Senegal

The West African nation of Senegal offers a multitude of activities for travelers to experience. Home to some of the most photographed beaches in the world, it is a sunny country claiming more than 3000 hours of sunshine annually and many luxury seaside resorts on the miles of sandy beaches offer a large variety of aquatic sports. The coastal reefs and cays are heaven for divers.

Senegal is also famous for its talented artisans who can be found in the major markets, creating and selling their wares. Each region has its own traditional crafts; and the markets in Ziguinchor, St. Louis, Kaolack and others are full of treasures that you might not find in Dakar. Senegal also offers a colorful array of locally printed cotton fabric.

Dakar, the melting pot capital city, is one of the busiest cruise ships port in Africa and boasts an exciting restaurant and club scene, as well as duty-free shopping. Historic sites around Dakar, Gorée Island, Museums, and monuments draw visitors. To the north, the colonial island town of Saint-Louis is visited for its long history and colonial architecture.

Visitors travelling through the countryside are warmly welcomed into the villages and given insights into the way of life of many of the various ethnic groups – Wolof being the largest group.

With six major game and reserves there is a diversified fauna and flora to be seen and Djoudj is world famous for its bird life.

Its weather is tropical, hot and humid: – the rainy season (May to November) has some strong southeast winds; the dry season (December to April) is dominated by hot, dry and humid.

Senegal is known across Africa for its musical heritage and also for the West African tradition of storytelling, which is done by griots,

While French is the official language, Senegal is a multi-lingual country with about 36 ethnic languages; Wolof is the lingua-franca and the most widely spoken language.