Senegal rewards visitors with cultural depth, vibrant music, and landscapes that can shift from golden beaches to pink lakes over a single day. For travel agents who design tailored itineraries, this country offers attractions that delight first-time travelers and seasoned globetrotters.
The five best things to do while touring in Senegal combine heritage, adventure, and experiences that entertain travelers and bring them extreme joy. Because let’s face it—a country where you can watch wrestlers oiled up with shea butter in a stadium one afternoon and then sip mint tea on a beach promenade by evening deserves attention.
1. Explore Dakar’s Artistic and Rhythmic Heart
Dakar introduces travelers to the pulse of Senegal. The capital city brims with contemporary art, colorful markets, and rhythms that echo from corner cafés.
Agents who plan tours can confidently place Dakar at the start of any itinerary, as it sets the cultural tone for the entire trip. The Museum of Black Civilizations exhibits works that give context to African heritage worldwide, while galleries in the Médina highlight rising artists who mix tradition with bold modern styles.
The city doesn’t sleep quietly. Drum circles roll long after sunset, while mbalax—Senegal’s signature dance music—fills clubs with contagious energy. Travelers often remember how locals move with effortless grace while visitors try to keep up, turning the attempt into a shared story.
To balance the nightlife, travelers can rise early and stroll through Marché Kermel, where fishers display their morning catch alongside colorful fabrics. Bargaining feels like theater, with laughter sealing deals more often than stern words.
Agents should remind clients that Dakar offers more than urban bustle. Corniche Ouest provides scenic coastal drives with Atlantic waves on one side and elegant villas on the other. A late-day stop for grilled fish at a seaside shack keeps the experience grounded and delicious.
2. Visit Gorée Island and Step Into History
No itinerary in Senegal feels complete without Gorée Island. Situated just off Dakar’s coast, the island carries a solemn yet necessary weight. Its pastel colonial buildings and bougainvillea-lined streets paint a postcard scene, but the Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) reveals a sobering truth.
The infamous “Door of No Return” symbolizes centuries of human suffering that the transatlantic slave trade caused. Travelers often describe walking through the site as emotional and transformative.
For travel agents, the balance lies in helping clients face the weight of the visit while also showing them that Gorée thrives as a living community. Local artists sell hand-painted canvases under shady trees, and cafés along cobblestone paths invite guests to pause and reflect. A short ferry ride makes the trip itself a scenic moment on the water.
Agents should schedule enough time for clients to wander beyond the memorial. The island’s small beaches and crumbling forts let travelers relax and step away from the heavy history.
3. Discover the Surreal Beauty of Lake Retba
Lake Retba, often called Lac Rose, dazzles visitors with a pink landscape that feels painted onto the horizon. The water shifts in color with the sunlight and season, glowing from soft rose to deep magenta. For agents, this stop gives clients one of the most photogenic moments of any Senegal tour.
The lake owes its color to salt-loving algae, which thrive in the briny environment. Local workers harvest the salt by hand, piling glistening mounds along the shore.
The sight of men standing waist-deep in the lake as they coat themselves with shea butter to protect their skin shows resilience and resourcefulness in equal measure. Many visitors float in the dense water and find the sensation oddly buoyant and mildly comedic. Travelers often leave the lake with salt crystals that cling to their hair and clothes, laughing at the sparkle before rinsing off.
A nearby craft market rounds out the visit, where artisans sell baskets, carvings, and woven goods. For agents, the appeal comes from pairing natural wonder with the chance to meet locals, creating a stop that photographs well yet remains memorable for its unique, local touch.
4. Experience Saint-Louis: Colonial Charm With Jazz
Saint-Louis, the former colonial capital of French West Africa, carries an atmosphere distinct from Dakar. Its narrow streets, wrought-iron balconies, and faded pastel buildings transport travelers to a bygone era.
The Langue de Barbarie—a narrow sand spit—links the city to the rhythm of the Atlantic. For travel agents, adding Saint-Louis to an itinerary lets clients admire striking architecture and experience a deeper sense of history.
The city hosts an annual international jazz festival that attracts musicians from across the globe. Picture brass instruments blending with African percussion under starry skies. Outside of festival season, jazz flows from cafés where locals gather over mint tea and chilled Gazelle beer.
In Saint-Louis, clients can ride through the streets on horse-drawn carts, a way locals still travel every day. The rides rattle and bump, yet most travelers laugh as they hold onto their hats and scarves in the breeze.
Nature lovers enjoy visiting the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary nearby, where pelicans, flamingos, and countless migratory species thrive. By mixing music, colonial heritage, and opportunities to explore the local ecosystem, Saint-Louis shows the layered appeal of Senegal.
5. Embrace Tradition at a Senegalese Wrestling Match
For travelers who want to immerse themselves in local culture, few experiences compare to the spectacle of a Senegalese wrestling—referred to as lamb. The sport blends athleticism, ritual, and community spirit. Packed arenas host these matches as drummers set the tempo and griots (singers) praise fighters with lyrical chants.
Travel agents should emphasize that wrestling in Senegal goes far beyond sport. Wrestlers perform elaborate rituals before bouts, often pouring milk, throwing sand, or reciting incantations to protect themselves.
The crowd answers with cheers, laughter, and dancing, transforming the stadium into a cultural theater. Visitors quickly realize that winning matters less than the shared energy of thousands who come together to celebrate tradition.
Humor often sneaks into the moment. A towering wrestler may pause mid-ritual to adjust an amulet, drawing chuckles from the audience, or a fighter’s overconfident dance may trigger good-natured teasing.
Agents can assure clients that wrestling matches feel festive rather than intimidating. For those planning longer trips to Senegal, attending a wrestling event lets travelers witness living culture instead of a staged performance.
Crafting Journeys That Capture Senegal’s Spirit
Senegal welcomes travelers with warmth, striking landscapes, and cultural treasures that stay with them long after the journey. From Dakar’s creativity to Lake Retba’s shimmer, every stop builds a story that feels rich and inviting. For travel agents, the goal is to curate these moments with care, so clients experience a profound and welcoming country.
The five best things to do while touring in Senegal show how one destination surprises, teaches, and entertains all at once. When agents share these experiences, they give clients more than a checklist; they give them stories to carry and share.
