Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Senegal

A Malian dugout canoe, 15 m long, equipped and comfortable, is taken in Saint-Louis to go up the Senegal River, within the framework of a circuit of 8 days, according to its desires. Lunch, toilet on the pirogue and bivouac on the banks for the night. You will discover the kingdom of the Toucouleurs, the Sahelian fauna and flora as well as bush villages. A great opportunity to get off the beaten track and soak up an authentic Senegal. From 2 to 6 people. An excursion proposed by Sahel Découverte in Saint-Louis.

A subsidiary of the French group Geocoton, Sodefitex (Société de développement et des fibres textiles) produces between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes of cotton fibres per year. This quality fibre, of immaculate whiteness, is sold today only abroad following the crisis that hit the Senegalese spinning mill in the 1980s. In Tambacounda, its ginning plant supports the local economy. It employs more than 400 seasonal workers from December to April, when it is operating at full capacity. This visit is possible with the Tamba Tourist Office.

The return of the fishermen every day at the end of the afternoon is a striking and colourful spectacle. Dozens and dozens of colourful pirogues loaded with freshly caught fish land on the beach in a lively effervescence. The fish is unloaded, cleaned, cooked and sold on the spot by the women or loaded into refrigerated trucks by the men to be sold afterwards inside the country, in Europe or even in Asia. Not to be missed!

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.

It was founded by Sheikh Makhone Diop, the country's first sculptor and foundryman. Today, it is his son, Issa Diop, who has taken over this famous foundry. After perfecting his skills at the Modern Patern Foundery in Los Angeles, he went to meet the traditional foundrymen of West Africa to learn from their techniques. Here, they are working on bronze using the lost wax technique. The sculptures mainly represent knights, warriors or the kings of Baol or Djolof and are often very expensive.

On the road to Saint-Louis, you'll see the Compagnie Sucrière Sénégalaise and its chimneys emitting thick white smoke on your left as you enter Richard-Toll. It used to be possible to visit the factory to see the cane being burned, between November and June, but the visit has been suspended for safety reasons. Nevertheless, if you're curious about the techniques and production process, you're sure to meet a local who works there and who can give you all the information you need. It's also a great opportunity to make a new friend!

Nice story of tenacity that these young people from Segou. Three of them discovered, by chance, two waterfalls after a long peregrination in the forest in 1998: Abdoulaye, Boubacar and Samalé. They told the village elders, who didn't believe them for a second. They brought a photographer to the site, who encouraged the elders to go and see for themselves. Since then, they have formed an economic interest group to help tourists discover "these wonders". And they are committed to preserving the site and the forest from poaching.

To get to the gold panners from Mako, turn right after the bridge over the Gambia coming from Tambacounda. Continue on the track for about 7 km until you reach a village a little higher up where the track ends. A contact with a person from the village, and you can be accompanied to the placers. You can also inquire at the Keur Annick camp for someone to accompany you there (except Monday and Friday, gold diggers' days off). There, children descend into the bowels of the earth in very narrow holes, which are extended by horizontal galleries more than five or six meters long. The earth is then carried in gourds by the women of the village to the river. There, it is filtered and sometimes reveals traces of gold around the perimeter. In general, nothing exceptional, but you never know, one nugget is sometimes enough to make you rich for years. Tourists sometimes have to pay a visit fee in the village: it's a matter of customer's head and contact. The same goes for photos. This touristic aspect is not on the side of Hérémakono, where the landscape and the context are certainly wilder, but travelling through the Falémée region is an adventure (everything will depend on your contact on the spot) and requires to accept to spend a lot of time on the road. On the other hand, the landscapes are beautiful, and there are often surprises!

Mboro is located on this very fertile strip of land called the Niayes, which stretches from Dakar to Saint-Louis. Just behind the sand dunes and before the savannah and then the Sahel, Senegal has a geographical curiosity characterized by depressions that turn here and there into a lake, a marigot or a palm grove, real islands of greenery inhabited by birds, and which contrast with the surrounding landscapes. In Mboro, the women have transformed them into market gardens and sell fruit and vegetables every day at the market.

75,000 photovoltaic panels cover 40 hectares of arid land. In a region where the sun shines for over 2,000 hours a year, this solar power plant is a godsend for the inhabitants, 60% of whom have no access to electricity. With a capacity of 20 megawatts, it now supplies electricity to around 160,000 people! This large-scale photovoltaic field has since been dethroned as the largest power plant in West Africa by the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed plant in Togo, with 127,344 panels and a capacity of 50 megawatts.

Created on the initiative of the Cerads association, whose premises are located in Saint-Louis, this craft center is a nice and instructive stopover on the road to the Djoudj National Park. Here, you can appreciate the work of the women of the village who transform typha, this invasive plant of the river, into papyrus then who elaborate soaps and soaps, based on soda at low concentration recovered from the manufacture of papyrus. You will also be able to share a convivial moment around a local dish, with these brave and smiling women.

It is possible to request an audience with the king, if you wish to speak to him about a subject that is close to your heart and that concerns the village, at the royal house. He will meet you in front of the sacred wood around 5 pm. Be very respectful, do not monopolize his time, and do not ask any questions that disturb. Everything that revolves around beliefs, his enthronement and rites is very mystical, "nye nye" in diola, taboo what!