Senegal – a family visit.
Senegal does not have the game parks that I enjoyed in Southern and Eastern Africa. It does not have the culture that Morocco or Egypt are steeped in. What it has is lovely beaches and beach resorts. But I live in a beach town with easy access to the lovely Gulf. What drew me to Senegal was family. The Lobles, my step son, Stefan, his wife, Rachel and grandson, Jules decided to spend two years (starting fall 2022) in Senegal, primarily because they wanted Jules to have a developing country experience. Jules, 13 years old at the time, had been attending a French/English school in New York City since kindergarten, therefore it made sense to pick an French speaking African country and improve his language skills in the process. Rachel is certified to teach French and English in International schools, and taught in Jules’ Dakar school. Stefan, who owns and runs a travel clothing company, Bluffworks, could work remotely.
We visited while Jules and Rachel were on vacation in March. Rachel suggested spending a couple of days at their home in Dakar, then going to 3 resorts, that they had not yet frequented. Rachel made all the arrangements and it was a great trip.
Dakar:
Dakar felt very safe and friendly. Stefan and Rachel chose to live in a local rather than an ex-pat community because it was close to the school and they felt that they wanted more local color. They have friendly neighbors and are actively helping in the community.
For instance, Stefan helped his house guard (guarding against theft) to create a coffee stand for extra income. I don’t drink coffee but apparently the Café Tuba he sells is delicious. Stefan and Rachel have also encouraged their cook to sell tacos as a new venture.
While in Dakar we went to visit the charming Ngor Island. To get there we took a small boat and had to wade in the water to get into the boat and wade again off the boat. In contrast to Dakar, which is a bit drab, this island had lots of colorful houses and hotels. We walked all over the island and were enchanted by the houses.
We had a fun dinner by the beach with a terrific band playing. Kids were on the beach playing ball. The drinks and food were excellent.
The Resorts:
Les Paletuviers was the first resort, a 5 hour drive from Dakar. This is an upscale resort, with excursions and amenities.
Our sunset cruise included going to “Shell Island”. In the old days, shell island was a burying ground. Instead of actually burying the dead, they were just covered with shells. This is no longer practiced.
No, we did not see any dead bodies. We also saw a thousand-year-old Baobab tree, which Jules attempted to climb.
Toward sunset, the boat continued to a nesting mangrove island. It was lots of fun watching the Great Egrets fly and find their resting place. Sometimes one bird decided that it wanted a particular branch and made the bird, which had already landed, move.
Finally, as the sun was setting, the guide timed it so that it set between 2 palm trees on our return trip. Absolutely magical.
I mentioned amenities – lovely massages and delicious food.
In order to get to the second resort, Keurpapaye, Rachel arranged for a motor boat with guide and driver. We took our time, had a picnic lunch that the driver and our guide cooked.
The Lobles paddled around in the water. Jules did head stands on the board. Jerry and I walked along the beach and relaxed.
Mangroves with oysters on their branches lined the river. As we motored along, we saw women picking oysters in the mangroves. As we passed women rowing their boats home, Stefan decided to buy some oysters from them.
Our guide had the boat pull up to our boat. Stefan negotiated and after buying/selling the oysters, the women tied their boat onto our boat and got a welcome free ride part of the way home.
The second resort, Keurpapaye, was primitive compared to Les Paletuviers. It was very pleasant and the staff extremely accommodating as to meals. Unfortunately, they were having plumbing problems and the water was turned off both days for many hours. I am not sure if this is a regular occurrence.
We had a fun and very interesting excursion. We went by horse and cart into the nearby small town. We sat on cushions on the cart, but it was still a bumpy ride. We visited a small village, I mean really small, with no restaurants and stores except for tiny bodega type store.
The houses were small grey mudbrick, with tiles only on the mosque and one other home. I imagine that there was no running water, since most yards had wells.
We were invited into a home of a man who carves out replicas of the local boats. This was a treat.
We went to our last resort, Hotel Royal, via a fast motor boat and then a few hours by van. The fast motor boat ride was a bit wet but fun. It docked in a harbor with hundreds of local, very colorful, boats.
Hotel Royal is a lovely beach resort, only 20 minutes from the Dakar airport. Because of its proximity to the airport, it is very popular with French visitors. We only had one night at this resort – it was a fun way to be near the airport. In our short time, we enjoyed lunch on the beach and dinner around the pool, as well as a lovely sunset.
Final Comments:
- I am glad that I went to Dakar to visit the family, in order to see how Stefan, Rachel and Jules live in this very foreign country. They were doing great.
- However, there are many other countries in Africa, that I would recommend before a visit to Senegal.
- Traveling is always a learning experience. This trip was no exception.
Nili's Adventure 
Thank you, Nili! Love, Linda
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