Senegal is a country in Western Africa. With the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Senegal has Guinea-Bissau to the south, Guinea to the southeast, Mali to the east, and Mauritania to the north. The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal in the middle of the western coast.

Dakar Attractions

Ile de Goree, or Goree Island, was the location where slaves were transferred to slave ships headed to the Americas. The island has interesting colonial architecture including the landmark "House of Slaves" museum. There are several good beaches near the capital, but be aware of the possibility of undertows. Ask around to find out which beaches are safe. Some of the most beautiful beaches are in the Yoff area, a traditionally Muslim area rarely visited by either tourists or locals. The nicest of the small beaches near the capital are on N'Gor Island, although getting there can be a hassle. The beaches are only a short canoe trip from the village of N'Gor, but crews competing for passengers can get aggressive, and you might find yourself hustled to one boat while another crew tries to hustle you away to another.

Getting in by Plane

No visa is required for citizens of Canada, ECOWAS, European Union (except 12 new member countries), Israel, Japan, Mauritania, Morocco, Taiwan and US for up to 90 days. Delta Air Lines flies to Dakar on most of their US-Africa services, service from Atlanta takes roughly 8 hours. South African Airways flies direct from New York and Washington-Dulles in just about 7 hours (8.5 on the return trip). Other airlines route through Europe such as SN Brussels Airlines (Brussels), Air Senegal International (Paris-Orly), Air France (Paris-CDG), Alitalia (Milan), Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca), Iberia (Madrid), TAP (Lisbon) and others (5.5 to 6 hours). There are flights from various parts of Africa operated by Virgin Nigeria (Lagos), Kenya Airways (Nairobi), Air Ivoire (Abidjan) and others.