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Travel guide · Teranga, music and Gorée Island

Travelling to Senegal

Senegalese hospitality (teranga), Gorée Island, the Pink Lake, the mangroves of the Saloum and the colonial city of Saint-Louis. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from November to June
  • Where to eat: a local restaurant or a dibi stall (chargrilled meat)
Photo: mostroneddo · CC BY 2.0

Senegal in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Senegal are from November to June.
  • To eat like a local: a local restaurant or a dibi stall (chargrilled meat). Don’t leave without trying: Thieboudienne, Yassa, Mafé.

Senegal in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Senegal. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Senegal

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Senegal are from November to June.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep with warnings
  10. Oct with warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from July to October

    Rainy season

    From July to October it rains heavily, especially in the south, and it’s hot and humid.

    What to do: The best time is November to May, when it’s dry and cooler.

What to see in Senegal

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Dakar

    Dakar

    The capital on the westernmost tip of Africa, with markets, live music and beaches.

    • African Renaissance Monument
    • Sandaga Market
    • Mosque of the Divinity
    • Les Almadies
    Dakar guide
  • Gorée Island

    Gorée Island

    A car-free island of colonial houses, a memorial to the slave trade, twenty minutes from Dakar.

    • House of Slaves
    • Colonial streets
    • Le Castel
    • History Museum
    Gorée Island guide
  • Saint-Louis

    Saint-Louis

    The old colonial capital on an island in the Senegal River, a World Heritage Site.

    • Faidherbe Bridge
    • Colonial old town
    • Guet Ndar fishing quarter
    • Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary
    Saint-Louis guide
  • Saly

    Saly

    The beach area of the Petite Côte, with hotels and fishing villages nearby.

    • Beaches
    • Mbour
    • Bandia Reserve
    • Joal-Fadiouth
    Saly guide
  • Pink Lake

    Pink Lake

    Lake Retba, pink because of an alga, where salt is harvested by hand.

    • Salt harvesters
    • Boat trip
    • Dunes
    • Peul villages
    Pink Lake guide
  • Saloum Delta

    Saloum Delta

    Mangroves, islands and birds in a protected delta, to explore by pirogue.

    • Pirogue through the mangroves
    • Shell Island
    • Birds
    • Serer villages
    Saloum Delta guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Dakar

From Gorée Island

From Saint-Louis

From Saly

From the Pink Lake

From the Saloum Delta

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Senegal

To eat like a local: a local restaurant or a dibi stall (chargrilled meat), and order thieboudienne or chicken yassa. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Thieboudienne

    Rice with fish and vegetables, the national dish.

  • Yassa

    Chicken or fish in an onion and lemon sauce.

  • Mafé

    A stew in peanut sauce.

  • Dibi

    Chargrilled lamb with onion and mustard.

  • Fataya

    Fried pasties filled with fish or meat.

  • Bissap

    A hibiscus-flower drink.

The typical dish of Senegal, at home

Chicken yassa
Photo: T.K. Naliaka · CC BY-SA 4.0

Chicken yassa

Chicken marinated in lemon, mustard and plenty of onion, grilled and then simmered in the onion sauce. It comes from Casamance and is eaten all over Senegal with white rice.

  • Serves 4
  • 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken, jointed
  • 6 onions
  • Juice of 4 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of mustard
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 chilli
  • 1 stock cube
  • Green olives (optional)
  • Oil, salt and pepper
  • White rice

How to make it at home

  1. Marinate the chicken with the sliced onion, lemon, mustard, garlic, chilli, salt, pepper and oil for at least 2 hours.
  2. Take out the chicken and grill or roast it until golden.
  3. Gently cook the onion from the marinade in oil for 20 minutes, until soft and golden.
  4. Add the marinade liquid, stock and a little water, and put the chicken back in; simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the olives and serve with rice.

The trick: Plenty of onion: it is the sauce.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Senegal

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • “Teranga” is the Wolof word for hospitality, and it’s almost a national emblem.
  • The Pink Lake (Retba) is pink because of an alga that lives in its salty water.
  • Gorée Island was one of the points of the slave trade and is now a World Heritage Site.
  • Dakar’s African Renaissance Monument is taller than the Statue of Liberty.
  • Senegalese wrestling is the sport that stirs the most passion.
  • The Paris–Dakar Rally used to finish at the Pink Lake.

Traditions of Senegal

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • Attaya

    Tea in three glasses: bitter as life, gentle as love and sweet as death.

  • Senegalese wrestling

    Bouts with rituals and music.

  • May or June Saint-Louis Jazz Festival

    One of the great festivals in Africa.

  • Date varies Tabaski

    The festival of the sheep.

What not to do in Senegal

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t go to the parts of Casamance that official travel advice warns against.
  • Don’t take photos of people without asking permission.
  • Don’t turn down tea (attaya) if you’re offered it: three glasses are drunk.
  • Don’t eat with your left hand from the shared dish.
  • Don’t forget malaria prophylaxis: ask at a travel health clinic.
  • Don’t swim at beaches with currents without asking first.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Senegal

What people search for most before travelling to Senegal.

What’s the best time to travel to Senegal?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Senegal are from November to June.

What to see in Senegal in a week?

The essentials of Senegal: Dakar, Gorée Island, Saint-Louis, Saly and Pink Lake. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Senegal?

Thieboudienne, Yassa, Mafé, Dibi, Fataya, Bissap. To eat like a local: a local restaurant or a dibi stall (chargrilled meat).

What is the typical dish of Senegal?

Chicken yassa. Chicken marinated in lemon, mustard and plenty of onion, grilled and then simmered in the onion sauce. It comes from Casamance and is eaten all over Senegal with white rice.

What should you not do in Senegal?

Don’t go to the parts of Casamance that official travel advice warns against. Don’t take photos of people without asking permission. Don’t turn down tea (attaya) if you’re offered it: three glasses are drunk.

Is it worth travelling to Senegal in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Senegal. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, mostroneddo (CC BY 2.0). Dakar, mostroneddo (CC BY 2.0). Gorée Island, Issathiome (CC BY-SA 4.0). Saint-Louis, Fawaz.tairou (CC BY 4.0). Saly, Villaumephilippe (CC BY-SA 2.5). Pink Lake, Arnault (CC BY-SA 2.0). Saloum Delta, Oumi diop (CC BY-SA 4.0).