Petite Côte travel guide
The sun-drenched heart of Senegal’s tourist industry is the stretch of Atlantic frontage that runs for 75km (45 miles) as the crow flies southward from Dakar to Joal-Fadiouth via La Somone, Saly, Mbour and various smaller resorts. Its shimmering white beaches are cooled by constant trade winds, shaded by towering cocoa palms and lofty kapok trees, and serviced by a range of restaurants, cafés and patisseries that wouldn’t look out of place in France itself. As such, the Petite Côte is perfect for holidaymakers with little hankering for the more adventurous side of Senegal. But visitors in search of more active pursuits can easily explore further afield, whether they join a short safari into the brooding African savannah protected in the Réserve de Bandia, take a boat trip into deep-blue coastal waters that teem with a bewildering variety of fish, explore the shell-scattered alleys of Fadiouth Island, or take a stroll through the bird reserves bordering La Somone and Popenguine. The area is predominantly Catholic, with Portuguese and French influences still evident in many churches, missions and schools.
Places to visit on the Petite Côte
Réserve de Bandia
East side of the RN1 between Sindia and Nguékokh
Tel: 33 958 2024
www.reservedebandia.com
The private Réserve de Bandia is a popular and rewarding day trip, offering a bush atmosphere that recalls East Africa and contrasts strongly with the rest of the Petite Côte. For casual visitors, the main attraction of Bandia is a selection of animals that have been introduced from outside the country. These include a pair of white rhinoceros, as well as giraffe, greater kudu, common eland and impala, all of which were flown in from South Africa. Rather more important in genuine conservation terms are the many animals that have been reintroduced to Bandia from the beleaguered Parc National de Niokolo-Koba, whose wildlife is under increasing threat as a result of decades of poaching. The most conspicuous of these indigenous West African creatures is the handsome roan antelope. There’s possibly no better place to see the West African race of buffalo, and Defassa waterbuck is also quite common, but the secretive kob antelope is much more difficult to spot. Several large mammals are in Bandia naturally, green monkey, patas monkey and warthog being particularly conspicuous. This is also the best place along the Petite Côte to see a variety of woodland birds, ranging from the brightly coloured Abyssinian roller, Senegal parrot, rose-ringed parakeet and yellow-crowned gonolek to larger terrestrial species.
La Somone
The touristic heart of the Petite Côte consists of around 10km (6 miles) of sandy coastline that runs southeast from La Somone to Saly. La Somone lies about 75km (45 miles) southeast of Dakar, following a fine sandy beach running south from the wide estuary of the Somone River. La Somone is no longer the low-key weekend retreat it was a few years back, but as beach resorts go, it remains less glitzy and more down-to-earth in mood than nearby Saly. La Somone’s best-known landmark, perched at the end of the main road overlooking the estuary mouth, is the hotel Coralia Club Le Baobab.
In 1999, the estuary of the Somone River was set aside as the centrepiece of the 7-sq km (23⁄4-sq mile) Réserve Naturelle de La Somone, a community reserve whose creation was initiated by a local women’s group. Plenty of pirogues at the estuary mouth offer short excursions into the reserve, which supports vast flocks of birds, including greater flamingo, pink-backed pelican, Caspian tern and lesser crested tern.
Saly
Saly is often cited as Senegal’s answer to the French Riviera, and for good reason. The clean, sandy beach here is arguably the most attractive in the country, and certainly the most popular, lined with dozens of hotels ranging from swish all-inclusive beachfront package deals to cosier auberges along the back roads. However, this Senegalese beach Mecca differs from its Mediterranean counterpart in several crucial respects. For one, Saly possesses a distinctly exuberant African character, epitomised by the makeshift market stalls that jostle for space amongst the plusher eateries and salons that line the main tourist drag. It also has a decidedly low-rise architectural style, with few hotels or other buildings standing more than two storeys high. Best of all, the golden sands of Saly’s beaches are seldom anything close to crowded, even during the peak tourist season.
