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dakar

Dakar is the capital of Senegal. It is a rather rough city where it is difficult to find a nice neighborhood to casually explore.

 

However, a fun excursion would be a visit to Ile de Gorée which is just off of the coast of the city. Boats leave the port in that direction quite regularly.

SENEGAL

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - dakar - travel-report.nl
senegal - dakar - travel-report.nl
senegal - dakar - travel-report.nl
senegal - dakar - travel-report.nl
senegal - dakar - travel-report.nl

SENEGAL

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl

ILE DE GOREE

senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl

The boat ride to the island takes no more than 20 minutes. The island has a very pleasant and charming atmosphere.

 

Within a few hours you get to know the island and its rich history. There are several nice restaurants and shops, as well as some galleries and museums. 

senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl

YENE

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl

We left Dakar and went to Yene, a fishing village some 50km south of Dakar.

 

It is a village where few tourists go. We traveled here to photograph Erik Pol’s home. He is a Dutch man who has lived in Senegal for 17 years and has built a home just outside of the village

hotel Espace Sobo Badé 

in Toubab Dialao

We stayed in a hotel right on the beach. The hotel consisted of fanciful buildings, where the sea breeze provides natural cooling

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl

guesthouse Sobo Bade

Route de Toubab Dialaw, Toubab Dialao

senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl

SENEGAL

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - ile de goree - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl

Erik Pol

senegal - yene - erik pol - travel-report.nl

Erik’s house lies slightly farther away from the coast. It is a very simple house, it has two floors and is surrounded by a large garden. 

If you want to see more pictures of Erik’s house, click here

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl

At the end of the day, in the beach in front of our hotel, people of all ages come together to sport.

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl

SENEGAL

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - yene - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl
senegal - thies - travel-report.nl

Aissa Dione Tissus

Erik Pol is our guide, showing us places you would not find on your own. We went to a market in Thies with him and later to a textile factory in the village next door. 

senegal - thies - travel-report.nl

SENEGAL

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

st louis

senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

Siki Hotel

We stayed in a small hotel called the Siki Hotel. It is right in the middle of this friendly town where you can explore little streets for hours. 

senegal - st louis - siki hotel - travel-report.n
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

Music is a large part of Senegalese culture. St Louis in northern Senegal is famous for its annual international jazz festival which is organized here. 

senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

Fishing Village

senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

The fishermen of the town and their families live across the river. It is a village in itself with a specific and industrious atmosphere. It is as if you step into a movie where you can’t take everything in because its moving so quickly. 

toubacouta

senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl

We continued further south to the village of Toubacouta in the Saloum Delta region. An area famous for its mangroves and many species of birds. 

senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl

There is a small local market in Toubacouta. Where vegetables, fish and other goods are traded. 

senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl

dakar - Ile de Gorée - yene - thies -  st. louis - toubacouta

SENEGAL

senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - st louis - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl

The trek to get anywhere is almost always an experience in itself. The landscape, the villages and the people that pass before your eyes often give a surprising impression of the country which you are travelling through.

senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl
senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl
senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl
senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl
senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl

Les Paletuviers

senegal - les paletuviers - travel-report.nl

We were guests of Les Paletuviers, belonging to the Belgian Pieters family. The following text from their websites gives good insight into what brought them here.

 

The story of Les Paletuviers is a love story, a family and a country, and especially a region: The Saloum Delta.

 

It was in 1995 that the Belgian Jean Pierre Pieters discovered Senegal as a tourist. He immediately fell in love with the beauty of the landscape, its nature and warm people. He decided to take over a camp and to achieve a dream.

 

In 2010 Karolien, his eldest daughter, gave up her life in Belgium and moved to Les Paletuviers to continue her father’s dream. 

senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - toubacouta - travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl

Het Strand

If you want, you could decide to spend the night on a private beach in a small hut. You spend the afternoon sailing through the Saloum Delta to the island. The fish is locally caught and prepared, allowing guests to dine under the stars. 

senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
senegal - saloum delta- travel-report.nl
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