Senegal 8 Days From Bush to Beach in a Small Group

Points of Interest : Dakar, Pink Lake
You are welcomed on arrival at Blaise Diagne International Airport, then driven by road to Lake Retba, better known as Pink Lake because of its unusual pink hue and a salinity higher than that of the Dead Sea.

You settle into a nature-focused eco-lodge, Le Gîte du Lac (or similar), perched on a dune above a banana plantation on the lake shore. Your charming round hut offers simple comfort with its own private bathroom and toilet.

• Meals included : dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Le Gîte du Lac eco-lodge at Pink Lake

Points of Interest : Saint-Louis, Pink Lake
In the morning you meet the salt collectors working on Pink Lake. Your local guide explains the origins of the lake, its particular color and the traditional methods of salt extraction. You then cross the lake in an unusual salt-laden pirogue, gliding over the shimmering water.

You have the option of a walk on foot, or on horseback as an extra, through the community reserve of Bonaba along a lagoon bordered by dunes and traditional market gardens. You relax on a laid-out beach and enjoy an exotic-flavoured lunch in a bamboo restaurant built on a shell mound by the lake.

In the afternoon you reach the immense beach of the Grande Côte and follow the cart tracks to Kayar, the country’s largest artisanal fishing centre. Your local guide comments on the impressive arrival of the fishermen: unloading with buckets, hauling the pirogues out of the water, lively negotiations over piles of fish on the sand, overflowing carts, salting, smoking and drying of the unsold catch, and the sale of the finest fish under the covered market.

You then continue by road to Saint-Louis and check into your oceanfront hotel.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Hôtel Diamarek in Saint-Louis

Points of Interest : Saint-Louis, Djoudj National Bird Park
Today you visit Djoudj National Bird Park, the world’s third-largest ornithological reserve and a true sanctuary for more than three million birds, including pelicans, cormorants, whistling ducks and flamingos. By pirogue you explore this exceptional UNESCO-listed wetland, with its mosaic of lakes, vast reed beds, tangled channels and marigots, coordinated fishing scenes and spectacular synchronized aerial ballets.

Along the banks you may also spot reptiles such as monitor lizards, pythons and crocodiles, as well as many mammals including jackals, monkeys, hyenas, gazelles and warthogs. From May to October, when Djoudj is closed, this excursion is replaced by a bush trip to the 3 Marigots area.

You return to Saint-Louis for lunch in a typical restaurant in the colonial town, then enjoy a guided tour of the island with a local guide from Saint-Louis. As the oldest town built by the French in West Africa and a key stop on Mermoz’s Aéropostale route, Saint-Louis still displays many traces of its prestigious past: the Governor’s Palace, Faidherbe Square, the two barracks, the cathedral, the hospital, the north mosque and numerous colonial-era houses.

You visit the Guet Ndar district on the Langue de Barbarie before returning to your hotel. You stroll through the streets, with time to buy quality souvenirs in local shops, and can also discover Sor market with its colourful, warm African atmosphere and the old train station built in New Orleans style. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Hôtel Diamarek in Saint-Louis

Points of Interest : Lompoul, Langue de Barbarie, Saint-Louis
You leave for the Gandiolais region, known for its market gardening, and Langue de Barbarie National Park. You board a pirogue to cruise down the Senegal River, skirting Bird Island where many species nest, including terns, gulls and pelicans. You land on the sand spit of the Langue, between river and ocean, a key nesting ground for marine turtles, and continue towards the historic mouth of the Senegal River with chances to see flamingos.

Lunch is served in a riverside lodge, and you spend the early afternoon at leisure, relaxing or swimming in the pool, the river or the ocean.

Later you drive to the Lompoul desert and a charming bivouac set in an oasis among the dunes. You walk in the great sand dunes and enjoy the fun of rolling down the sandy slopes. A welcome cocktail awaits you, followed by a kid goat couscous with vegetables. The evening continues with djembe drumming and local dances, then the traditional Senegalese tea ritual. You spend an unforgettable African night in the dunes under traditional khaïma (Moorish) tents, each equipped with a real bed and a private bush bathroom with toilet, basin and open-air shower.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : desert bivouac in traditional khaïma tents in the Lompoul dunes

Points of Interest : Thiès, Saly, Mékhé
You head towards the Petite Côte via Mékhé, known as the “shoe capital of Senegal”, where you visit small artisan workshops and see shoemakers at work. A short stop is made at the basketry market, a speciality of the Thiès region, before you drive through Tivaouane, the holy city of the Tidjane Sufi brotherhood, the most widespread in Senegal.

The road then offers superb views over the baobab forest of Sindia. You stop for lunch in Somone on the coast, then continue to Saly. On arrival you check into your beachfront hotel and enjoy a free afternoon to relax by the pool or on the beach. Many optional excursions are available on site. Dinner with evening entertainment and overnight at the hotel.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Le Royal hotel in Saly

Points of Interest : Saly, Saloum
Enjoy a relaxing free day at your Saly hotel. Lunch is at your own expense, giving you flexibility to eat where and when you like. Make the most of the pool or the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the hotel’s free activities or the many optional excursions available.

Among the suggested options is a trip to Saloum National Park, following bush tracks to meet Peul and Wolof villages and discover mangroves and bolongs. Many other engaging excursions and encounters with local communities can be organised on site.

In the evening you have dinner at the hotel, often accompanied by entertainment, and spend the night in Saly.

• Meals included : breakfast, dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Le Royal hotel in Saly

Points of Interest : Saly, Fadiouth Island
You have another free day in Saly with lunch at your own expense, perfect for enjoying the pool, the ocean and the included hotel activities or for taking optional excursions.

Suggestions include an excursion to the shell island of Fadiouth and a visit to Joal, birthplace of President Léopold Sédar Senghor. In the afternoon you can also opt for a safari in Bandia Wildlife Reserve in an open 4×4 pick-up with a wildlife guide, where you may see white rhinos, greater kudus, oryx, Cape elands, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, buffalos, kob, impalas, warthogs, monkeys and crocodiles.

Dinner, evening entertainment and your last African night at the hotel in Saly.

• Meals included : breakfast, dinner
• Accommodation : overnight at Le Royal hotel in Saly

Points of Interest : Dakar
You leave your hotel by road for Dakar and head to the port to board the shuttle boat to Gorée Island. On the island you have lunch in a local restaurant, then take a moving guided tour of the House of Slaves, with passionate commentary from the curator. A well-documented exhibition retraces the tragic history of the slave trade.

You stroll through the flower-lined lanes of the historic town, discovering its church and colourful colonial houses, before taking the boat back to Dakar. A guided city tour follows, including Independence Square, former administrative buildings, the town hall and the colonial-era train station, the cathedral, the Presidential Palace and Kermel market.

You then follow the coastal Corniche with views of the Madeleine Islands at sunset, continue via the Ouakam Mosque and finish at the African Renaissance Monument. You can climb the 200 steps to the base of this 52‑metre bronze statue for a panoramic view. After the tour, you are transferred to the airport around two hours before your flight; assistance is provided for final formalities.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner (depending on flight time)
• Last day : transfer to Blaise Diagne International Airport for your departure flight