Senegal 8-Day Immersion in Serer Country

Points of Interest : Lake Retba, Blaise-Diagne International Airport

On arrival in Senegal, you are welcomed at Blaise-Diagne International Airport and driven to Lake Retba. This is the real “Lac Rose”, famous for its pink tones and a salinity even higher than the Dead Sea.

You settle into an eco-lodge set in unspoiled nature, on a dune overlooking a banana plantation on the lakeshore. Depending on your arrival time, dinner will be served before midnight. Enjoy your first African night in this peaceful setting.

Travel time: about 1 hr 30 min (50 km)

• Meals included : dinner
• Accommodation : Gîte du Lac (Lake Rose)

Points of Interest : Lake Rose, Dakar, Gorée Island

You head to Dakar and board the shuttle boat at the port to reach Gorée Island, lined with colorful colonial houses. On the island, you visit the House of Slaves, where the curator passionately explains its history. The well-documented exhibition traces the tragic story of the transatlantic slave trade. You end the island visit with a stroll through the flower-filled alleys of the historic town and pass by the church.

Back in Dakar, you explore the capital with a guide. Highlights include Independence Square, former colonial administrative buildings, the city hall and station, the cathedral, the Presidential Palace, and Kermel market. You then follow the corniche with its views of the Madeleine Islands at sunset, before visiting the Ouakam Mosque and ending at the African Renaissance Monument. After climbing 200 steps, you reach the base of the 52-metre-high statue. Late in the day, you are driven back to the shores of Lake Rose.

Travel time: about 1 hr 30 min (+15 min boat crossing)

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Gîte du Lac (Lake Rose)

Points of Interest : Lompoul, Kayar, Lake Rose

In the morning, you cross Lake Rose in a traditional “salt pirogue” accompanied by Mamadou, your local guide, who explains the origin of the lake and its unusual color. You may choose to go for a horseback ride or a walk along a freshwater lagoon frequented by many birds and cultivated by local villagers.

After lunch by the lake, you set off by 4×4. You drive across the famous “Paris-Dakar” dunes to reach the endless beach of the Grande Côte, then follow sandy cart tracks to Kayar, one of the largest fishing centers in the country. Your village guide comments on the bustling return of the fishermen: unloading the catch in buckets, hauling the pirogues ashore, on-the-sand bargaining over the fish, carts overflowing with boxes, salting, smoking and drying the unsold species, and selling the finest fish under the main hall.

You then continue by road to reach your comfortable desert camp in Lompoul, where your local host Abdou welcomes you to a stunning dune landscape as the sun sets.

The evening starts with a cocktail, followed by a couscous dinner. Around a campfire to the rhythm of djembes, you taste the three traditional Senegalese teas.

Travel time: about 3 hrs (120 km)

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Camp Du Désert (Lompoul)

Points of Interest : Sokone, Saloum, Foundiougne, Mékhé, Lompoul, Baba-Garage

At dawn, you set off on a camel ride to admire the sunrise over the dunes. You then visit the village tree nursery supported through a reforestation program, to which a donation of €5 per person is included in your trip.

Afterwards, you drive towards the Saloum region via Mékhé, known as the “shoe capital of Senegal”. The route continues through Baba Garage and Fatick with its salt marshes before reaching Foundiougne, a former colonial prefecture, where you enjoy lunch in the shade of a thatched shelter by the river.

You carry on to Sokone, gateway to the Saloum Delta Nature Park. Here, you settle into an eco-lodge built on a shell island, offering exceptional views of the mangroves.

Make the most of the late afternoon to swim in the pool overlooking the mangrove or relax on the nearby beach.

Travel time: about 4 hrs 30 min (235 km)

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Hotel Les Barracudas (Sokone)

Points of Interest : Saloum

Today is devoted to exploring the Saloum National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, by pirogue. You sail into a maze of bolongs, the narrow channels lined with mangrove trees, with a strong feeling of being on an “Amazonian adventure”. Along the way, you may encounter women harvesting mangrove oysters and fishermen in their pirogues. Birdlife is abundant, and you observe many species that thrive in the mangrove ecosystem.

On a deserted beach, you enjoy a “Robinson Crusoe” style barbecue. Afterwards, relax in the shade listening to the birds, take a refreshing swim in the bolong, or wander along the shore in search of fiddler crabs. If you wish, you can try your hand at line fishing.

You return to the hotel in the mid-afternoon and might be lucky enough to spot a group of humpback dolphins, a species typical of brackish waters.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Hotel Les Barracudas (Sokone)

Points of Interest : Sokone, Saloum

This day is dedicated to discovering local cultures through an authentic immersion into the daily life of a family in the village of Bambougar. After the customary “Salam Alikoum” greetings, your host invites you to accompany them to the local market. By pirogue, you head to Sokone, home to one of the region’s largest traditional weekly markets (Luma), held on Wednesdays. Soak up the colorful, fragrant and vibrant African atmosphere as you shop for the ingredients needed to prepare the traditional dish Thieb bou Yap.

You then return to Bambougar by local cart. On arrival, you can choose either to help the women prepare the meal or spend time with the men, who explain the agricultural techniques used to grow vegetables and how traditional cattle and goat herding works.

You share lunch Senegalese-style with the villagers, seated on mats on the ground, eating together from large shared platters.

Later, you visit the village chief, who talks about the community’s life and history, about his traditional role and that of the marabouts in structuring Senegalese society.

Back at your hotel, you can unwind by the pool.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Hotel Les Barracudas (Sokone)

Points of Interest : Saloum

You have a full free day with several optional activities available.

You may set off for about two hours in the early morning or late afternoon on a guided walk or carriage ride through the surrounding nature. Other options include kayaking through the bolongs or exploring the area by bicycle.

Nature lovers can head to the Fathala Reserve for a memorable safari. At sunrise, you reach the Fathala forest near the Gambian border and board an open 4×4 safari vehicle offering 360° views. Wildlife sightings may include giraffes, zebras, warthogs, rhinos, monkeys, and ostriches.

For birdwatching, the vast mangrove stands host thousands of seabirds gathering to roost in a spectacular cacophony. You can observe many types of egrets, pied kingfishers, cormorants, and especially grey pelicans flying low overhead.

For keen or curious anglers, half-day or full-day fishing trips in the bolongs can be arranged.

At the end of the day, an aperitif is offered at the top of the shell mound next to Les Barracudas, where you can admire the sunset over the mangrove and the bolong. Homemade canapés accompany this magical moment, lit only by storm lamps.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Hotel Les Barracudas (Sokone)

Points of Interest : Saloum

For your final day in Senegal, you enjoy the calm and beauty of the setting, relaxing by the pool overlooking the mangrove. Several activities are available depending on your interests.

You can take a two-hour guided walk through the surrounding nature, or head out at low tide along a small bolong in search of mongooses, hyenas, and small monkeys. Another option is to collect cockles on sandbanks or harvest oysters from mangrove roots alongside village women.

You also have the opportunity to take part in an eco-solidarity program developed with the local women’s cooperative and discover how soaps are made using natural local oils.

Other optional activities are available at an extra charge, such as kayaking or fishing.

You are then transferred to the airport in time for your return flight.

• Meals included : breakfast, lunch
• Last day : transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule