Major Tourist Attractions In Dakar

The old African quarter called Le Medina has the Grande Mosquee at its heart; this beautiful mosque was built in 1964, and is a landmark in Dakar with its distinct minaret floodlit at night. Non-Muslims aren’t allowed into the premises of the mosque but visitors to the city must not miss a chance to check out the medina. A great and yet inexpensive way to see Dakar is to take a train ride on the little white train, ‘Le Petit Train Blanc’. The entire trip takes just about an hour and a half through the city.  

Dakar's main beaches include the Plage Bel-Air and the N'Gor and Yoff. Other good beaches within driving distance are the Yenn and Toubab Dialao, the latter famed for its unusual red cliffs. The Plage Bel-Air, close to the city’s railway station is the best beach for tourists, even though it isn’t very neat and clean but more importantly, is relatively safe and uncrowded as it is fenced in. The beach has a bar and stalls renting out sailboards, loungers and umbrellas. The other beaches in Dakar aren’t very salubrious places with an ever-present danger of being mugged.

‘Black Africa’ was a term coined by the Senegalese leader Leopold Senghor, who took pride in the historical, cultural and social heritage of his people, his nation and of the African continent. Dakar's IFAN Museum (Institute of Black Africa) on Place de Soweto has an absolutely magnificent collection, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Black Africa with masks, statues, musical instruments, stools and agricultural implements from across West Africa.

 A short distance away from the museum is the imposing white home to the President of Senegal, the Palais Presidentiel or the Presidential Palace, built in 1906 amidst beautifully laid out formal gardens. 

For an unusual perspective of the African continent, take a walk down to Cap Manuel, a cliff at the very tip of the Cap Vert peninsula to the south of Dakar. From this vantage point, visitors get a bird’s eye view of Africa as it stretches south to Toubab Dialao; enjoy the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and see Goree Island. The walk to Cap Manuel is quite interesting too, as the road winds its way past impressive villas, colonial bungalows, beaches and fortifications built into the sheer cliffs. Stairways cut into the rocks lead to the beach from where you can look up at the red and black cliffs of Dakar on one side, and the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the other.