Senegal Travel: What To See On A Backpacker Budget
Senegal Travel is anything but ordinary. Whether you’re hanging off the back of a crowded car rapides or walking through a busy market sampling the corner coffee stand, joining the energy of this country sets you up for a memorable day. I did not have much money when I came here, in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have made the trip. However I am a firm believer that one way or another money comes back, but opportunities don’t always wait for you.
Over the course of a week I was able to prove to myself that you don’t need a flashy budget to experience what a country has to offer. Some of the best moments come from talking to strangers and taking in free viewpoints. With what little money I had I was also able to take in the tragic history of Gorée Island and admire some nature in the wildlife park “Lagune de la Somone”. I hope if you find yourself in Senegal, no matter how much money you have, these tips will help you have an unforgettable adventure.
Table of Contents
Senegal Travel Day 1, Free Things to See
I crossed into Senegal after exploring Mauritania, completing my first visit there. Eager to keep exploring the region, a few friends from that trip and I decided to cross into the neighboring country of Senegal. None of us were flush with cash, it was really nice to divide everything by 4. It’s an obvious tip but travelling with others cuts costs immensely. We arrived at our Airbnb at 2am, not much else to do except get ready for the comings days and go to sleep.
Day one of our Senegal Travel started with an obvious must do while in Dakar, a visit to the African Renaissance Monument. A towering 52 m statue depicts a man holding a child with a woman by his side, symbolizing Senegal’s independence and Africa’s break from colonialism. Located on Collines des Mamelles hills, this statue is actually outside central Dakar. You typically take a taxi or car rapide to reach the area, then climb 198 steps to reach the base of the statue atop the hill.
The views of central Dakar and the Atlantic ocean are worth the climb, not to mention looking up at the statue towering overhead. There is actually an observation deck inside the statue, along with a museum explaining the history, construction, and symbolism behind the statue. However this was not free, roughly $15 USD at the time, outside of our budgets. I would love to see the museum someday but for the time being I was very happy walking around outside for free.
Starting our Senegal Travel Walking Tour
Since there are some great landmarks in the area we decided to take a break from the taxis and walk to the next one. Our next sight was “The Mosque of Divinity” a beautiful white Mosque that sits along the coast. A stunning piece of architecture that becomes more photogenetic when the sun goes down. Non Muslims cannot enter the mosque but can admire its beauty for free on the outside, a great addition for our Senegal Travel walking tour along the ocean.
We spent time enjoying the walking paths and admiring various fishing boats docked on shore. The only thing we missed and that I regret not seeing was the Les Mamelles Lighthouse. Situated on the hills by the shore West of central Dakar, it’s not a far walk from the African Renaissance Monument. It’s just on the highest hill in the area, and we had already walked to the Mosque in the opposite direction. No one wanted to make it a 20+km day or splurge for a taxi, now the lighthouse is patiently waiting for me for next time.
First of Many Chill Evenings
We put a lot of kilometers on our shoes that day and the African sun is no joke. After walking around the mosque and surrounding area we opted to head back, grab some groceries, and have a chill night in with a homemade dinner. Splitting groceries among 4 people was another great way to keep our cost down. By the end of the day I was very happy with how much we had seen and how little we had spent.
Free walking tour along the coast.
- Start with the African Renaissance Monument
- Climb up to the Les Mamelles Lighthouse
- Walk to the Mosque of Divinity (all downhill)
- Walk along the coast and enjoy the beach at Plage Ouakam
2nd day of Senegal Travel, Keeping it Free
With our homemade food eaten for breakfast I felt alright dropping some money on a taxi today, besides this was the attraction I was most excited to see during our Senegal Travel. We were off to see Lake Retba or Lac Rose, the pink lake of Senegal. Located about 35km from Dakar, the lakes algae along with its high salt content give the lake it’s vibrant pink hue. The salt harvested from the lake supports local livelihoods and surrounding fishing villages.
