Dakar is a city of startling contrasts. The architecture is a reminder of its French colonial past and its push into the future. At its northwestern end stands a massive sculpture, the Monument to African Rennaissaince, a controversial work by a North Korean artist. In its center City Hall, an old French government building. Along the Corniche, the road that winds above the cliffs that flow into the Atlantic Ocean, are several exercise centers donated by China.
A common form of transportation in Senegal is the “car rapide” a brightly colored van crowded with passengers. They have no set route and make its up as they pick up passengers. On highways, there are often two “interns” riding outside on the back to coordinate with passengers as they are picked up and dropped off. (That can bee seen in the gallery of photos form the N2.)
A crosswalk that leads into the middle of traffic.
Cathedrale du Souvenir Africain de Dakar (also known as Our Lady of Victories Cathedral) was consecrated in 1936. It is a combination of Art Deco and a French interpretation of African architecture.
Goree Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a short boat ride from Dakar. It is known primarily for the House of Slaves, a building in which captured Africans were held before being shipped to French colonies in North America and the Caribbean. Although not a major port of the slave trade, the Slave House stands as a moving memorial to the millions of enslaved Africans. The other buildings on the island reflect the residential and commercial life that existed in parallel to the slave trade.
Located about an hour and half drive from Dakar, the Bandia Reserve is a sprawling 8,600 acres containing mostly wild animals not indigenous to Senegal. Although not a safari, it provides an opportunity to observe a animals in a natural setting.
A large baobab tree, the national tree of Senegal.
Patas monkeys.
Abyssinian Roller
Wildebeests
The Reserve has two rhinoceros, a male and a female. Although at the Reserve for over 20 years, they have not mated. When we were there, we saw both, not anywhere near each other.
Gazzelles
Water buffalo
Young gazzelles
Roan Antelope
The "elephant" tree
Eland antelope, one of the few animals indigenous to Senegal in the Reserve
The Sine-Saloum Delta, south of Dakar, consists of many islands at the junction of the Saloum River and the North Atlantic. The river runs through mangrove fields, small villages, and is home to hundreds of species of birds. We stayed in Ndangane, and spent most of the two days we were there on boat trips around the Delta.
St. Louis is a former capital of Senegal and its fourth largest city. At the northernmost corner of the country, St. Louis is also at the edge of the Sahara desert. Between two branches of the Senegal River sits a small island, between a coastal fishing area and the mainland part of the city. The island was the center of the French colonial government and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As such, there are limits construction of new buildings and a concerted effort is being made to restore the old colonial buildings.
The former French Governor’s Residence, now the City Hall.
The Pont Faidherbe, a seven span bridge linking the island with the mainland. It was built in the 1880’s and renovated less than ten years ago.
The Grand Mosque, on the northern part of the island, was built by the French Government in response to the growing Muslim population. That explains why it looks more like a church, without the traditional Muslim minarets, and has a clock in one of the towers.
The only remaining mechanical hoist, used to unload ships when Sant-Louis was a more active port.
The easterly wall of the Saigonaise, a Vietnamese restaurant at the very northern tip of the island.
The Maison des Soeurs de St. Joseph de Cluny, was a convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny. It was built in the early part of the 19th century. The entry lobby contains a spiral staircase evocative of a human heart. The building is closed and under renovations.
The new Mosque at the southern end of the island.
The Langue Barbarie is a national park along the Senegal River, just south of Saint-Louis. It includes a small island completely populated by birds.
The N2 is the sole highway connecting Dakar and Sainte-Louis. It is, with very few exceptions, a two lane road, that crosses through one major city (Thies) and many smaller villages.
