Things to see and do Podor

This colonial house, remarkably well restored, where the hostel of Tekrour is located, also houses a small exhibition on the history of Podor: its golden age, its decline and the history of the families of traders who made it fortune through the gum arabian. You will also find a nice tribute to Oumar Ly, who died in 2016, with his black and white photos dating back to the 1960 s, for sale. Tours in the city, hiking from Podor and a tour of the island of Morphil are also offered.

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..

A smell of the past floats in this old counter as soon as you enter it. On the shelves are pressure lamps, carpenters' planes, 1950s bottles, shoemaker's tools, a Selmer trumpet, coffee grinders and a box of Mother Poulard's cookies. All these objects from another time were generously donated by the inhabitants of Podor to revive this trading post, created by Gaspard Devés in 1860. Then taken over by the Peyrissac galleries, it was later managed by one of the employees, Maodo Diop, who later transformed it into a hardware store. It is under the impetus of the association Podor Rive gauche, with the collaboration of Maodo Diop's family and other partners, that this eco-museum was created on the quays. Mamadou Diop, Maodo's eldest son, opens the doors of his family home to you, a place that has so much to tell...

Ibrahima is an experienced guide, very friendly, who knows his region well. After a guided visit to the Podor fort, he will be able to take you to the villages of the island in Morphil and their banco mosques in Sudanese style. Guédé, Donaye, Mboyo or Alwar, each village has its own charm, but the welcome of the people is always the same: warm! Bring plenty of water, it is very hot in the morning, as well as a picnic, if you wish to have lunch on site, by the river.

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.

Built in 1744 by France, the first fort served as a store for the storage of goods. It was then in the hands of the English, before being taken over by the French. Abandoned for 66 years after the French Revolution, it fell into ruin. Then the Holy War, led by El-Hadj Oumar Tall, worried. The French came back in force and the old store became this war fort under the supervision of Faidherbe. It is prudent to try to contact the curator, Thiam, before considering a visit, as there is often a closed door. The building was officially inaugurated in March 2006, after some restoration work financed by France. But there is still a lot of work to be done to give it a real facelift. The fort is home to a museum that traces the past and shows some photos by Oumar Ly, a Senegalese photographer who died in February 2016. Unfortunately, the museum is not maintained and it has been almost abandoned for a few years. It is also very difficult to visit the fort except on the day of the stopover at Bou El Mogdad where the curator is present. Climbing up to the attic of the fort gives an idea of the strategic location of this citadel. The view extends to Mauritania and embraces the entire valley of Podor. The atmosphere of the fort, the skirmishers of Governor Louis Faidherbe, the surrounding forest that isolated it, all this is within the reach of the imagination, very close, once inside the walls of the fortress.

That of Podor is Remarkable, Sudanese style. Another kilometres is another mosque, that of Guédé, built in a row. The kingdom of Tékrour in the th century was the cradle of black African Islam. A result of important trade with the Saharan countries, she would have inherited the Islam of Mecca. Along the island in Morfil, until Saldé, there are several small mosques in a row, as to confirm that the region is of the utmost importance in the history of the religion of Mohammed. Alwar is particularly important, since El-Hadj Oumar Tall, a native of the village, made his prayers.