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Saly
Senegal's beach-resort coast of sand, safaris and lagoons
Senegal's beach-resort coast of sand, safaris and lagoons
Long stretches of golden sand backed by resorts and beach bars are the heart of Saly, good for swimming, sunset walks and watersports in the warm Atlantic.
💡 Public beaches can get lively with vendors; resort stretches are calmer.
A short drive inland, this fenced wildlife reserve lets you safari among giraffes, rhinos, zebras, antelope and crocodiles amid baobab-dotted savanna, an easy taste of African wildlife.
💡 Morning game drives are best for active animals.
This tranquil tidal lagoon fringed with mangroves is a haven for herons, flamingos and pelicans, explored by pirogue in a peaceful contrast to the beach resorts.
💡 Take a sunset pirogue trip through the mangroves.
An extraordinary island built entirely of clam shells, linked by a wooden footbridge, where Christians and Muslims share a unique mixed cemetery among the shell-paved lanes.
💡 Cross the footbridge with a guide to learn the island’s story.
Saly is a renowned sport-fishing base, with boats heading out for barracuda, marlin and tuna in the rich Atlantic waters off the Petite Cote.
💡 Charters can be arranged through the resorts and marina.
Saly’s dining is the most cosmopolitan on the coast, with beachfront restaurants serving fresh seafood, Senegalese classics like thieboudienne and yassa, plus French, Italian and international menus for the resort crowd. Grilled prawns, lobster and catch-of-the-day are the stars, best enjoyed at a table on the sand with a cold drink as the sun sets over the Atlantic.
Settle into a resort, swim and stroll the Saly beaches, and enjoy fresh seafood on the sand at sunset.
Take a morning game drive at Bandia Reserve, then a peaceful pirogue trip through the Somone mangrove lagoon.
Visit the remarkable shell island of Joal-Fadiouth, or head out on a deep-sea fishing charter from the marina.
Resort stretches are calmer; public beaches are livelier but come with persistent vendors.
It is an easy, rewarding half-day of wildlife without leaving the coast.
Resorts take cards, but you need CFA francs for taxis, markets and excursions.
November to June brings the best beach weather; July to September is humid and wet.
Music-loving Dakar, colonial Saint-Louis, the memory of Goree Island, the beaches of Saly and the mangroves of the Sine-Saloum Delta — five sides of Senegal.