Senegal

Senegal is one of those places that kinda got swept under the radar for me. Unless you’re from there or have some sort of “legit” reason to go, you don’t really think about it and I’m here to tell you… MISTAKE!

I LOVE SENEGAL. Dakar, the capitol city, was amazing. My ignorance lead me to believe that Senegal would have the same vibe as Mali… WRONG! As soon as I landed, I FELT like I was in a different country (because I was). In comparison to Mali, Senegal is more developed, less reserved, the fashion is different, the language is different, the landscape is different, the country as a whole is just different. I’m so thankful my mom suggested we go. We took a quick flight from Mali and spent a few days exploring, eating amazing food, and visiting family members/old friends. The Coupe D’Afrique was happening and Senegal made it pretty far in the tournament so it was a super exciting time to visit. A quick 72 hour trip, but so SO worth it. I can’t wait to go back and spend more time there.

Accommodations -

I made the mistake of letting my mom look into airbnbs for Senegal. LOL. We both really didn’t know any better. I was far from in love with our stay. First of all, the city of Dakar is already quite far from the airport. About an hour drive out- fine. We stayed in a lively neighborhood, close to many restaurants.. etc. GREAT location, but comfort wise… meh! Had I not had such a nonchalant attitude towards the Senegal trip, I would have had us in something NICE NICE! Nonetheless, please don’t be cheap and make the mistake that we made. Comfort is important. Senegal has many luxury hotels and nice airbnb options. You’re on vacationnnnn. Act like it!!

Taxi was our main source of transportation. Luckily, my cousin was with us the entire time so he was able to aide as far as price negotiation goes. We took the bus once which was a cool experience. It cost about 40cents per person and was packed to the brim.

Eatery -

Senegalese food is DELICIOUS! Point. Blank. Period. I loved my food experience here. Tipping isn’t really common in Senegal but it is appreciated.

  • Le Grand Cafe - Went here for breakfast. I had a typical European meal. I ordered a chocolate crepe, my mom had some sort of omelette, and my cousin ordered a croissant with his daily morning coffee. Standard breakfast. Nothing too crazy. The restaurant was nice and clean. They had an extensive menu and a lot of different yummy looking pastries on display.

  • Luxylla - YUM!! Went here for dinner one night and had to run it back the next day for breakfast and dinner again. The STAR of the show!!! Every time I ate here, I left so satisfied. I got my true Senegalese cuisine experience here. DINNER!!! Exceptional! Stew over rice, shish kebabs, alloco, chicken. EVERYTHING I tired from here was amazing and the service was phenomenal! 10/10.

Activities -

  • Marché Soumbédioune - Le Grand Marche! WOW, so culturally rich. I had such an amazing time visiting the big market. An open area with plenty of vendors, food, clothing, accessories, art and so much more. A must visit location when coming to Senegal.

    • Fine Jewelry - Senegal is known for their fine jewelry. The craftsmanship of a jeweler is admirable. The pureness and attention to detail with Senegalese silver specifically is beautiful. I highly suggest purchasing a jewelry piece as souvenir. Something that will last you a lifetime.

    • Wooden Sculptures - The most fascinating form of art. A bark of wood hand carved into such beautiful sculptures blows my mind. The sculptors here work HARD and are so talented. My cousin has been doing this type of work for a large part of his life. I throughly enjoyed my time getting to not only see the many different sculptures but also being preview to the behind the scenes making of such form of art.

  • Marché Soumbédioune Crafts Market - The fish market is actually so cool to witness in person. The perfect way to sightsee, get in tune with the local community, and really immerse yourself into the culture. A beach full of vendors selling all sorts of fish! These people go out into the ocean, fish, bring the goods back to shore, clean, and sell - all within a days work.

  • Île de Gorée - An island about a 20 minute ferry ride off the cost of Dakar. Such a small and beautiful livable town. There are schools, restaurants, businesses and homes. A completely different scenery from the hustle and bustle of Dakar. No cars, no traffic, no major crowds. While Gorée Island grew to be this Instagram worthy picture perfect place, it has a deep deep history of violence, torture, unhappiness, slavery. I highly recommend booking at least a day trip to this historical Island and learning more about the events that took place here and how it may have shaped the world in which we know it to be today.

    • History - Gorée Island is best known for its unfortunate role in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Almost 400 year of slavery (15th - 19th century) with millions of Africans passing through the island. It is one of the oldest sites of European settlement and was the largest center on the African Coast.

    • House of Slaves - It’s been said that kidnapped West Africans were transferred between 28 LEGAL slave houses on Gorée Island alone. This specific house belonged to a slave merchant and is now the only museum and memorial on the Island to date. Slaves were brought here to be evaluated, separated, held captive, and eventually sold. The slave traders lived on the top floor, while the slaves tried their best to survive living on the ground floor. They were abused, tortured, and lived in inhumane conditions, awaiting the slave ship that would disperse of them into the new world.

    • Door of No Return - The door of no return is significant to the millions of Africans that were forced through that door and onto ships with no chance of ever coming back.