Streets squares and districts to visit Senegal

You won't want to miss it: the popular Santhiaba district, across the bridge, is the historic fishermen's quarter of Saint-Louis, which you can visit either by horse-drawn carriage or on foot, with a local guide. In this overcrowded district that nobody wants to leave, you will come across a bunch of kids, fishermen repairing their nets, goats, street vendors, the real popular Saint-Louisian life. Notice to the sensitive souls: the smells of the fish market are really stronger than in Yoff or Mbour!

Colonial architecture has not really survived the passage of time and few towns and districts, although colonised for centuries by France, have not yet seen modern buildings and dwellings take root. The Ibrahima Sarr neighbourhood, named after the famous trade union leader of the great railway workers' strike in 1947-1948, is one of them. Rather calm compared to the hustle and bustle of Thies, it is an opportunity to discover beautiful colonial residences that cohabit with trees dating from the same period. A pleasant stroll.

It is said that this cheese tree, several hundred years old, was planted there by migrants who settled away from the village of Djembéring when it was located in the place of the Sangawatte eco-museum (where remains have been found). There is a remarkable forest of cheese trees on the way to the sea in the direction of Nikine. Some trunks have been hollowed out for the construction of dugouts, plates, musical instruments... A walk is necessary if you are in the vicinity.

On the road to Djembéring, about ten kilometres from Cape Town, is the small village of Bouyouye, which is appreciated by some inhabitants of the region. Nothing really special, but still an authentic atmosphere, a gentle way of life, very close to the seaside resort. Inhabited by about 300 souls, the village is today entirely powered by solar energy, electricity and even water, thanks to the investments of a Belgian, very attached to this place. It is also a good place to stop for a bike ride for those who want to take their time and have a drink.

This is where the boat Bou El Mogdad arrives and departs, cruising the Senegal River and where the inhabitants walk around in the cool of the evening. On this quay, colonial buildings built in the 19th century can be seen. Some are abandoned, others are restored, all testify to the splendour of a bygone era, that of the gum arabic of Ferlo which made the fortune of Podor until the 1980s. Used in pharmacy as a galenic ingredient, this gum was used in the composition of sodas, wines (stabilizers), paints..