Senegal

Senegal opens the corridor to the west, where the continent reaches furthest into the Atlantic. You arrive in Dakar, clinging to the Cap-Vert peninsula, and the air has already changed: salt, bright, carried by the rhythm of mbalax drifting from the stalls. At Pointe des Almadies, you stand on the westernmost point of the entire African continent — the continent behind you, the ocean ahead, and nothing else.

But what stays with you, long after, is Teranga. This Wolof word — hospitality — is no tourist slogan: it is a way of opening one's door, sharing the dish, turning a stranger into a guest. In Senegal, you don't travel alongside people; you travel with them.

The places that stay

• Gorée Island, twenty minutes by ferry, where the memory of the slave trade is felt more than visited. Read: our story on Gorée.
• Saint-Louis, a former capital set on its island — the Faidherbe bridge thrown across the river, weathered façades, and each year its jazz festival. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Lake Retba (the Pink Lake), whose waters turn pink under sun and salt.

A way of living

At midday, you share thiéboudienne — rice and fish, the national dish — served in one large communal platter from which everyone takes their share. It is there, around the dish, that Senegal is best understood.

Plan

Before you book, see our Visas & entry guide.