Travel to Senegal
Flying to Senegal
The national airline is Air Senegal (www.flyairsenegal.com), which focuses on destinations within the continent and a couple of destinations in Europe. Major airlines that fly to Dakar include Air France, Delta, Emirates, and Turkish Airlines.
Blaise Diagne International Airport, also known as Dakar International Airport, located 43km (27 miles) east of downtown Dakar near the town of Ndiass, started operating in December 2017. It serves as a new airport for Dakar, replacing Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport.
Air notes:
In the past few years there have been reports of luggage going missing at the airport, so make sure you have travel insurance just in case you cannot recover your luggage. It’s also advisable to use locks on your luggage to avoid anybody tampering with your belongings when you arrive at Dakar airport.
Flight times:
From London - 8 hours 20 minutes (including stopover); New York - 7 hours 50 minutes; Singapore – 23 hours (including stopovers); Sydney – 29 hours 40 minutes (including stopovers); Toronto – 13 hours (including stopover).
Departure tax:
The departure tax is usually included in the ticket price.
Travel by rail
The services between Dakar-Niger and the Dakar-Bamako are not running.
Driving to Senegal
It's possible to travel to Senegal from Europe by road and there are professional companies organising overland tours. However, check the latest travel advice to avoid any unforeseen political conflicts en route.
Senegal borders Mauritania, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau, while the Gambia is a near-enclave within its borders. You can drive from any of these countries to Senegal – in fact, it is possible to travel to Senegal by road from all countries in Africa as long as security allows.
By road note:
Make sure you have valid multiple-entry visas for all countries you are to cross, as well as a valid driving licence, insurance and proof of vehicle ownership.
Another bit of advice would be to act confident and friendly when talking to immigration officers and border police, know a bit of conversational French and, even though we do not condone this, have a spare bit of cash if it an officer asks you for a back-hander; it does happen unfortunately and it can speed things up tremendously.
Getting to Senegal by boat
Senegal's main port is Dakar. It's one of the largest deep-water seaports along the West African coast. Other smaller ports are Kaolack, Lyndiane and Ziguinchor.
There are several options if you want to travel to Dakar by sea. Cargo ships on their way from Europe may offer passenger services. Selected cruise ships also sail around West Africa.
Cruise ships:
Several cruise ship companies, operating both small and large vessels, dock in Senegal. They may be sailing from the Canary Islands (Spain), Morocco and other ports in West Africa.
River routes:
Ferries cross the Senegal River in the north of the country from Mauritania. There is a ferry link between the towns of Pont de Rosso in Senegal and Rosso in Mauritania.
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