Senegal, the gateway to Africa, is just 7 hours from New York. Senegal has sunshine year round, a warm sea and a climate softened by the trade winds. The nation of 8 million people have a proud history, millennial traditions and a lively culture. With its beaches that stretch for 350 miles, world-renowned sport fishing, wonderful crafts and historical vestiges, Senegal provides each traveler with a variety of exotic opportunities. You will discover what makes Africa unique and Senegal so special. First and foremost, Senegal is the land of "Teranga" (hospitality). Its culture is based on welcoming one another and you will experience the full meaning of a warm welcome in the kindness and easygoing nature of its people for whom "jom" (honor), "fit" (courage), "mougne" (patience) and "fayda" (class) are the most important values.
Dakar is the capital of Senegal and seat of the government. Dakar is situated on the tip of the Cap Vert peninsula. In a matter of a few years, Dakar has been transformed into a large modern city teeming with life and activity. Dakar boasts many hotels ranging from the simplest to the most luxurious, it beaches equipped for water sports, its numerous restaurants offering African and European cuisine.
Less than 2 miles from Dakar lies the island of Goree deeply rooted in the history of the slave trade. From the beginning of the 16th century to the 19th, men, women and children in huge numbers were gathered on this small piece of land, locked up in cells and shipped away to the New World, the Americas. Goree became the first and for a time the most important slave depot in West Africa. From its "door of no return", Fulani, Wolof, Mandingo and Bambara left their homeland and peopled the Americas. Listed as a historical monument and declared part of World Patrimony by UNESCO, Goree preserves all the traces of its terrible past.
The mysterious Pink Lake is an incredible rose-colored body of water surrounded by sands and dunes. A visit to this mysterious Pink Lake is fascinating. Women gather salt in colorful buckets. You can try floating; it's fun and impossible to sink. Afterwards an exciting 4-wheel drive up and over the sand dunes and a visit to a Fulani village to meet and greet with the locals is a must do.
