The capital and its island
Dakar and Goree Island is where almost every trip begins. The city sits on the Cap Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of mainland Africa, and mixes busy markets and traffic with surf beaches, seafood shacks, galleries and some of the best live music in Africa. A short ferry ride away, car free Goree Island holds the House of Slaves and pastel colonial streets.
The beach coast
South of Dakar, the Petite Cote runs from Toubab Dialaw through Popenguine, Somone and Saly to Mbour and Joal-Fadiouth. It is Senegal's easiest beach escape, with resort hotels, a lagoon full of birds, the Bandia reserve and the shell island of Fadiouth.
The delta
Keep going south and the land dissolves into water. The Sine-Saloum Delta is a UNESCO listed maze of mangroves, creeks, shell middens and fishing villages, best explored by pirogue from Toubacouta, Palmarin, Ndangane or Mar Lodj. It is quiet, beautiful and perfect for two or three slow days.
The north
Saint-Louis was the capital of French West Africa, and its island centre of balconied houses, the Faidherbe Bridge and the painted pirogues of Guet Ndar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nearby, Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary and the Langue de Barbarie make it a natural three day trip from Dakar.
The green south
Cut off from the north by The Gambia, Casamance feels like a different country: rice paddies, palm forests, Jola villages, the river port of Ziguinchor and the long white beach at Cap Skirring. Reach it by overnight ferry, a domestic flight or a long drive.
How to combine them
With a week, pair Dakar and Goree with either the Petite Cote and the delta or Saint-Louis. With ten days to two weeks you can add Casamance, ideally flying or taking the ferry one way. Use the free trip planner to shape a route that fits your dates.