12-day Senegal and Gambia tour: Dakar to Casamance

Twelve days across two countries: from Dakar's colonial landmarks to Casamance's forest villages

A 12-day private tour of Senegal and Gambia starting in Dakar and ending near Saly, with a live guide in English, Spanish or French. You visit Gorée Island, explore the Saloum Delta by canoe, cross into Gambia to see the stone circles at Wassu and wildlife at Baboon Island, then head south to Casamance for a cooking class, village stays, and the open-air Kadioute museum. The itinerary includes hotel pickup and ends with a safari at Bandia reserve. Suitable for all fitness levels. Wheelchair accessible.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Dakar city tour and museum visit

• Visit Dakar train station
• Explore Kermel Market
• See Place de l'Independence
• Visit Cathedral of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
• View Palace of the Republic
• Tour Museum of Black Civilisations

Day 2: Monument and art complex visit

• Climb Monument of African Renaissance
• Visit Masdjidou Rabaani mosque
• Explore Village des Arts de Dakar

Day 3: Goree Island visit and travel

• Boat to Goree Island
• Tour House of Slaves museum
• Lunch on Goree Island
• Depart to Saly

Day 4: Twin village of Joal-Fadiouth

• Visit baobab tree
• Explore Joal artisanal port
• Walk wooden bridge to Fadiouth
• Visit sacred baobab in Fadiouth

Day 5: Saloum Delta and village exploration

• Explore Mar Lodj village
• Visit Saloum Delta National Park by canoe
• Lunch in nature

Day 6: Travel to Gambia and stone circles

• Visit Wassu stone circles
• Experience chimpanzee life on Baboon Island

Day 7: Kunta Kinteh Island and Banjul

• Visit Kunta Kinteh Island
• Travel to Albreda and Juffureh
• Arrive in Banjul

Day 8: Banjul wildlife and cultural sites

• Explore Bijilo Forest Park
• Visit Kachikally Crocodile Pool
• Tour Gambia National Museum

Day 9: Eloubaline and Ediounguou villages

• Explore Eloubaline island village
• Visit Ediounguou pottery village

Day 10: Oussouye, Mlomp and Pointe St Georges

• Visit Oussouye village and royal house
• Tour Mlomp traditional village
• Visit Pointe St Georges and climb kapok tree
• Observe manatees and dolphins

Day 11: Kadioute museum and departure

• Visit Kadioute open-air museum
• Depart to airport DSS by plane

Day 12: Bandia reserve and leisure

• Safari in Bandia reserve by 4x4
• Return to Saly
• Afternoon free for beach or shopping

The experience

Twelve days is enough to move slowly through two countries without rushing between highlights. The tour starts in Dakar with the colonial architecture of the train station (built in 1885), the Kermel Market, and the Museum of Black Civilizations, then climbs the 198 steps inside the 52-meter Monument of African Renaissance for views across the peninsula. From there you travel south to Gorée Island (a 20-minute boat ride from Dakar and a UNESCO World Heritage Site central to the slave trade's history), where the House of Slaves is the most visited museum in Senegal.

The route then moves into the Saloum Delta, a biosphere reserve covering 76,000 hectares of mangrove, mudflats and sandy islets. You explore Mar Lodj village by canoe and paddle through the delta itself, where you can spot lesser flamingos, goliath herons, pelicans and red colobus monkeys. On the way you stop at Joal-Fadiouth, a twin village where Joal sits on the mainland and Fadiouth perches on a small island reached by a wooden bridge made entirely of shells. The accumulated remains of mollusks eaten here over centuries. The sacred baobab of Fadial measures more than 26 meters around its trunk and is the largest in West Africa. Its interior cavity once served as a cemetery for griots before the practice was banned in 1960.

