To the southeast of Dakar, the "Senegalese Riviera" that stretches from Bargny to the Pointe Sangomar offers a heavenly setting for succumbing to the pleasures of beach lounging. Its charm lies in its emerald seas, white sandy beaches lined with palm trees, lots of sunshine, a large range of hotels, and various types of leisure activities ; so much so that the region has become the favourite place for beach lovers and a holiday resort par excellence. Other than the pleasures of the sea, the Petite Cote offers an African atmosphere that has kept its soul.

 

 

Saly - Portudal : An internationally renowned holiday resort and the largest tourism complex in Western African, Saly Portudal was a very popular port with Portuguese sailors in the 15th century.
Today, the prestigious resort proposes a large range of hotels including luxurious establishments with swimming pools, holiday villages nestled in amongst a pleasant green setting and a large range of events and activities: big-game fishing, deep-sea diving, horse riding, sailing, golf, parachuting, ATVs, and so on without forgetting its nightclubs, casino and various boutiques. Saly has also indulged in a small private airfield.
The resort is the departure point for fascinating excursions into the backcountry and its regions.

 

 

 

Mbour : One of the most active fishing centres of the Senegalese coastline, Mbour is a genuine delight. The return of the fishermen's dugouts after days spent at sea is one of the most beautiful scenes that Senegalese life can offer to interested guests and procures an intense emotional moment.
Its port, with its displays of crab, skate, sea bream, grouper, sardine, bass and sole, has not lost an ounce of its picturesque character and remains a captivating reflection of African reality, a discovery to be made ideally aboard a barouche.

 

Nianing : The pearl of the Petite Côte owes its renown not only to its star beaches, but especially to an extraordinary individual who planted tens of thousands of trees over 130 ha in the space of 20 years : it is now known as the Domaine de Nianing.
Small camps sit alongside large hotels, thus encouraging a blend of local populations and tourists. Nianning also disposes of a listed ecological reserve, whose track will lead you to the discovery of a grandiose arboretum.

 

Joal Fadiouth : Comprised of the town of Joal, one of the most important fishing areas in the country, the island of Fadiouth, linked to dry land by bridges, the cemetery island where Christians and Muslims alike rest in peace and the sacred island of Tindine. Joal Fadiouth is one of the prettiest villages in Senegal.
Joal is also the native land of Léopold Sedar Senghor, who wrote about it in his poems and whose childhood home is open to visitors. In the 15th century, Joal was a Portuguese trading post. The village of Joal has the surprising specificity of being built on piles of hundred-year-old shells on which, as astounding as it may seem, baobab trees took root.
The village of Fadiouth, built on one of these artificial islands, is one of the most picturesque villages in Senegal: with its round straw huts, its millet lofts on piles, the ballet of dugouts and the strange company of black pigs and one-claw crabs.

The Somone Lagoon : At the mouth of the Somone River, lined with mangroves and which covers the Forêt des Massifs from N'Diass to Thiès, the lagoon is listed as a bird sanctuary and there reigns a calm atmosphere ideal for relaxing, recharging your batteries, and admiring the pink flamingos and pelicans which have made their homes here. Amateur anglers will also be able to bring in good catches. The posh beach resort La Somone offers original trips on board the Arcandia, a large catamaran, to discover the mangrove. There are also many other excursions to choose from, such as trips to the animal park in the forest of Bandia, hiding a baobab, which shelters the tomb of a griot, or yet again, in the same region, the enigmatic serer cemetery made up of pyramids of earth, evoking Egyptian funeral traditions.