Senegal holidays, bolongs and seashores
| country: | Senegal |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary |
| price: | From £390 (8 days) excluding flights. Prices include full board, all meals, all excursions, visits and tours scheduled in the itinerary, all of the shows and events, guides and entrance fees, transfer from and to the airport |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 3 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
An 8 days adventure trip in the untamed and preserved Casamance Region.
Come and discover one of the most authentic West African regions, the enchanting and mysterious Casamance. The diversity of the landscapes, of its villages, of its fauna and most of all the inhabitants, a population nurturing a unique sense of hospitality and will to share: welcome to the Diolas lands. We will discover the city of Ziguinchor and its cultural and historical spots, the markets and the arts & crafts workshops.
We will sail on the immense Casamance River, through bolongs and mangroves, the Bird Island Sanctuary and the Affiniam peninsula; we will eventually meet the Diolas: their villages, the impluvium houses and their unique and mystical traditions, the Sacred Trees and the Telephone Tam-Tam, through rice fields and Tropical Forests.
You’ll learn the healing powers of plants, explained by local connoisseurs. Daily visits to the ocean seashores of Abené, Cap Skirring and Kafountine offer moments of rest and relaxation, always in contact with the environment and the local communities. Chances are given to meet local groups of artists and performers: an opportunity to discover the grace and sense of rhythm which is innate within African people.
Note: We also provide itineraries for other regions in Senegal.
Come and discover one of the most authentic West African regions, the enchanting and mysterious Casamance. The diversity of the landscapes, of its villages, of its fauna and most of all the inhabitants, a population nurturing a unique sense of hospitality and will to share: welcome to the Diolas lands. We will discover the city of Ziguinchor and its cultural and historical spots, the markets and the arts & crafts workshops.
We will sail on the immense Casamance River, through bolongs and mangroves, the Bird Island Sanctuary and the Affiniam peninsula; we will eventually meet the Diolas: their villages, the impluvium houses and their unique and mystical traditions, the Sacred Trees and the Telephone Tam-Tam, through rice fields and Tropical Forests.
You’ll learn the healing powers of plants, explained by local connoisseurs. Daily visits to the ocean seashores of Abené, Cap Skirring and Kafountine offer moments of rest and relaxation, always in contact with the environment and the local communities. Chances are given to meet local groups of artists and performers: an opportunity to discover the grace and sense of rhythm which is innate within African people.
Note: We also provide itineraries for other regions in Senegal.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival and settling in the Guesthouse. Arrival in Senegal (Ziguinchor or Cap Skirring ), transfer and settle in the Guesthouse. The transfer service is also available for arrivals and departure in Banjul (The Gambia) at a cost of £150 round trip. |
| Day 2: | Ziguinchor and its near-by villages. First tour of the city: the Escale Market, the fishermen’ port and the peanuts mountains, the city centre and its colonial houses, the famous Boucotte neighbourhood and the St. Maur Market, the French Alliance. After lunch, departure to the antique village of Niaguis-Fandang, stop in this typical fishermen village and walk along the river shores. On the way back we will pass through the multiple cultivation fields. |
| Day 3: | The River: Djilapao, Affiniam and the Bird Island. The day of the river excursion; the immense Casamance River will disclose some of its secrets and beauties… Stop overs in Djilapao and Affiniam, the impluvium houses and visit to the local villages, encounters with the population, return on pirogue at sunset. |
| Day 4: | Djbelor, the Teak Forest and cultural immersion. Excursion to the Teak Forest: we will head then to the Djibelor Farm, where countless species of exotic flowers, healing plants and fruit trees are cultivated. Lunch in the Farm’ restaurant, with its delicious freshly squeezed fruit juices. Return to Ziguinchor: a dance and percussion show will be performed by a group of young artist supported by our Association. |
| Day 5: | Abené, Bignona and Kafountine. En-Route to Abéné: we will visit the small town of Bignona and the villages of Baila and Diouloulou. We will arrive for lunch at Kafountine (Senegal’ little Jamaica). In the afternoon we head to Abéné and we will enjoy its deserted beaches. |
| Day 6: | The Diolas Villages and their treasures. Excursion to the discovery of Diolas Villages, deep in the Lower Casamance Reserve: Enampore and its Impluvium Houses, the Sacred Trees, the Telephone Tam-Tam, lunch at Oussouye. Next stop is Mlomp, its ‘Fromagers’ huge trees, the original multilevel houses and the Diola Ancient Relics Exhibit. Return to Ziguinchor through forest paths, among rice cultivations and palm trees lands. |
| Day 7: | Cap Skirring. Departure to Cap Skirring and its wonderful sandy beaches. Visit of the Kabrousse and Djembering Villages and lunch in a restaurant facing the ocean. Afternoon dedicated to the ocean waves and fresh waters, sunbathing, total relaxation under the cool shadows of coconut trees. Return to Ziguinchor in the early evening. |
| Day 8: | Ziguinchor markets and departure preparation. Morning dedicated to purchases of souvenirs and art objects. According to the departure time, transfer for the return flight. |
travellers' tales
The people of Casamance are the nicest and most hospitable people I've ever met. They are also extremely proud (and rightly so) of their culture. It is a very beautiful part of the world. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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With this Senegal holiday we are deeply committed to Responsible Travel practices: that is why all of the guides and hosts employed in this trip belong to the local Community. Mr. Mansour and Mr Massiré will guide you through the discovery of the Diola Villages, and Mr. Samba will unveil to you some secrets and tales of the Casamance River. The well-known artist and griot Keba Rumba will introduce you to the entrancing Mandingue and Diolas Rhythms, together with its drums and percussion workshop group. We trust these persons as they are the best ambassadors for their own communities; wages and salaries are distributed among their families and relatives.
As part of our responsibility towards local communities, our association reinvests 20% of its incomes into a local aid and assistance program: monthly food provisions, baby kits, anti-mosquito nets and help to local students are part of the actions assured by this fund. We will have the time and possibility to discover different ‘Campements Intégrés’ accommodation-style, for meals and visit their nearby villages; these types of structures, very common in the area, are owned by the villagers: their revenues are directed towards community development projects for the village itself. Therefore, our Guests contribute to local economy and at the same time integrate with the populations. We aim to assure a fair distribution of the revenues: Water is the most precious resource here in Africa, and everywhere in our Planet: As for energy saving: reducing unnecessary lighting, by switching off all electrical equipment when not required. We are well aware of the impact that tourism can have in remote places and on small isolated villages and communities, where ancient and therefore precious cultures are still alive and nurtured: that is why all group sizes for our trips are between 2 and a maximum of 7 persons. That leads to a reduction of impacts both on the environment and the people that we visit as well as allowing for more supervision, advice and explanations, alongside an effective chance of understanding and integration with a different culture. We believe that an authentic travel experience can surely be a life changing experience in terms of environmental awareness, and that guests can continue these conducts once they are back home, and instruct others to do so. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |