How to get to Saint Louis ? –> Bus, Shared taxis, Rented car (detail below)
What to do in Saint-Louis? –> Pont Faidherbe, walk in Mauritania, Langue de Barbarie… (see more details below)
Practical information:
- 10,000 FCFA (CFA Francs) = 15€
- 1 € = 700 FCFA
- Senegal is a safe country however avoid signs of external wealth (jewelry, visible cameras …)
How to get to Saint-Louis?
The road is rather long from Dakar, but this city full of charm is worth the detour!
Example: Departure at 8:30 am – Duration 4h30 / Arrival at 1 pm
Price:
- Dem Dick costs 5000€ departure to Liberté 5, 7h or 15h every day. Book your ticket from the Yobuma app with Orange Money
- Collective taxi, 7 seats 5000 to 8000 € depends on the holidays or not → Getting to Beau marechais in Pikine → From Plateau or NGOR or other between 2500 and 3500 FCFA
- Allo Taxi 60,000 for 4 seats
- Rent a car –> with contacts a car can be between 20,000 to 30,000 FCFA per day (between 30 and 45 €)
Nevertheless, important information the bus station of Saint Louis is a little far from the city center, you have to take a taxi. Pay 1500 for the race.
In Saint Louis even a taxi ride is never more than 500 FCFA
Where to stay in Saint Louis (historic center)
Several options, it all depends on your budget! On the island of old Saint-Louis, you can sleep in one of the renovated old colonial houses
- Sunu Keur: between 15,000 FCFA and 20,000 FCFA double
- Auberge de la vallée: dormitory room 7,000 FCFA per person
- Hotel Sikki : Charming places : 35 000 FCFA the double room
- … and many more
Restaurants: Very good addresses, and a good quality / price ratio compared to Dakar!
- Eat the tapas of the Sikki Hotel
- Excellent dinner at the Hotel de la Résidence (zebu meat too good), sharp decoration!
- Have a sunset drink at the Flamingo
- The best Hamburger from St. Louis to Kora
- Have breakfast at Les Délices du Fleuve
- Eat with a breathtaking view of the river with a service with small onions in a very intimate setting at the restaurant Le Ponton
- Have a coffee in an art gallery
- Eat pancakes (salty or sweet) on the go at La crêpe Saint Louisienne
What to see in Saint-Louis?
We give you the essentials to know what to do in Saint-Louis!
The great thing about St. Louis is that you can do everything on foot, and there is not much traffic on the streets.
The two islands are two rooms two atmospheres!
The island with the historic center is very quiet during the day and lively in the evening with bars / clubs and small live concerts!The second island is more lively, inhabited, typical and lively during the day with a real economic activity between the fishing port, the fabric market
On the Main Island – Historic Centre
- Stroll through the streets of the historic center and get lost
- Look at the facades faded by the time of the beautiful houses
- Take a ride in a carriage for the most lazy
- Several houses have been renovated by the same patron and transformed into a museum.
- Do some shopping to bring back beautiful memories (Hotel Sikki, Women's Workshop)
- Watch loincloth making at the Weaving Workshop
- Listen to local artists in one of the bars / clubs, watch the flyers distributed during the day to know the evening concert!
For museums, permanent exhibitions are not all essential but entering the old buildings is all the charm of the experience!
Go to the museum of photography and ask the guides to show you the other houses, they are not necessarily indicated in the guides and on Google and sometimes not yet completely open to the public.
With covid, it is better to call before the visit to block a slot: +221 77 323 84 39
On the second island – Economic Center:
- Watch the big fishermen's canoes return to port
- Buy fabrics at fabric markets (huge market where you have to go in and get lost in the aisles)
- In the north, go to Mauritania by the beach
- To the south, go to the tip of the island, you will be right in front of the tongue of barbarism, beaches and inns for a Saint Louis more idleness and relaxation
The surroundings of Saint Louis :
- The Djoudj Park : To observe the pelicans. Closed since the beginning of 2021, due to avian flu, call before visiting to check if the situation has not changed.
- The Langue de Barbarie National Park ; also closed due to avian influenza.
1 hour south of Saint Louis, La Langue de Barbarie is an interesting step to get out of the city and be closer to nature.
Many resorts, lodge in the area (Ocean and Savannah, Camp Teranga).
We have been to the Zebrabar, but we do not recommend this address.
You pay for the setting but the service does not follow, bad welcome, very expensive food for quality (Thiéboudienne at 4000h with basmati rice !!!!!!!) with unique menu very little sought after … address more for families with children.. Kayaks not available… monkey attack (even if this part was rather distracting)!
In the vicinity of the park of the Langue de Barbarie, possibility to walk in Gandiol (north).
However, the village very polluted, but living very welcoming!We went to the island from the end of the village, but we only saw garbage…
You can also walk to Mbao (South), and the beaches are much less polluted and more welcoming to swim!
- We didn't have time to go there, and it's a complicated area to access without a car but you can push east and along the Mauritanian border to discover the region along the Senegal River.
You will find the fort of Dagana between Richard Toll and Podor (2 hours drive from Saint Louis).
Thank you for reading if you have reached the end 🙂
Do not hesitate to comment on your anecdotes, differences in prices it will help the next
In +: Full of articles on Senegal to discover –> Road Trip in Casamance and Pays Bassari