Things didn’t go exactly as planned, as soon as our taxi got to the lake our car was surrounded by locals shouting at us in French. Only one of us in our group could speak French, she didn’t even know what was going on as one of the locals literally hopped onto the roof of our car and rode with us. Once we parked it became apparent what was happening, these were all the vendors working their stalls by the entrance to the lake and they wanted us to spend, spend, spend, sorry boys wrong group of people.
They each took their turns leading (dragging) us to their stalls and tried to convince us to buy their products, there were some cool masks and sculptures but I was unsure if any were legitimate or just Chinese knockoffs. It really didn’t matter, my budget had no room for trinkets even if I wanted one. The local vendors were honestly a little too aggressive for my taste, it did take away from the experience. Little did I know my disappointment would only grow.
Pink(ish) Lake?
After running around dodging vendors we walked up the narrow path to the lake, turned the corner and there it was, a totally normal looking lake, no pink in sight. Although we were there during the right season, apparently while we were in Mauritania the week before there had been some heavy rain in the area. All the rain had diluted the high concentration of salt in the lake, resulting in it looking like a normal, average, lake like the ones where I live in Canada.
I was pretty gutted, absolutely not worth battling the vendors or the taxi ride over. Some locals on the shore came over and welcomed us to the pink lake and asked if we wanted to take a boat ride over the water (for $10 USD)
“not f@$king really man?” I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or get more annoyed, the thought of paying for the least impressive boat ride of my life while a guide tried to convince me how pink the lake was did make me smile though. With nothing left to do and no need/want to buy anything we hailed a cab and returned to Dakar for our nightly meal of eggs and chicken pesto. Actually getting to see the pink lake during my Senegal Travel is still on my bucketlist, I’ll make it back one day.
Visiting the Pink Lake is free! Only cost is the taxi out, ($20 USD one way) easy to split. Just hope the lake is pink.
Day 3 of Senegal Travel, The Most Expensive
On our 3rd day of Senegal Travel we did splurge a little bit, I had no idea when the next time I would get to see things like this again would be, so for me it was all worth it. We decided to visit Réserve de Bandia, one of Senegal’s wildlife reserves. Unlike many of Africa’s massive national parks Réserve de Bandia is quite small and compact, that and only being 65km South of Dakar makes it an easy day trip. It’s a little more pricey as you need to pay for the taxi there and back, the park entrance, a park guide, and a tour vehicle. The total for the day is about $100 USD, we managed to get it a little lower with splitting costs.
A tough pill to swallow, this was a huge portion of my budget but as I mentioned, when was the next time I’d get to see wild giraffes, rhinos, zebras and more. We set off and paid our fees, honestly it was worth every penny. The tour lasted just shy of two hours, we sat in lifted 4x4s driving around and spotting the animals, due to the size of the reserve sightings are very common. The animals are wild but they live inside the reserve as it is fenced and protected. It isn’t the untamed wilderness of the Serengeti but the animals live naturally, not in cages or enclosures, a perfect safari intro.
Not Done With Nature Yet
After spending an incredible couple hours at the Bandia reserve we decided to keep the animal train rolling, I agreed because our next stop was astronomically cheaper. We were heading to Lagune de la Somone, a protected coastal lagoon less then 30 minutes from the Bandia reserve and 60km south of Dakar. Many people will do these two reserves as day trips while experiencing Senegal Travel. This giant wetland reserve is a lot less exciting than Bandia but a lot more peaceful, and you’ll get the opportunity to see over 150 different types of birds.
The costs here are a lot more bearable, just your taxi as usual ($12 USD from Bandia) then an easy $2.50 USD to enter the lagoon, what a steal. You can also rent a boat to go out over the water and get close up to the birds, which we did do. It only ended up being another $3 USD with us splitting everything, pretty worth it.
We spent the next couple hours out on the water, drifting through the mangroves and chasing various birds. We did see some flamingos and pelicans, honestly though it’s mostly seagulls, maybe one step up cooler than a pigeon. The area and boat ride were very peaceful, a cheap and chill way to spend the afternoon.
Other animals in the lagoon
The lagoon is home to many animals other then birds. Lizards and alligators, monkeys, and crabs also live here although they are more rare to encounter.
