Things to do in Dakar

I had traveled from Nouakchott in Mauritania to Dakar, Senegal. You can read up more on Senegal and things you need to know before your travels here. 

I have also shared how to travel from one country to the next on here.

There are various options when it comes to accommodation around Dakar. you can find the smaller hotels that would be reasonably cheaper if you walk around the city. Or you can do what I did and make friends online and Couchsurf your way through Senegal.

The lovely thing about Senegal is most of the activities that would interest you are free of charge. I have shared some of the awesome stuff to do in Dakar below:

Besides the 10,000 steps I've taken almost daily since I started #BreakingBorders today I conquered 199 steps going up the African Renaissance monument to see the epic view of the city of Dakar and the coastline. #Thesolowanderer #Senegal 🇸🇳

A post shared by Katchie Nzama (@thesolowandera) on Jul 13, 2017 at 9:50am PDT

Test your fitness walking up the 199 steps up to the African Renaissance Monument. There are benches after every 18 steps for you to rest if your fitness does not exist or just walk up the hill behind the statue and you are at the top with breathtaking views of the city and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Place de l'Obélisque is a central plaza in Dakar, #Senegal 🇸🇳. It is an important site for protests, demonstrations, parades, and other events. The plaza's obelisk, which is adorned with the Roman numerals MCMLX, commemorates Senegal's 1960 independence from France. #BreakingBorders #Thesolowanderer

A post shared by Katchie Nzama (@thesolowandera) on Jul 14, 2017 at 5:55am PDT

Take a tour of Sandaga Market. Now this place can be overwhelming if you don’t know how to deal with African markets. When the random guy asks you what you are looking for, Your best response is: You have paid for something and you are coming to pick it up or you meeting someone. Should you decide to be over friendly, this will be you signing up to be taken around the market to look for everything you don’t need and nothing you mentioned you wanted. You can pretty much buy anything in the market and there are tailors to make you amazing clothing from the cloth you can buy in the market. Bring your toughest bargaining skills.

Goree Island is on the great western bulge of Africa - the nearest point on the continent to the Americas. The Senegalese people called it Ber. The Portuguese renamed it Ila de Palma. The name was changed to Good Reed by the Dutch and the French called the island Goree - meaning "good harbour". The island of Gorée lies off the coast of #Senegal 🇸🇳, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders. #travel #instatravel #travelgram #tourism #passportready #travelblogger #wanderlust #ilovetravel #writetotravel  #travelblogger  #travelstroke #travelling #trip #traveltheworld #igtra #travelblog #instago #travelpics #tourist #wanderer #TravelActivist #Africa #BreakingBorders #Thesolowanderer

A post shared by Katchie Nzama (@thesolowandera) on Jul 16, 2017 at 4:38am PDT

Goree Island, although you will have to pay 2700CFA for the ferry, you deserve a day on the island. Yes, this will take the whole day. depending on how deep you want to throw yourself into the slave route lessons, you can walk around the island in 30 minutes to 2hrs and learn the history of the slave trade from the Island just 3km off the coast of Dakar. There are restaurants on the island but also locals sell street food along the beach. You definitely have to join other travellers and locals for a swim. Although the island is not that big, it will take up your whole day. The beach is right next to the ferry dock and filled with locals and other travellers. There are lots of travellers who visit the island, most are staying in Dakar as there is only one hotel on the island. The reason this will take all day is that the ferry queue becomes ridiculous in the evenings, try to leave by 6pm, the queue is not bad at 8pm but sometimes the drivers can take a break and they don't advise on this, you will just wait until they decide their break is over. The ferry runs every 30minutes from 6am till 11pm.

Ive named this one "Love #Senegal 🇸🇳" a product of a delayed ferry and a photoshoot that took place to amuse myself 😂 My journey into West Africa has been tough. I guess my heart wanted it to be a bit easier on me considering it was my birthday. There were days i couldn't walk 😢 i should have popped those blisters long ago even though against Dr's orders. Some days, my heart didn't want to get out of bed. You see, sometimes you need to learn how much of yourself you allow the world to feed off you. As much as so many people are currently living vicariously through me on this journey, that is energy that they are drawing from me. At some point I must sit and replenish those energies 💖 but because of the demanding emotional toll this journey takes on oneself, I seriously need to love myself a lot more. I need a bit more of me time. So when days my heart couldn't get out of bed, i allowed for the most part but dragged her to the couch at least. That is why i chose not to buy data while in Senegal 🇸🇳 because i wanted to just live and experience the city with no pressure and at my pace. And that meant i could only connect to the outside world when I'm at the house if the cat hasnt decided to kick the router and disconnect the Wi-Fi. Without boring you too much, today i need to travel into Banjul, The #Gambia 🇬🇲 I honesty did not think my spirit would be willing to wake up at 5am but it did. While i learn to love myself a bit better, the journey continues. Love Senegal came with a lesson in self love 😍 Country #6 This is #BreakingBorders 💖 #Thesolowanderer

A post shared by Katchie Nzama (@thesolowandera) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:50pm PDT

If there is anything, do yourself and check out the Dakar nightlife. It is a lot different from what the rest of us are used to. The locals here start going at out at 2 or 3am and it’s a party till sunrise. There are also clubs like Bazzoff that accommodate us travellers who know party hours start at 10pm. This is where you will meet a whole lot of other Africans. 

#BreakingBorders is proudly sponsored by Simeka Capital Holdings.

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#TheSoloWanderer