Senegal

[pammypoo]

We will be on the Rotterdam in April. The ship stops at Dakar Senegal. Has anyone been to, or heard about Bandia Nature Preserve? Nouvelles Frontieres, a french travel company has an office in Dakar that offers a tour there (in English). Nouvelles Frontieres is a lot cheaper than HAL, which doesn't even offer an excursion to Bandia. Travel time is 2 hours each way, NF lists travel time to Pink Lake as 1.5 each way. Any information will be greatly appreciated!

[Kayelache]

We were on the Rotterdam in November (transatlantic going the other way) and it stopped in Senegal. We took the HAL Pink Lake tour, which was very interesting. The traffic getting out of Dakar is impossible, not that there are so many cars, but the road is narrow and there are as many horse-carts as cars. Our "parade" of six buses had a motorcycle escort both going to the pink lake and coming back. As it was, we were an hour late getting back. Without the escort, we would still be there! The tour was well run, once we got to a lodge we were loaded into pickups with benches in the back (8 people in each), really primitive and in not that great condition. our group had a flat tire on one of them and another one caught fire. We were taken around the lake, to a village, then across sand dunes then the ocean beach back to the lodge. The lake really is pink. It was interesting to see the locals harvesting salt from it.

I would hesitate taking a non-HAL tour here, because it's one place where I would really really hate to get stranded.

It's a third world country, that is for sure.

[Maryandi]

I second all Kaye said. We took the Pink Lake tour-it was great. We didn't have the 'car trouble':eek: but several times I thought those 'WW2" vehicles wouldn't start. But as long you are on a ship's tour - they won't leave you.

 

MaryAnn

[jeanlyon]

As an ex stewardess who visited Senegal quite often, I would agree with the person above. It's a lovely country with great people, but go with the ship's tour. You can never tell in Africa. I have done other tours in Caribbean and also in the Med, but I wouldn't do it here. Have fun.

[camNaud]

We are on the same cruise, however just for the convience we booked onto the HAL tour to The Pink Lake. We normally do our own thing in port when cruising, but as this our first time to Senegal, we feel happier going on an organised excursion.

 

Having read the above reports, the Pink Lake Tour sounds like fun, and we are really looking forward to seeing the hsutle and bustle of Dakar. :)