Crossing into Gambia, you visit the stone circles at Wassu (11 circles in the world's largest concentration, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2006), Baboon Island to watch chimps in the national forest, and Kunta Kinteh Island in the Gambia River, a former Portuguese fort and strategic point in the slave trade. In Banjul you explore Bijilo Forest Park (126 acres of protected land where over 133 bird species have been recorded), and the Kachikally Crocodile Pool, where about 80 crocodiles doze on the banks and visitors often touch the docile ones. The Gambia National Museum houses three floors of exhibits on the nation's political, musical and archaeological history.

Casamance, in southern Senegal, is where the pace shifts to villages and water. You stay on Eloubaline, an islet settled in the late 1800s by people fleeing tribal war, where more than 600 inhabitants now live in impluvium huts (some housing seven families and more than 60 people). You take a cooking class, visit Edioungou (famous for pottery passed down from mother to daughter), and travel to Oussouye, the capital of the Kassa region and cradle of Diola culture, where you can request an audience with the king near the sacred woods if you wish. Mlomp, the "village of multi-storey huts," sits beneath a massive kapok tree with roots spreading like tentacles. A nearby exhibition celebrates Diola traditions. At Pointe St Georges, you climb a panoramic platform in a 35-meter-high century-old kapok tree and watch for manatees at low tide and dolphins passing offshore. The Kadioute open-air museum in Boucotte, set among ancient kapok trees, displays traditional Diola objects (musical instruments, fishing tools, wrestling outfits in different colored loincloths by age group, palm wine collection equipment) each piece rooted at the foot of a tree. The final day includes a 4x4 safari at Bandia reserve, a 3,500-hectare park where rhinoceros, giraffes, antelopes, dama gazelles, buffalos and patas monkeys roam (many reintroduced after disappearing from Senegal), followed by free time at the beach or for shopping in Saly.

What’s included

• Private transportation throughout the 12 days.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• live guide in English, Spanish or French.
• accommodations at 3-star and 4-star hotels.
• canoe exploration of the Saloum Delta.
• a cooking class in Casamance villages.
• entry to museums, monuments and reserves including Gorée Island, the Museum of Black Civilizations, the Monument of African Renaissance, Wassu stone circles, Bijilo Forest Park, the Kachikally Crocodile Pool, and Bandia reserve.
• a 4x4 safari vehicle for wildlife viewing.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 58 years) · Senior (59 to 90 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “When the client comes to the reception,they will see a sign with his initial and surname.”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Agsil Senegal Travel Tour

Is this one for you?Twelve days allows you to move between countries and regions without backtracking, staying two to four nights in each area so you experience village life and water-based exploration alongside city landmarks. If you have less time, a 10-day version focuses on Senegal alone. If you want to linger longer in Casamance or add beach time, a 14-day itinerary gives you that room.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's included in the 12-day tour?

Private transportation throughout, hotel pickup, and a live guide in English, Spanish or French. Accommodations are at 3-star and 4-star hotels. Meals, beverages and entrance fees to specific sites are arranged as part of the itinerary, though some meals like lunch on Gorée Island are noted as optional.

Do I need a visa to visit Senegal and Gambia?

Visa requirements depend on your nationality. Many visitors can enter Senegal visa-free for up to 90 days, and Gambia allows visa-free entry for most nationalities for up to 90 days as well, but you should check with your country's embassy before booking.

What's the cooking class in Casamance like?

The cooking class takes place in Casamance villages as part of your stay, connecting you with local farming people and traditional food preparation methods. The exact format and what you prepare are arranged with your guide based on village availability.

Can I see the chimps at Baboon Island?

Baboon Island is home to chimps protected in the national forest across three islands 270 kilometers inland on the Gambia River. You observe them from a boat, though chimp sightings are not guaranteed every visit. You may also see hippos, crocodiles, green vervet monkeys, red colobus monkeys, hyenas and warthogs.

How much time do I spend in each country?

The itinerary spends the first three days in Dakar and nearby coastal areas, then moves through the Saloum Delta region for two days before crossing into Gambia for three days. Casamance takes up four days, with the final day devoted to Bandia reserve near Saly before free afternoon time.