From Wikitravel

Dakar is in Senegal.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By air 3 Get around 4 See 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 8.1 Budget 8.2 Mid range 8.3 Splurge 9 Stay safe 10 Get out

Understand

Get in

Dakar is a major West African hub, so lots of flights (by African standards). Be prepared to arrive and leave at a godforsaken time of the night - many flights come in at around 2 and leave at around 4 AM.

By air

From South Africa: SAA (code sharing with Delta) From Europe: Air France, TAP Air Portugal, Air Sénégal From Africa: TACV Cabo Verde, Royal Air Maroc, Air Ivoire, Ethiopian From North America: SAA (Washington-Dulles and New York-JFK), Delta (starting this winter from Atlanta)

Get around

• Taxis. Cheap and safe and everywhere. Just don't mind the broken windshields. All taxi fares are negotiated beforehand and will require bargaining. If you're not from Senegal, you will probably have an outrageous price proposed, so check with locals before to get an idea of what they pay, in order to know what you will be able to get.

• Buses. The Dakar bus system, known as Dakar Demm Dikk (Dakar coming and going), is fairly dependable. Fares are 150 CFA, and there are no transfer. Unfortunately, for newcomers, there's not much in the way of a map of the bus system, so you'll have to figure it out on your own. The number 10 bus runs along the Corniche de l'Ouest and turns into the suburbs at Rue Aime Cesaire.

• Cars Rapides. These are the usually blue and yellow mini-buses that careen through Dakar and some of Senegal's other cities. There are somewhat fixed rates for certain distances, but you need to check with a Senegalese beforehand. To find out where one is going, flag it down and shout out your destination at the apprenti, the boy in charge of collecting fares who hangs out the back. If she shouts back at you the destination you want, signal it to stop and hop aboard. To stop, bang loudly on the side of the bus or signal to the apprenti you want off. Apprenti's dont always speak French, so be prepared to communicate otherwise if you do not speak Wolof.

See

Check out the incredibly rich musical scene

Buy

• Islam Couture/ Embroidery:Dakar has some amazing (and amazingly expensive) stores specialised in haute-couture, embroidered traditional west African Muslim clothes.

• Marche Sandaga: Madness. A decrepit concrete structure that has - despite appearance - three levels of activity: meat and vegetable stalls on the main floor, fish in the basement dungeon and - surprise - restaurant stalls on the roof. You will need to brave the crumpled stairs and step around guys cleaning dead chicken to make it up. Around the market building a sprawling network of stalls offer everything from pirated music CDs, Manchester United shirts, electronic gadgets and islamic books - but be aware the hawkers can be *very* aggressive. The place is also famous for pickpockets, so take only the amount of money you need and keep it in a safe place.

Eat

• Chez Ndeye / Ker Ndeye (On a street parallel to Ponty) Inexpensive. Authentic Senegalese food. Besides the lovely Thiebou Dien, the place features home-made Tamarind juice. Try to catch the excellent Kora player.

• Café de Rome (City center) Welcome to Cafe du Rome, authentic French food (as a matter of fact, you ARE in France), from oysters to steak tartar, and the famous Sole Meuniere that doesn't disappoint. It is pricey by Dakar standards, but the food is great.

• Patisserie Laetitia Walking along the street of Cafe du Rome towards La Corniche (the sea) - away from the center - two blocks up on your right hand side, you find the ultimate place for breakfast in Dakar. No, they don't serve eggs, bacon or sausage, but fresh, slightly warm croissants, pain au chocolat, and (my personal favourite) pain au raisins. The coffee is good and the juices freshly squeezed. Sit in the little room to the right of the counter, it features the most amazing orange and yellow lamps and little triangular tables with stools to sit on. You will be surrounded by locals in beautiful Muslim outfits, reading the paper and discussing the latest news. What a great place. In fact, a reason to move to Dakar.

• Hotel Farid/ Lebanese Restaurant Drink a gigantic Arrak (made from palm fruit) as an aperitif and then order the 20 Mezze.

• Centre Culturel Francais Ask for the local food they serve for lunch (not on the menu) during the week. On weekends you must ask nicely to convince them to let you try what they prepare for the staff. http://www.institutfr-dakar.org

• Peanuts: The roasted peanuts you can buy on the street or get with your order of beer in any bar are delicious. These nuts are not greasy at all and have just the right amount of salt - and sometimes they are still slightly warm from being roasted.

• Other Street Food: You can find all sorts of street food practically anywhere in Dakar. Apart from peanuts, there are other nuts, lots of fruit, and other special Senegalese treats and snacks. There are also a ton of sandwich shops and little bread stands, where you can get egg sandwiches or quick and cheap food.

Drink

Gazelle is the local favourite beer - it comes in serious bottles, or Flag, which is stronger and more expensive.

• Le Hanoi You can't go wrong with a bar that has palm trees painted on one wall, a French military guy (opinions differ if he was secret service or just a regular drunk) behind the bar who insists the black waitress is his "little sister".

• Hotel de l'Independance Take the elevator to the 16th floor of the hotel on Place de l'Independance, order your drink at the bar, and walk up to the rooftop 17th open air deck and enjoy beautiful 360 degree views of Dakar. You can also dine in the restaurant on the 16th floor, with the same views.

Sleep

Budget

• Hotel Oceanic - 9, rue de Thann. +221 822-2044 (fax +221 821.5228)[1] - Océanic is a budget option for around 30 euro (roomrate). Centrally located. Rooms and beds are (a bit) run down but the bathroom is OK. Good breakfast at neighbouring self-service restaurant. See videoclip on internet.

Mid range

• Al Afifa Hotel (City Center) Clean air-conditioned rooms at reasonable prices. Not budget though!
• Sofitel Terange - Between Independent Square and the Atlantic Ocean (City center). Very good setting. It is a good (although not cheap!) starter for medium budget travellers to acclimate in Senegal. Comfortable rooms, cosy atmosphere. Roomrate round 100 euro. Breakfast is 15 euro and splendid!

Splurge

Stay safe

Get out

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