Other places of intrest in Dakar!

Apart from Gorée island there are many other places of intrest in Dakar. The city is somewhat crowded but there are several good beaches and quite a few things to do.
Dakar is somewhat a little cooler than the resorts further south (like Saly or Somone) as there are often breezes coming in from the atlantic.
Dakar is getting more and more busy all the time as trouble in the Ivory Coast in the recent years has made Dakar the center of Western Africa and the harbour is very important for the region.
I lived in Dakar between 2002 and 2008 and during those six years growth has been amazing. There are hotels, casinos, restaurants and shops popping up everywhere and it is almost diffucult to recognise the town.

Good beaches could be found around Yoff (not near the fishing village it is dirty) the Mamelles (near the lighthouse) and Virage. The N'gor beach is good too if you don't like the surf and currents. N'gor is in a Bay and therefore calm.
There is also a diving center located at N'gor beach. Near the center of the town, there is a road called the "little corniche" and there you will also find several beaches and some really nice hotels.
Will continue with much more stuff soon and a few more pictures.

Photos of Goreé Island!

Below are some photos of the Goree Island, situated just 20 minutes by ferry from the harbour of Dakar.
This is a small island (900x300 meters) and it is very beautiful.
This island has many beautiul old houses and it is a pleasant and relaxing place to spend a few hours (or a couple of days)

Senegal fun stuff!!

So after the (very) brief introduction on to the fun stuff. Many activies and such are to be found on different websites so this more personal observations and my ideas of what is fun in Dakar.

First of all, coming from Europe (or any industrialed country)Africa can be quite a chock. You migt not be used to the way of driving or seeing horses on the road. The still use them a lot even in the big cities like Dakar. You will also see people in the middle of the road selling anything from peanuts to garden tools. It looks very chaotic until you get used to it.

But what you will also notice is how friendly people are, there will always be smiles for you and if you need help someone will be ready to offer a hand.

So I think when you get there, just observing how things are and to look around will be quite entertaining, but the country of course has a lot more than that.
On my next page I will post some pictures along with explainations about what it is.
Until then all the best and hope to see you soon.

P.S If any of you are intrested in Senegal or if you have som intresting info you can contact me on ben_johnson@yahoo.com

A few facts!

I am just briefly going to introduce the country. More info could be found in various guidebooks or by checking www.ausenegal.com, there you would find plenty of useful stuff.

Senegal is located on the west coast of africa and its capital Dakar is the most westerly point of Africa.
There are around 11 millions inhabitants in Senegal and the population is quite young.
The size of the territory is around 225.000 square kilometers which is about the same size as Great Britain or half the size of Sweden.
The climate is warm and dry in the north and warm and humid in the south.

The three main revenues for the country is Fishing, peanuts and tourism in that order.

The population is mainly muslim (90%) and there are also catholics and a few protestants. There are many different ethnic groups in Senegal and generally there is peace and tolerance among the different ethnies.

Senegal is quickly becoming the main economic center of West Africa as it is one of the few countries in the region where there is stability and peace. The recent events in the Ivory Coast has made that Abidjan has lost a lot of its former status as the most important economic center of the West Africa.

The country is a popular tourist destination and especially the coast arond Mbour and Saly has a great many touristresorts. As the weather is warm all year around, the resorts are quite successful.

Below is a picture from Somone on the coast around 10 km from Saly!

Senegal an introduction!

As I spent more than 6 years in Senegal I thought it would be fun to write a little about it and give some tips and ideas to others who are intrested in going there.

I ended up in Senegal as my former wife used to work for the European Commission and she was sent to Dakar in order to work at the Delegation of the European Community.

Arriving there the first thing I remember was the coulorful dresses of the women we saw when travelling by car from the airport.