sun cream.

It is the highest point of the park, a high plateau (311 m), which can be reached only by a difficult road, practicable only in 4x4. Once at the top, the panorama is lunar, and the animals, often the rarest of the park, are all the more appreciated. Chimpanzees and Derby elands, the largest antelopes in the world, live mostly here, and if you have to see elephants (probably a miracle), no need to look elsewhere. The place lives up to its position, difficult to access, and it is no coincidence that it is a favorite of many researchers.

Between the ocean and the Saloum arm of the sea, this reserve was created in 2001 in parallel with a reflection on ecotourism, with a view to protecting the fauna and flora that make this area so special. Covering an area of 10,340 ha, it can be visited on foot or by cart. On this occasion, you will be able to observe the processes of saliculture (salt harvesting) around the many wells with coloured reflections, various species of birds and also hyenas.

Created in 1986 and supported by the Nicolas Hulot Foundation, this nature reserve is home to small antelopes, civets and numerous birds on nearly 1,000 hectares. Some species that had disappeared from the region have been returning for several years (jackals, hyenas, porcupines). Less important than the large parks of the country, this protected area - partly maritime and partly terrestrial - has its own charm. It is still spared from the hordes of tourists.

Situated at about 13 m above sea level, this protected forest, between Samba Dia and Fimela, is mainly a rôneraie, but is home to about 20 other species, such as the acacia and the African birch. For the curious, you may notice an almost unique phenomenon: a genetic degeneration of the rôneraie, whose trunk splits into three or four parts. These are called finger-knifed rôniers. Some scientists have looked into the matter (by... raising their heads), but it seems that the exact origin of the phenomenon remains a mystery for the moment.

A point that became an island, cut in two by the ocean. A fish factory and the first camp in the region have disappeared under the water. In 1987, the Sangomar point was linked to the continent, today the breach is more than 5 km long. Some people think that the disruption of the balance between the currents on each side may have been the cause of the phenomenon, others that the sandbanks are constantly shifting. From a purely geographical point of view, this particularity is doomed to disappear, if only by erosion. All that remains is to add a time factor.

A beautiful pirogue ride on the Casamance River, but don't try to land on the island, it is impenetrable! It is said that the island was once a small Eden, teeming with trees and fruit. However, they had to be eaten on the spot and it was not advisable to take them home. Some inhabitants even wanted to clear the site to settle there, but one day on the way back, the pirogues capsized and about twenty of them lost their lives. Since then, nature would have taken back its rights so that Man could no longer dock there ...