The lagoon also had tiny jellyfish, our boat captain tried to convince me that it only stung “white” people. I didn’t understand how that was possible but I watched him fish one out of the water and handle it like it was nothing more than a toy. He dropped it back in the water and we watched it float away, we drifted up along side another and he told me to grab it. I was having a great day on the water and wasn’t willing to gamble a jellyfish sting to ruin that, I politely declined.
We wrapped up the day after our boat tour relaxing on the beach, then took a taxi ($55 USD steep but easy to split) back to Dakar. Definitely the most expensive day I had in my Senegal Travel, however the experiences I had made me feel better about my empty wallet.
Of the two reserves Lagune de la Somone costs drastically less, I suppose everyday can’t be free
Our 4th day of Senegal Travel, The Most Historic
While I loved getting to see the different wildlife during the Senegal Travel of day 3, my forth day in the country is the day that sticks in my mind the most. It was the day we visited Île de Gorée or Gorée Island, a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic symbol of the slave trade. A meaningful stop on any Senegal Travel itinerary, the island is car free and walkable. Full of different museums and educational galleries, the island is home to a few residents doing an excellent job at trying to progress forward while honoring the islands dark past.
Less then $10 USD for a taxi to the port and $8-$10 USD for a round trip ferry ticket make this site an absolute steal. If you can literally only do one thing in Senegal make sure that this is it. The ferry ride to the island is about 20-30 minutes, they can also sell out so get to the port early, the ferries run every couple hours all day. The views of the port from the ferry are cool, also crazy to see the huge tankers coming in from the open sea, it doesn’t feel right being so close to them.
After stepping foot on the island you’ll feel as if you vanished off Africa and step foot onto France. The European architecture and colors are very prevalent, while many countries owned the island at various times, France owned it the longest as Senegal was under French rule until 1960. You cannot visit Gorée Island without touring Maison des Esclaves or The House of Slaves.
The Darkside of History
You’ll spend a few hours on the island, walk the cobblestone European streets, visit art galleries inspired by African history, and view the governors house, a historical building where French colonists resided. However as I mentioned before no visit to island is complete with touring the House of Slaves. It among the other buildings and museums on the island only cost $1-$2 USD despite my budget I would have paid more, it was well worth the cost of admission.
Nicolas Pépin, a French slave trader, built the Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) in 1776. It functioned as a slave holding house and processing center, dark and narrow holding cells fill the lower levels while the upper levels were where the colonists lived. There are small museum exhibits in the house, you can hold original slave shackles, see pictures from that period of time and learn more about the slave trade in Africa.
Door of No Return
Perhaps the most jarring part of the house is the “Door of No Return” a small man door at the back of the house that leads directly into the ocean. From here, slave traders loaded enslaved people onto ships bound for the Americas, giving many their last view of Africa and their final steps on their home continent. It now serves as a memorial honoring the victims of slavery.
History like this can be tough to stomach in person but it’s important that we learn from the past to never repeat it. I spent a few hours walking around soaking in the symbolic importance of the island. Eventually we all felt it was time to leave, it was one of my most meaningful experiences of Senegal Travel. On the mainland, we spent the quiet evening lost in our own thoughts.
Final Thoughts on Senegal Travel And Finishing on My Own
After the heavy day at Gorée Island it was time for my friends to leave. Not because of the island, they were planning to already, just bad timing. Now I found myself alone during Senegal Travel, drastically harder to keep costs down by yourself. I had another 2 days in the country myself so my time was coming to an end anyway. I spent my time over the next 48 hours wandering local markets, talking with the occasional person I found that could speak English and watching locals play soccer right outside my hostel. They treated the game seriously, leaving me to touch the ball only when it rolled out of bounds.
While Dakar definitely isn’t the cheapest place to visit while experiencing Senegal Travel, it is possible to do on a backpacker budget. Splitting taxis and food with friends, seeing the free sights on walking tours, to simply relaxing on the beach. With some planning and flexibility, you can explore Senegal without breaking the bank. Despite having to get creative with what I ate and where I went, I don’t regret going to Senegal at all. You can’t put a price on incredible memories.
