1 destination · 10 things to do

Senegal

Dakar is the capital of Senegal and the westernmost city on the African mainland, a lively Atlantic port on a peninsula of hills, beaches and busy markets. This guide covers the city properly: the car-free island of Gorée and its memory of the Atlantic slave trade, the 52-metre African Renaissance Monument, the Museum of Black Civilisations and the IFAN museum, the 1864 Mamelles Lighthouse and the Soumbédioune craft village on the corniche. Beyond the city we cover the pink waters of Lac Rose and the giraffes and rhinos of Bandia Reserve, plus a jollof cooking class and a half-day city tour to get your bearings. Five hotels span the Plateau, the Corniche Ouest and the Almadies, from a beachfront resort to a value stay.