The hook
A vast maze of mangrove channels, tidal flats, and islands where two rivers meet the Atlantic, some of them built up over centuries from millions of discarded shells, alive with pelicans, flamingos, and pirogue-borne fishing life.
01Why it's worth it
Where the Sine and Saloum rivers spread into the sea, they form a huge, labyrinthine delta of mangrove-lined channels, lagoons, sandbars, and islands, a UNESCO-listed landscape of great natural and cultural richness. It is a birdwatcher's paradise, home to enormous colonies of pelicans, flamingos, terns, and countless migratory species that winter here, and its warm, shallow waters teem with fish that sustain traditional fishing communities working from brightly-painted pirogues. Remarkably, some of the delta's islands are ancient shell middens, mounds built up over more than a thousand years from the discarded shells of harvested shellfish, some now topped with baobabs and old burial sites, a striking meeting of human history and nature. The classic way to experience it all is by pirogue, gliding quietly through the mangrove channels from one of the low-key lodges scattered through the delta, watching the birdlife and the fishing life go by. Peaceful, scenic, and easily reached from Dakar, it is a restful contrast to Senegal's cities and history.
02How to experience it
Base at a delta lodge and take pirogue trips through the mangrove channels for the birdlife, the fishing communities, and the shell islands, ideally at dawn or dusk. Go in the cooler dry season for the migratory birds. It is an easy, relaxing add-on to Dakar and Saint-Louis.