From Wikitravel

Senegal [1] 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.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 3.1 Climate 3.2 Terrain 3.3 History 4 Get in 4.1 Passport and Visas 4.2 By plane 4.2.1 Lowest Prices by Plane 4.3 By train 5 Get around 6 Talk 7 Buy 7.1 Maps 7.2 Passport and Visas 7.3 International Driving Permit (IDP) 7.4 Vaccines 7.5 Mosquito repellents 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Learn 11 Stay safe 12 Stay healthy 13 Respect 14 Contact

Regions

There are 11 regions:

• Dakar
• Diourbel
• Fatick
• Kaolack
• Kolda
• Louga
• Saint-Louis
• Tambacounda
• Thies
• Ziguinchor
• Matam

Cities

• Dakar: Capital city
• Saint-Louis: Former capital of Senegal and French West Africa
• Thiès:
• Pikine:
• Rufisque:
• Kaolack:
• Ziguinchor:
• Tambacounda:
• Touba: Center of Mouride religious brotherhood
• Tivaouane:
• Mbour: Fishing village
• Matam:
• Kolda:
• Diourbel:
• Linguere:

Other destinations

Ports and harbors 

Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Dakar

Places of religion and contemplation

Keur Moussa, Touba, Tivaouane

Interesting Islands

Fadiout + Joal, Ile de Gorée, Karabane

Nature reserves

Niokola Koba, Delta du Saloum, Parc National des oiseaux du Djoudi

Stone circles

Nioro du Rip, Keur Ali Lobé, Sali, Kau-Ur to Wassau, Ker Batch

Climate

Tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind; Natural hazards : lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts.

Terrain

Generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Highest point 

unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

History

Independence 

4 April 1960 (from France); complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National holiday 

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However, the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Constitution 

a new constitution was adopted 7 January 2001

Get in

Passport and Visas

No visa is required for US citizens for up to 90 days. This is the only country in the region that does not require visas for US citizens.

By plane

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) 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. Delta Airlines will begin flying to Dakar on its Atlanta-Johannesburg route in winter 2006-7.

Lowest Prices by Plane

From Europe: Brussels (BRU)- Dakar (DKR): 340€ (1-way ticket), 466€ (2-way ticket) (Prices were recorded in june 2006, with airstop.be (NL))

By train

There is a train route, but it should only be used to travel from neighbouring countries (such as Mali). More information on ausenegal.

Get around

Taxi, taxi-brousse, taxi-clando, car-charette, transport commun (cars rapides) Buslines in Dakar and around Dakar are maintained by SOTRAC (Société des Transports en commun de Cap Vert), now managed by a private company and called Dakar Demm Dikk. Car hire is available in Dakar (city and airport) and sometimes in MBour and Saly Portudal. A list of the car hire companies can be found at this link

Pape Dieye is a tour guide based out of Saint Louis, but knowledgeable in all areas of Senegal. www.saintlouisdecouverte.blogspot.com

Talk

Languages 

French (official), Wolof (national), Sereer, Soninke, Pulaar, Jola, and Mandinka are spoken. While many Senegalese merchants speak some English, most business is conducted in French or Wolof. Knowing the basic Wolof greetings will go a long way in getting you better service and prices.

Salam malecum - Peace to you Malecum salam - And unto you peace

Na'nga def? - How are you? Mangi fii. - I am here.

Naka liggeye bi? - How is your work?

Ana waa ker ga? - How is your family?

Naata la? - How much is it?

Jere jef. - Thank you.

Be benen yoon. - Until next time.

Buy

Maps

Reise Know-How Senegal & gambia map 1:550 000 or Michelin 953 map
Tourist maps are available at the tourist offices (see au-senegal.com for that one)

Passport and Visas

A passport is required to enter the country.

International Driving Permit (IDP)

If you want to explore the country by (rented) car, you need one.

Vaccines

Yellow fever vaccine needed to enter the country (you will receive a WHO-"passport" to verify it to customs).

Mosquito repellents

Buy at least a mosquito net (impregnated), and preferably repellents such as Care Plus Deet lotions.

Eat

Avoid cooked food prepared by the road, these often cause diarrhea. Western-style meals are available and can be found at restaurants in various parts of Dakar, Thies, Saint Louis and other towns and near the big hotels in the Petite Côte and in some other touristic regions of the country too. If you really want to try the genuine Senegalese food you can buy it at restaurants serving Senegalese dishes or alternatively, you can make it yourself with the food gathered fresh from the markets or supermarkets. The most popular Senegalese dish is "Thebou Diene" made up fresh fish, rice and garnished with various vegetables. The ingredient can be bought at markets in Dakar such as Soumbedioune, a popular evening fish market, or Marche Kermel near the city centre.

Drink

If you intent to explore the arid area of Senegal (Saint-Louis & Ferlo), you need to drink several liters of water a day. Even in Dakar, dehyrdation is possible during warmer months if you do not drink enough water each day.

Learn

As previously mentioned there are several good books available on the subject including: Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, and Insight guides (ISBN: 90 6655 033 3, no longer in print). These books also include the ethnic groups, demography, and so on.

It might also be a good idea to learn some basic Wolof, since not everybody can talk French.

Stay safe

Altough highly exagerated, there is still fighting going on in the Casamance region of Senegal.
The "struggle" goes on between the government and the MFDC or mouvement des forces démocratiques de la Casamance. It would be wise to avoid travel to this area, if this is not possible or if you really want to see this region, then at least first check with the embassy for the latest situation. To find out how much the situeation has improved look at this IRIN News report

Stay healthy

Get necessary vaccines before arrival. Officially, certification of yellow fever vaccine is required upon arrival if coming from a country in a yellow fever zone, but it is not commonly checked.

Take malaria prophylactic medicine (Lariam, doxycycline) to prevent onset of the disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquito.

Avoid tap-water, and all dishes prepared with them. Bottled water, such as Kirene which is most common and bottled in Senegal, is widely available and inexpensive.

To prevent serious effects of dehydration, it is wise to carry around packets of rehydration salts to mix with water, should you become dehydrated. These are widely available at pharmacies and are inexpensive. Alternatively, a proper mix of table salt and sugar can replace these.

Respect

Greet everyone when entering a room with "Salaam Aleikum." Always shake hands with everyone. Do not enter mosques and other religious places with your shoes.

Contact

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