Attractions
Principal cities of interest include the capital, Dakar; Saint-Louis,
an old colonial town; and the Mouride holy centre of Touba. Goree Island,
formerly a centre of the West African slave trade and a UNESCO World Heritage
Site, draws many visitors.
Most tourists from outside Africa are Europeans,
especially French, and a hotel and resort industry centered on enclosed beach
resorts, most at resort towns like Saly on the Petite
Coast south of Dakar, have been created to appeal to this
clientele since the 1970s.
Resort vacations are often supplemented by wildlife
and nature tours of areas like the Sine-Saloum Delta, the Grande
Coast (north of Dakar), the
Lac Rose, and Senegal River delta in the north (near Saint-Louis). Historic sites around Dakar, Goree
Island, Museums, and
monuments draw visitors. To the north, the colonial island town of Saint-Louis is visited
for its long history and colonial architecture. There are also safari trips
offered to see wildlife, perhaps limited by east or South African standards.
Senegal is considered to be one of the best places in the
world to catch Sailfish.
National
parks and reserves
Senegal has a small but developing National Park and Reserve
System. Notable among these are the Langue de Barbarie National Park and Djoudj
National Bird Sanctuary which provide wildlife habitat in the dunes and
mangrove swamps surrounding the mouth of the Senegal River near city of Saint-Louis.
The Niokolo-Koba National
Park is a World Heritage Site and natural protected area in south eastern
Senegal near the Guinea-Bissau border which protects a large variety of wild
animals, including hippopotamuses, elephants, and lions. Largely undeveloped,
the area is remote and lacks tourist infrastructure, but is a destination for specialty
tours.
The Basse Casamance
National Park, in the far
southwest, includes both ecotourism and tropical forest excursions, and a
popular coastal beach resort aimed at foreign tourism. The Casamance conflict
has hindered tourist development in this area. The Park has been closed now for
a number of years due to rebel activity and mines. On attempting to enter the
park (Jan 2019) via Emaye I was turned back by heavily armed army personnel, in
no uncertain terms.
The Saloum
Delta National
Park is a large area of mangrove estuaries and islands,
visited by tourists for it wildlife, its cultural interest as the home of the
minority Serer people, and its proximity to the tourist resorts of the Petite- Coast. Smaller parks and reserves, like
the Guembeul Natural Reserve in the center west or the Bandia Natural Reserve
near Dakar exit primarily for the more
conventional European tourist industry, resembling Wildlife Parks
or zoos.
African and
Senegalese tourism
Senegal has a middle class prosperous enough to support local
tourism, as well a large population of Senegalese living abroad. Apart from
visits to family and friends, the city of Dakar
supports a local industry of holiday spots frequented by city dwellers. The
beaches and islands to the north of the city, at places like Yoff and Ngor, are
particularly popular for Senegalese tourists. Senegalese, other African
visitors, and expatriates often travel to religious sites and festivals.
0 Comments