Senegal

Overview

Senegal is an excellent destination for anyone interested in exploring and learning about African culture. Visitors will be able to experience a huge range of cultures and traditions in this diverse country.

Although Senegal is not usually on most travellers' lists, the country offers plenty of attractions and things to do. Fishing enthusiasts will be interested to know that Senegal is one of the best places in the world to catch fish. The Senegalese are known for their kindness and hospitality, and you can expect to be treated with immense respect as a visitor.

Senegal has a tropical climate that is both hot and humid for much of the year. The rainy season, from May to November, has strong southeast winds while the dry season from December to April is dominated by the hot, but dry, harmattan wind. Lowlands are seasonally flooded and there are periodic droughts.

The earliest known human settlement in Senegal existed over 350,000 years ago. The Stone Circles of Senegambia (now World Heritage Sites) may date back as far as the 3rd century BC. Not a lot is known about the earliest civilizations, but there were many paleolithic and neolithic civilizations around the Senegal River.

The Tekrur Kingdom (Tekrour), formed around the Senegal River in Futa Toro (Fouta Toro), is one of the earliest recorded Sub-Saharan kingdoms. Although the exact formation date is unknown, historians believe it began in the early 9th century, around the same time as the Ghana Empire formed in the east. Parts of eastern Senegal were ruled by the Ghana Empire as it expanded but Tekrur was more concentrated in Senegal (although the southern regions were inhabited by ancestors of the Wolof). It was during Tekrur rule that Islam came to Senegal in the 11th century from the Almoravids in the north. The Tekrur rulers first converted to Islam and most of the kingdom soon followed. After the Almoravids attacked the Ghanaian Empire, it slowly lost power and influence, giving rise to the Mali Empire in 1235.

Culture and food

Be careful with food prepared by the road, as it could be cooked in unsanitary conditions. Western-style meals are available and can be found at restaurants in various parts of Dakar, Thies, Saint Louis and other towns and near the big hotels in the Petite Côte and in some other tourist regions of the country.

If you want to try genuine Senegalese food, you can buy it at many restaurants; or alternatively, you can make it yourself with the food gathered fresh from the markets or supermarkets.

The official dish of Senegal is ceebu jen (or thebou diene ), which is rice and fish. It comes in two varieties (red and white, named after the respective sauces). The Senegalese love ceebu jen and will often ask if you've ever tried it, and it is definitely part of the experience. Even better if you get the chance to eat with your hands around the bowl with a Senegalese family. Keep your eyes out for the delicious, but elusive ceebu jen "diagga" , which is served with extra sauce and fish balls.

Other common dishes are maafe , which is a rich, oily peanut-based sauce with meat that is served over white rice. Yassa is a delicious onion sauce that is often served over rice and chicken, yassa poulet or with deep fried fish yassa jen .

Senegal is well known for the West African tradition of storytelling, performed by griots , who have kept West African history alive for thousands of years through words and music. The griot profession is passed down generation to generation and requires years of training and apprenticeship in genealogy, history, and music. Griots give voice to generations of West African society.

Planning your route

Taxi, taxi-brousse, taxi-clando, car-charette, and transport commun ( cars rapides ) Buslines in Dakar and around Dakar are maintained by SOTRAC (Société des Transports en commun de Cap Vert), now managed by a private company and called Dakar Demm Dikk. Car hire is available in Dakar (city and airport) and sometimes in MBour and Saly Portudal.

Sights and landscapes

Senegal is externally bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south; internally it almost completely surrounds The Gambia , namely on the north, east and south, except for Gambia's short Atlantic coastline.

The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the western Sahel , which rise to foothills in the southeast. Here is also found Senegal's highest point, Baunez ridge situated 2.7 km southeast of Nepen Diakha at 648 m (2,126 ft). The northern border is formed by the Senegal River ; other rivers include the Gambia and Casamance Rivers . The capital Dakar lies on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of continental Africa.

The Cape Verde islands lie some 560 kilometres (350 mi) off the Senegalese coast, but Cap-Vert ("Cape Green") is a maritime placemark, set at the foot of "Les Mammelles", a 105-metre (344 ft) cliff resting at one end of the Cap-Vert peninsula onto which is settled Senegal's capital Dakar, and 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south of the "Pointe des Almadies", the westernmost point in Africa.

Senegal has a tropical climate with pleasant year-round heat and well-defined dry and humid seasons driven by northeast winter and southwest summer winds. The dry season (December to April) is characterized by hot, dry harmattan winds. Dakar's annual rainfall of about 600 mm (24 in) occurs between June and October when maximum temperatures average 30 °C (86.0 °F) and minimums 24.2 °C (75.6 °F); December to February maximum temperatures average 25.7 °C (78.3 °F) and minimums 18 °C (64.4 °F).

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.