Saly can be divided into three distinct sectors: Saly Portugal, Saly Niakhniakhal and Saly Nord. The established core of the tourist industry, Saly Portugal is densely packed with restaurants, cafés and bars. For curio-hunters, the Village Artisanal Saly is packed with all manner of African craft products. Almost immediately south of Saly Portugal, Saly Niakhniakhal comes across as uncompromisingly African but this is gradually being subverted by the growing demands of the tourist industry, and most of the waterfront is now dominated by tourist hotels. Saly Nord (North), about 3km (2 miles) northwest of Saly Portugal boasts a postcard-perfect setting running down to a palm-lined beach, and accommodation standards are arguably the highest in Senegal. Wherever you’re based in Saly, you’ll find no shortage of possibilities for day activities, including horseback trips, quad biking, and pretty much any water sport you care to mention.
Mbour
No more than 5km (3 miles) south of Saly Portugal, Mbour now supersedes Saint-Louis as the country’s fifth-largest town and second-largest port. The most recent economic boom at Mbour has been linked not only to fishing, but also to the wealth of titanium mined from nearby deposits of black sand, to groundnut production, and to its location at the heart of Senegal’s main tourist region.Unlike Saly Portugal, however, Mbour is first and foremost a working town rather than a resort, and fishing remains the most conspicuous activity. All around the port area, which is the life and soul of the town, fish-drying sheds and smoke houses used for preserving the catches endow the dockside with an umistakable powerful aroma to which one slowly becomes accustomed. The beach at Mbour doubles as an open-air fish market, which is particularly colourful and energetic in the early morning and late afternoon, when masses of brightly painted fishing pirogues head out to, or return from, the open sea. What tourist development does exist in Mbour tends to be rather low-key, and suited more to backpackers and other independent travellers than to package tourists. Organised tour groups can regularly be seen wandering through the lines of fishing craft on the beach at Mbour or photographing the wooden racks used for curing fish, and there are now several craft stalls in town.
Joal and Ile de Fadiouth
Joal is the second-largest port on the Petite Côte, sharing a population of around 40,000 with the small island of Fadiouth. Joal-Fadiouth has a Christian tradition dating back to the Portuguese period, and it has several old churches, but it also served briefly as the residence of the 19th-century Islamic icon El Hadj Oumar Tall, and a mosque is dedicated to his memory. The wide main street that dominates the town is overlooked by a few crumbling mid-19th-century colonial houses. The poet and first president of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor was born in Joal in 1906, and his family home – called Mbind Diogoye ( “House of the Lion”) – is still open to visitors. Around Joal the great mounds of dry earth known as tanns are used as defences against the sea, bolstered by huge banks of sun-bleached shells some 8 metres (26ft) wide. Giving the scene a somewhat desolate look, hundreds of ancient gaunt baobabs are the only life to survive on the heaped shells and arid soil.
The island-bound village of Fadiouth occupies the entire islet, but there are no motorised vehicles, just the odd donkey or horse-cart. Although the narrow stretch of water dividing it from Joal can be crossed by pirogue, most visitors use the new 400-metre/yard wooden footbridge. Made entirely of seashells accumulated over many centuries and held together by the roots of mangroves, reeds and giant baobabs, the island of Fadiouth is unusual for the lifestyle of its inhabitants and the isolation of the settlement. Whitened heaps of empty shells lie everywhere, and the houses are made with the same discarded white shells that litter the alleys, which are cemented together with a powder made from pounded shells. Unusually for Senegal, the residents of Fadiouth Island are mostly Christian, and all alleys seem to converge on the central 19th-century church dedicated to Saint-François-Xavier. The island is also home to a significant Islamic population, and the close-knit community takes immense pride in an atmosphere of religious tolerance. Curio-hunters will find no shortage of opportunities as they wander around Fadiouth, whose most frequented alleys are lined with a selection of interesting art and craft stalls.