Overview
Dakar is Senegal's energetic capital on the windswept Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of Africa — a colourful, musical city of bustling markets, Atlantic surf beaches, the heritage island of Gorée and the warm hospitality (teranga) for which Senegal is famous.
Travel
Dakar, the capital of Senegal, occupies the tip of the Cap-Vert peninsula — the westernmost point of the African continent — jutting into the Atlantic, and it is one of West Africa's most vibrant and welcoming cities. Energetic, colourful and intensely musical, it rewards travellers with a rich blend of bustling markets, Atlantic beaches and surf, a thriving arts and fashion scene, superb food, and the famous Senegalese spirit of teranga (hospitality). Just offshore lies its most significant site, the Île de Gorée, a UNESCO World Heritage island of pastel-coloured colonial houses, bougainvillea-draped lanes, art galleries and the sobering House of Slaves memorial — a car-free, hauntingly beautiful place of reflection reached by a short ferry. On the mainland, the city's pulse beats in its markets — the vast Sandaga, the colonial-era iron-roofed Kermel, and the fabric stalls of Marché HLM — and along the Corniche, the coastal road that curves past the great Mosque of the Divinity, the surf breaks and beaches of Ngor and Yoff, and the towering African Renaissance Monument on its hill. Dakar's music is legendary: this is the home of mbalax, the driving Senegalese dance music made famous by Youssou N'Dour, and live music spills from clubs and venues across the city. The food is a highlight too — thieboudienne (the national dish of fish and rice), yassa (onion-and-lemon chicken or fish), mafé (peanut stew) and fresh seafood from the colourful pirogue fishing boats. The IFAN museum of African art, the craft village and fish market at Soumbédioune, the surf and island of Ngor, and the otherworldly pink Lac Rose (Lake Retba) on the city's edge round out the appeal, and Dakar is the natural gateway to the rest of Senegal — the colonial town of Saint-Louis, the Sine-Saloum delta and the great baobabs. The climate is warm and dry for much of the year; the cooler, dry season from November to May is the most pleasant, with a short rainy season around July to September.
A short, frequent ferry from Dakar's port carries visitors to the Île de Gorée, the city's most important and most atmospheric site — a small, car-free island of narrow lanes, pastel colonial houses draped in bougainvillea, and a quiet, reflective beauty that has made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gorée was a trading post during the era of the Atlantic slave trade, and its House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves), with its symbolic “Door of No Return”, is a memorial and museum that draws visitors from around the world to remember and reflect; the island also holds art galleries, a small history museum in an old fort, craft stalls and cafés among the ochre and pink façades. Spending a few hours wandering its lanes, climbing to the old gun emplacements for the sea view, and pausing at its memorials is a moving and essential part of a visit to Dakar — a place of both painful history and serene beauty.
Frequently asked questions
Diplomatic missions in Dakar
6 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.
Visaja keeps this page's contact details and visa guidance under continuous review — still, requirements can change at short notice, so confirm the essentials with the mission or the official government portal before you travel.