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Introduction
DAKAR: A bustling modern city and major port situated at the tip of the Cap Vert peninsula. Dakar’s markets include the Kermel and the Sandaga, the former selling mainly fruit, fabrics, clothing and souvenirs, the latter being the city’s main fruit and fabrics market. The main museum is the Institut Fondemental d’Afrique Noir (IFAN), which has a collection of masks, statues and musical instruments from West Africa. Senegal’s Galérie Nationale is also worth a visit. The Palais Présidentiel (presidential palace) is a white building surrounded by luscious gardens. The Grande Mosquée, the city’s most famous mosque (noted for its minaret, which is lit at night), is closed to the public and located in Médina, which is off the tourist map. Dakar’s main beaches include the Plage Bel-Air and the cleaner and safer N’Gor and Yoff. Other good beaches within reach are Yenn and Toubab Dialao which are well known for their spectacular red cliffs.
Excursions: About 3km (1.8 miles) from the city lies the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Île de Gorée (Gorée Island), which used to be a slaving station and was one of the first French settlements on the continent. The island has many colonial-style houses and a small beach as well as two museums – the Maison des Esclaves (Slaves’ House) and the Historical Museum in the Fort d’Estrées. The Retba Lake (also called the Lac Rose or ‘Pink Lake’ due to its pink colouring) is a popular spot for picnics and weekend excursions. It is also the terminal for the Paris-Dakar motor rally.
ST LOUIS: A former slave settlement and once Senegal’s capital, St Louis is partly located on the mainland, partly on an island and partly on the Langue de Barbarie peninsula at the mouth of the River Senegal. The city reached its zenith in 1854, when Faidherbe undertook the unification of the country, which was still divided into small kingdoms at that time. Due to the expansion of Dakar, St Louis inevitably lost some of its importance, but it retains a nostalgic and provincial atmosphere reflected in its narrow streets flanked by beautiful colonial houses, balconies and verandas. The island can be reached via the Pont Faidherbe. There are some good beaches and a cruise lasting several days can be made up the River Senegal.
THE PETITE CÔTE: South of Dakar, the Petite Côte (Little Coast), which stretches for some 150km (94 miles), is one of Senegal’s best beach areas. The main tourist resorts in the area are Mbour and, slightly further north, Saly Portudal, which is set in a green park and has the highest concentration of luxury hotels as well as its own golf course.
SINÉ-SALOUM DELTA: Further south is the delta formed where the Siné and Saloum rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean. This wild region of mangrove swamps, dunes and lagoons is also Senegal’s main groundnut-growing basin. Located largely within the Parc National du Delta du Saloum, the delta’s myriad small islands are scattered between so-called bolongs (channels). The most popular mode of transport in this beautiful region is the pirogue (traditional African boat), which can take visitors to a number of nearby islands: some of the most beautiful include Guior, Guissanor, Saloum, Betani, the Île de Mars and Palmarin. The palm-fringed sandy beaches along the coast give way to dense vegetation populated by small villages of fishermen and groundnut farmers.
BASSE CASAMANCE: This fertile, swampy region borders The Gambia in the north and Guinea-Bissau in the south. However, travellers are advised to avoid this region while political instability continues. The resorts of Cap Skiring and Ziguindor are considered safe at present but check the political situation before visiting. Cap Skiring, the region’s main tourist hub, has countless hotels along what are generally considered the country’s best beaches. The region is well known for its traditional mud houses (also called impluvium), the most striking examples of which can be found in Affinam (on the north bank of the Casamance River) and Enampor. On the island of Karaban, the ruins of a Breton church and a colonial settlement are worth visiting.
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