Great Journeys: Senegal: Petite Côte

The west coast of Senegal is an intriguing combination of bustling cities, colonial islands, lonely beaches, mangrove swamps and friendly locals.

Click on the links below to find out more about individual destinations.

Journey Summary

Our journey starts in the bustling capital Dakar, a particularly easy entry point if you're coming from Europe. It's not as scary as some would have you believe, and a day trip to Île de Gorée is a must. From the colonial history of Gorée we head south to the Petite Côte, the name given to the coast south of Dakar. The seaside village of Toubab Dialao is a great place to wash the city out of your hair, and the shell islands of Joal-Fadiout are an intriguing stop. The beach at Palmarin has seen better days though it has a certain rustic charm, but a little further down the coast we come to the sand-spit settlement of Djiffer, a very pleasant spot for a bit of relaxation. The final leg of our journey is by boat to the riverside town of Foundiougne, from where there are buses back to Dakar. If time isn't at a premium, another option is to head off to the Gambia via the junction town of Kaolack, joining the River Gambia journey at Banjul and heading back to Dakar via Tambacounda in eastern Senegal.

Suggested Itinerary

The following is only a suggested itinerary.