Dakar & Niokolo Koba: 6-Day Safari, Lompoul Desert & Dindefello Falls

Six days moving between Dakar's Pink Lake, a desert campfire, and a waterfall that drops 80 meters into a basin you can swim in

You travel by private vehicle through several regions of Senegal, staying in local hotels and moving between the Pink Lake's salt harvest, a desert campfire with traditional music, a national park game drive, and an 80-meter waterfall where you can swim. Private transport, accommodation and a guide are included, and since the tour is private, you share the vehicle only with your own party.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Dakar to Lompoul Desert Experience

• Breakfast in Dakar
• Drive 1 hour to Pink Lake
• Observe salt harvesting at Pink Lake
• Lunch near Pink Lake
• Drive to Lompoul desert by 4WD
• Dinner with Jembe drum ballet
• Enjoy campfire singing and dancing
• Chance of a camel ride in the desert

Day 2: Lompoul to Kaolack via Touba

• Leave Lompoul early morning
• Visit Grand Mosque in Touba
• Learn about Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba
• Stop at Fulani and Wolof villages
• Visit Kaolack local market
• Check in hotel at Kaolack

Day 3: Kaolack to Wassadou via Tambacounda

• Drive through savannah to Tambacounda
• Lunch stop at a typical restaurant
• Continue to Niokolo Koba National Park
• Check in at Wassadou Hotel
• Boat trip to see hippos or guided walk

Day 4: Niokolo Koba Park Game Drive

• Guided game drive in Niokolo Koba Park
• Picnic lunch after game drive
• Drive to Mako for river walk
• Search for hippos along Gambia River
• Drive to Kedougou

Day 5: Kedougou and Dindefello Waterfalls

• Visit Bedik ethnic traditional village
• Trek to Peulh village of Dindefelo
• Walk to Dindefello Waterfall
• Swim and picnic at waterfall
• Return to Kedougou

Day 6: Return to Dakar

• Transfer from Kedougou to Dakar
• Stop for lunch in Kaolack
• Arrive at Dakar hotel or airport

What’s included

Your six days include private transportation with an experienced English-speaking guide, accommodation at lodges and hotels (Lodge de Lompoul, Relais de Kaolack, Hotel Wassadou and Bedik Hotel Kédougou, or similar), breakfast every day and dinner on the first five days, a game drive in Niokolo Koba Park, a boat trip or guided walk along the Gambia River, dinner with traditional Jembe music and dancing around a campfire in the Lompoul desert, a trek to Dindefello Falls, and visits to the Pink Lake salt harvest, the Grand Mosque in Touba and local villages.

Times

• Every day 08:00

Another time? ›

Before you book

Group Up to 15 · max 8 per booking 4 private ›

Live guide English and French Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup included. You can choose from 11 pickup points.

Book up to 4h before

Ages Adult (18 to 74 years) · Senior (75 and older) · Youth (11 to 17 years) · Child (2 to 10 years) · Infant (under 2): free

Cancellation and refunds Free 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.

Good to know

Low physical effort Not recommended with heart problems

Operated by Across Africa Tours LLC

Prices and times updated 14 days ago

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The experience

Your driver picks you up in Dakar after breakfast and heads toward the Pink Lake, a one-hour drive that takes you straight into how people here actually work. You'll watch salt diggers pull crystals from the water and women stack them into piles. It's not a photo stop, it's the center of the local economy. After lunch, a 4WD carries you into the Lompoul desert, where the sand opens up and the sky gets bigger. That evening you sit around a campfire while musicians play Jembe drums, singing and dancing while you eat dinner and look up at the constellations. There's a camel ride available if you want it, though the real thing is just being out there.

Day two moves you east toward Touba, home to one of West Africa's largest mosques. Your guide walks you through the history of Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba and the Mouridist movement, then you drive through Fulani and Wolof villages before reaching Kaolack. You visit the local market there before checking into your hotel. The next morning you're heading deeper into the country, through dense savannah toward Tambacounda, a railway town that feels like a crossroads. There's a lunch stop at a typical restaurant there, then you continue to Wassadou, which sits on the bank of the Gambia River. If the water level allows, there's a boat trip to see hippo colonies. If not, a guided walk along the riverbank where you might spot monkeys, birds, and monitor lizards.

The game drive at Niokolo Koba Park happens early on day four: warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, and if you're lucky, panthers and lions move through the savannah around you. After the drive and a picnic lunch, you head to Mako for another river walk before arriving in Kédougou. Day five is the Dindefello trek, a full day spent with the Bedik ethnic group. You visit their traditional village perched on high ground, then trek to the Peulh village of Dindefelo. The path itself is the point (small streams, dense vegetation, the landscape getting greener as you walk), and then the waterfall appears, dropping 80 meters into a basin deep enough to swim in. You picnic at the base, and the freshness of the place makes it hard to leave. On the final day, you're driven back to Dakar with a lunch stop in Kaolack.

This is a private tour, so the vehicle and guide are just for you and your party. Your guide handles the logistics and the context: why the salt matters, what the mosque represents, which animals you're looking at. The six days move you through different landscapes and different ways of living, and nothing feels rushed because you're not moving with a group trying to catch a bus.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (11 to 17 years); Child (2 to 10 years); Infant (under 2): 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.

How long is the drive from Dakar to the Pink Lake?

One hour.

What's included in the tour price?

Private transportation, a guide, and accommodation for five nights. Breakfast is included every day, and dinner on each of the first five days.

Can you swim at Dindefello Falls?

Yes. The waterfall drops into a basin deep enough for swimming, and there's a picnic stop at its foot.

What animals might you see on the game drive?

Warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, and various bird species. Panthers and lions are possible but not guaranteed.

Is the boat trip on the Gambia River guaranteed?

It depends on the water level. If water levels are too low, a guided walk along the riverbank replaces it.

What's the physical demand?

The trek to Dindefello Falls involves walking on uneven paths with elevation changes. It isn't advised for anyone with heart or circulation problems, though otherwise it suits every fitness level.