Senegal
Senegal5 guides across 1 destination — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in Senegal
Practical essentials for Senegal
West African CFA franc (XOF)
French is the official language but Wolof is the everyday lingua franca, spoken by about 80% of the population; English is not widely spoken.
Type C/D/E/K, 230V 50Hz
Dakar has an all-electric BRT line and the TER commuter railway alongside shared taxis and car rapides, and the city is emphatically cash-first — cards work only in the Plateau and Almadies.
Larger hotels and restaurants usually add a 10-15% service charge, in which case nothing more is expected; taxi drivers are not normally tipped.
Tap water is not considered safe to drink; use bottled or filtered water.
Right-hand side; an International Driving Permit carried with your home licence is expected of short-term visitors.
17 police, 18 fire, 1515 ambulance
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from Senegal
Should Dakar Be Your Next Big Trip? A First-Timer's Briefing
A four-night briefing on Senegal's Atlantic capital: when to come, where to base yourself, how to do Goree properly, and what it actually costs.
Dakar's Cheap Eats That Punch Far Above Their Price
Dakar's low-cost kitchens - lunch counters, coal grills and market stalls - mapped by neighbourhood, price and hour, with the timing that decides whether you eat well.
Beyond the Plateau: The Dakar Neighborhoods Most Visitors Miss
The Plateau and Goree are only half of Dakar; the other half is a chain of Lebou fishing quarters strung along the coast, and this is how to spend two days in them.
Dakar, Ranked: The 7 Unmissable Experiences
Gorée's haunting history, a colossal bronze monument, pink-hued lakes, island surf breaks, and the best fish rice on earth — Dakar's essentials, in order.
Dakar Takes Four Days, and Only in One Direction
The Cap-Vert peninsula is twenty kilometres of city that changes character every few kilometres, and the fastest way to waste a trip here is to keep crossing back over it.