NEED ADVICE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP?
ARE YOU AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS,
TIPS AND GUIDANCE? THE TRAVEL
GEEKS HAVE THE ANSWERS...ASK THE
EXPERTS
Senegal has a sandy coastline with
year-round sunshine that attracts
a large number of visitors, but the
irst must-see I’d recommend is
Lake Retba — a mile-long body
of water, close to the coastal
capital of Dakar, glowing with an
otherworldly tint of bubblegum
pink and sometimes orange.
This rare phenomenon is caused
by microorganisms and a high
level of salt. Villagers harvest the
salt to sell, so visiting is a great
opportunity to interact with
locals before testing the curative
properties of the lake by taking
a dip.
Elsewhere in northern Senegal,
the sacred Muslim town of Touba
is home to the Great Mosque;
its striking shape dominates the
skyline and is worth a trip to see.
Throughout Senegal, it’s likely
you’ll ind yourself never far from
local music venues. Sounds of a
diferent sort can be heard in theBandia Nature Reserve. In recent
years, there have been successful
reintroductions of numerous
native species. The result is you
can see bufalos, antelopes,
monkeys, white rhinos, girafes,
zebras, ostriches, crocodiles
and even chimpanzees. It’s
also a fantastic location for
bird enthusiasts.
The capital, Dakar, is a great
place for street markets and
food stalls where you’ll ind
an abundance of West African
cuisine on ofer, from freshly
caught tilapia to ceebu jën (a
paella-like local staple made with
ish, vegetables and rice).
In Senegal, eating is oten at
the heart of important communal
events, which typically feature a
large central bowl whose contents
are shared among many — dig in
and try this out at one of the many
eateries in the city.
kamageo.com TIM HENSHALLQ // I’m thinking of
taking a trip to Senegal
this year, but don’t
really know where to
start. What should I do
when I’m there and
what shouldn’t I miss?
FROM LEFT: Fishing port of
Elinkine, Senegal; hiking the
Paciic Crest TrailIMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY150 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel