SENEGAL

“All birds will flock to a fruitful tree,” Senegalese proverb.

 

Senegal is a country in West Africa that is a door to the Atlantic Ocean. Dakar, the capital with the population of just over 3 million people, is the main hub for the country with high rises and shores of golden sand. The additional attractions that draw 1 million tourist to the east coastal country, is the Niokolo-Koba National Park is a natural protected area in southeast Senegal. The park is popular amongst specialty tourists whose niche is a specific species to admire and study.

 

DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE 

The roads are less desirable. Many airports don’t have paved runways. But the Dakar-Yoff International Airport has Delta Airlines to provide flights direct to and from the U.S. to Senegal since 2006. With new road construction provided by foreign governments travel by plane or vehicle within five years should be much more accommodating.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Djoudj National Park ( 4.5 Stars and Certificate of Excellence on TripAdvisor) is located in northern Senegal is the home to over a million and a half birds, make in one of the world’s largest and world’s most important bird sanctuaries. White Pelicans and the ever enchanting pink flamingos are the center of attraction. The park is usually part of tour packages that can run a single day up to 8 days with price ranges from $400 USD – $4,000 USD.

Lac Rose is just twenty miles north of the capital of Dakar. The Dunaliella salina algae produces a red pigment used to absorb light which brings on a pink tint to the water. It color is mainly visible during dry season from November to June. Since it is on the edge of the eastern Atlantic Coast, Las Rose has a high concentration of salt which reached up to 40% but boats are able to still barrel through the contents.

 

FINE DINING

Beetle Holloway in his February post on Culture Trip, wrote that the capital, Dakar, has a range of restaurants as diverse as the city itself. The top range is just over $9.00 USD and the lowest range is roughly $1.00 USD. Since Senegal is on the doorstep of the Atlantic, a lot of the catch are large prawns, monkfish, grouper, sea bream, and squid. Holloway also points out since expats are there, the more diverse the cuisine will be in those districts.

• The Lebanese owned Beluga is located in the business district of the capital and received 4.5 Stars on TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence 2019. Seafood and South American cuisine. Serves lunch and dinner. http://www.groupelaparilla.com.

 

• Alkimia has a 4.2 on Google and 4.4 on TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2016, 2017, and 2019. The cuisine is French and European. Prices are $14 USD – $43 USD. Vegetarian Friendly. http://www.alkimiadakar.com.

• Diners can view the Eastern shores of the Atlantic as they dine in La Calebasse, which has 4 Stars and Certificate of Excellence 2016 – 2019 on TripAdvisor. African cuisine. On the lower level, one can visit the art museum steeped in African history. And diners can enjoy live African music also, just check the dates. Gluten Free, Halal, and Salt Free. http://www.restaurants.accor.com/senegal.

 

AIRBNB

The hottest activity of short term rentals surround the capital Dakar. With the edge of the Atlantic within a hop-skip-and-a-jump, travelers seek the mixture of the majestic coastline with the ethnic tones of western Africa. The average occupancy rate is 39%. The average USD rental rate is $60 USD/daily. 65% are entire home rentals. Rental growth from the end of 2016 to the end of the March 2020, has increased 150% (1k to 2.5k). The Airbnb rating is 4.6 overall. 70% ratings of at least 4.5 indicates the short term rental community takes the Airbnb commitment seriously.

 

RIDESHARING

According to rideguru.com, there are no ridesharing apps from the major airport Léopold Sédar Senghor. Local taxis in the area and the fares are located in each airport. The tricky situation is the fare must be negotiated between the passenger and the driver before passenger steps foot into the taxi. With that being noted, check out other posts on safety brought to you by this website. For safety sakes, (1) take a pic of the taxi and driver and text to family and friends for your records trail; (2) Keep your phone on during trip and be discussing the route (with Uber and Lyft, the trail is in real time and passengers can hit the emergency button to alert the app’s customer support team). These are just a couple of examples. Keep in mind, French is the official language of the company.

There is a bus shuttle to downtown Dakar, where the hotels are, and it is called Dakar Dem Dikk (4 Stars on Google Play). It departs every to minutes from 6 in the morning until 8:30 p.m. The cost comes in around $35 USD. Additionally, there are private transportation services (Senegal Shuttle) that serves guests who prefer more detailed services along with newer and upscale vehicles. http://www.sengal-shuttle.com. The range of price is from $60 USD – $100 USD.

 

THE RAPPER AKON

The Senegal native burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with the hit track Locked Up and went onto to sell over 80 million records worldwide throughout his career to date. And being true to his generous and visionary nature, Akon embarked on a successful campaign to bring solar energy to Africa. With some partners, the Senegal singer began Akon Lighting Africa in 2014, which brought lighting to fifteen countries. Many poor and rural communities, households, medical facilities and street lights have solar power which should help financial independence for the country down the road.

Furthermore, Akon has released his cryptocurrency, AKoin, on June 21, 2018. His plan is the build a 2,000 acre city containing schools for starters.

 

CONCLUSION

The western most tip of Africa is a melting pot. The coastal city of Dakar is going to have more to offer than other locations. Lac Rose brings you the spectacle of amazingly natural pink water. The fine dining scene has seafood menu filled with products fresh out of the Atlantic, not mention international products including South America. The ridesharing apps has less choices than the average tourist haven, but committed taxi companies do have newer vehicles to place their best foot forward. Lastly, don’t forget the humanitarian efforts of the international superstar, Akon, who has brought and continue to bring the country and other parts of Africa, up to modern day standards.

 

Hope this post has assisted you in research for your next destination,

destinationproperties.home.blog