Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Bicyle vacation Senegal'

Useful addresses

Washington

Embassy of Senegal
2112 Wyoming Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 234-0540, 0541
Fax: (202) 332-6315

London

Embassy of Senegal
11 Phillimore Gardens
London W8 7QG
Tel: (44-171) 937-0925/6
Fax: (44-171) 937-8130

Paris

Ambassade du Senegal
14 Avenue Robert Schumann
Paris 75007
Tel: 01 47 05 39 45
Fax: 01 45 56 04 30

Visa

You don't need a visa for Senegal, but your passport should be valid until three months after your departure from Senegal.

General

Senegal was not at all what we expected. In many places houses are still made of mud with roofs of dried grass. Rice, corn, etc. are still crushed, not ground. Waterwells are often the only source of water; they're up to thirty meters deep. Agriculture is still done manually. We have seen exactly one tractor. In other words: it is stereotypically African. 

The Senegalese are a pleasant people. Friendly, always in the mood for a chat and there seems to be harmony between the different groups. Christians and Muslims are fully integrated. Nobody is surprised when a vendor in the marketplace takes a jerrycan to mark part of the walkway to kneel down on his mat to pray. Christmas and Tabaski are celebrated by both groups.

And they are incredibly tolerant. Waiting for two hours in the bank because someone brought a weekendbag full of money that has to be counted by hand; getting squashed in a bus with too many passengers, power failures that occur three times a day: nobody complains.

Nature was more interesting than we expected. The southern part, where we bicycled, is relatively green. There are many birds, especially in the delta area. Everything with wings, long legs which finds Europe too cold in the winter can be found there. Only a small part of the country is cultivated. The rest is used for wood gathering, herding cows and goats and to cut savannah grass for the roofs of the cabins.

Money

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Health

For up to date information about health risks, go to the site of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Security

For up to date information about security issues, go to the US State Department site

Plan your trip to Senegal online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.

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