Day 1: DAKAR, THE CAPITAL
Arrival in Dakar and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2: DAKAR CONTEMPORARY METROPOLIS & GOREE
Dakar, the large and vibrant African metropolis that was the cultural and intellectual capital of French West Africa. Reflecting on that period, the Presidential Palace and the IFAN Museum (Institut Francais d’Afrique Noire), hosting an important collection of African art objects. When it opened, the museum was directed by Theodor Monod, a celebrated Africanist and one of the greatest Sahara scholars. The museum is currently under reconstruction and so the visit will take place if it is open.
We will visit the Musée des Civilizations Noirs. Opened in December 2018, it is the realization of Léopold Sédar Senghor’s vision (the first president of independent Senegal, a poet, and a Nobel Prize winner). The museum represents the historical and contemporary worldwide cultures, art, and soul of Black people, which he called Negritude.
We will also see the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires & Place de Souvenirs. The cathedral dates from 1936 and was built in Neo-Sudanese style, a style inspired by the Sahara and Sub-Sahara adobe mosque architecture.
Arrival at Dakar port to board a ferry and spend a night in Gorée, the island where slaves used to be crammed before being shipped to the Americas. Some restored buildings remain to bear witness to those times.
The Portuguese were the first to establish a presence on Gorée in 1450, where they built a small stone chapel. After the decline of the slave trade from Senegal in the 1770s and 1780s, the island became an important port for the shipment of peanuts, Arabic gum, ivory, and other products of legitimate trade. Thanks to the nice breeze, and the many restaurants and shops, Gorée today has become a pleasant and trendy location. In the late afternoon and evening, when the other tourists are gone, we will experience the real feeling of this special island.

Day 3: LAC ROSE & FISHERMEN VILLAGES   
Waking up in Goré before the crowd arrives is a pleasure, as strolling in the tiny stone-paved alleys of this historical settlement.
Ferry to Dakar and drive to Lac Rose, a shallow saltwater lake surrounded by dunes, also known as Lac Retba. The water is ten times saltier than in the ocean and thanks to this high concentration the lake often shimmers pink. Workers here collect salt in the traditional way.
Miles of exciting drive on the beach by 4×4 will bring us to discover the largest fisherman village in Senegal. More than 4,500 wooden painted pirogues come to the shore with the catch of the day. We will leave our vehicles for a less intrusive, but fun, donkey chariot to approach the fisherman selling to the local market women, to meet the artisans carving the large pirogues, the painters decorating them with bright colors, and if we are lucky the ” local saint “for final blessing before sailing.
Drive by minibus to the north. At the edge of Lompoul Desert, some 4WD vehicles will be waiting to cross the dunes and take us to our fixed camp.
The Lompoul orange sand dunes landscape anticipates the neighboring Sahara.

Day 4: SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis, known to locals as Ndar, is a charming ancient town that was a French territory from 1673 until 1895 and the capital of all French West Africa colonies from 1895 until 1902 when the capital was moved to Dakar. From 1920 to 1957, it also served as the capital of the neighboring colony of Mauritania.
It has been the former base of the “Aeropostale” airmail pioneer operation between Europe, Africa, and South America. Saint Exupéry, the famous writer, and author of “The Little Prince”, was one of the Aeropostale pilots following this route.
Located on two islands between the Senegal river and the ocean at the southern edge of the Sahara, rich in three centuries of history, cultural background, geography, and architecture, Saint-Louis is a “bridge” between the savanna and the desert, the ocean, the river, and the inland, between tradition and modernity, Islam and Christianity, Europe and Africa.
Home to a society with a distinctive lifestyle, Saint-Louis has retained its unique identity. “No one comes without falling in love with the city,” proudly say its people who consider Saint-Louis as the birthplace of Senegalese Teranga, the Wolof word for hospitability.
The best way to visit the narrow lanes of Saint Louis is by calash, just as locals do, and walk in the fisherman’s quarters.Time to stroll in the tiny avenues and enjoy the unique atmosphere of this old town.
We will spend the night at the historic hotel of the town – built in 1895 and now fully renovated – it was here that all Aeropostale pilots use to stay.

Day 5: BIRD SANCTUARY & NOMADIC TRIBES 
Early morning departure northwards to discover Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj), a natural oasis formed by hundreds of miles of partially flooded lands that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This “humid paradise” between the Sahara and Ferlo desert, is the best habitat and nesting site for over a million migratory and resident birds, it lies on the southeastern bank of the Senegal River, and offers a range of wetland habitats that are attended by many migrating birds, some getting here after crossing the Sahara. Out of more than 400 species, pelicans and flamingos are the most common, whereas aquatic warblers are a bit less conspicuous – migrating here from Europe, this park is their single most important wintering site yet discovered. Apart from birds, there is also a wide range of wildlife such as warthogs and crocodiles. Motorboat excursion led by a local guide-ornithologist.
Depending on the season, considering the time of migrations and the level of water, the visit to Djoudj may be replaced by a similar experience in Langue de Barbarie, a thin, sandy peninsula, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, located in western Senegal, in the neighborhoods of the city of Saint-Louis. The peninsula separates the ocean from the final section of the Senegal River. The Langue de Barbarie National Park is home to an abundant variety of bird species and three species of turtle, including the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle.
In the afternoon we continue to the Ferlo Desert to discover the arid region where nomadic Fulani tribes herd large droves of zebu. The Fulani (also called Peul) are the largest nomadic tribe roaming West African Savannahs, living in a vast area from Senegal to Chad. Their origins are still covered with mystery. They all share a common and aristocratic cult for beauty and elegance. In the afternoon a local guide will join us for a visit to the neighboring villages and shelters. When the herds come back, we might even be invited to witness the milking process.

Day 6: TUBA BROTHERHOOD
The rarely visited holy town of Tuba (Touba) is the right place to appreciate the hospitality of the African brotherhood. Tuba inhabitants follow Mouridism and the town itself is a sort of theocratic “state within the state”, ruled by a Caliph. The founder of Mouridi’s brotherhood was a Sufi named Amhadou Bàmba Mbake.
Amhadou Bàmba founded Touba in 1887. The holy site remained a tiny, isolated place in the wilderness until his death di lui and burial di lui at the site of the Great Mosque, 40 years later. The Great Mosque was finally completed in 1963 and since its inauguration, the city has grown at a rapid pace, from under 5,000 inhabitants in 1964, the population was officially estimated at 529,000 in 2007.
The Mourides have a large social and economic impact in Senegal thanks to their peaceful (and African) vision of Islam, Mouridism, with other brotherhoods following the cult of Marabouts, has become the bastion that protects Senegal from radical Islam.
During the Grand Magal, the annual pilgrimage, the town is visited by four million pilgrims.
Mourides welcome any interest in their traditions. Yet since Tuba is a sacred town, all visitors should accept traditional rules. Therefore, we must apply to consider the dress code, not smoke, not drink alcohol and not listen to music during the visit. If we follow these rules, we will be welcome. A Baye Fall, a member of a colorful branch of Mouridism, will accompany us during the visit.

Day 7: SEA SHELLS
On the way, we stop in Joal-Fadiouth, two villages connected by a bridge. Of special interest in Fadiouth is the fact that it has been built on sea shells, which are also used for the construction of buildings and decoration. Even the cemetery is located on one of the islands made of sea shells and surprisingly has both Muslim and Christian tombs next to each other.

Day 8: SINE-SALOUM
Sine-Saloum is a region in Senegal located north of the Gambia and south of the Petite Côte. It encompasses an area of ​​24,000 square kilometers, about 12% of Senegal.
The western portion contains the Saloum Delta. It is in this region where the Saloum Delta National Park is located. 145,811 hectares of the Delta were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
Because it flows so slowly, this delta allows saltwater to travel deep inland.
On a private boat trip, we will visit the mangrove through different bolongs and discover many species of birds in their habitat. As well as reforestation programs put in place to protect this region.

Day 9: DAKAR OUT
Safari to the reserve of Bandia where you can meet all the big mammals of Africa in 3,500 ha of grand nature, huge baobabs, thorny bushes, and whimsical lianas.
In the evening transfer to the airport for the flight out.