Dakar, Senegal:

tourists at the Maison des Esclaves

The flight from Conakry to Dakar took only 1.5 hours, but brought us into a new world. All of a sudden, we were within one of Africa’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities – and back together with throngs of international tourists. We stayed in a small bed and breakfast owned by a Swiss expat and explored Senegal’s capital for a few days. Maybe the most interesting locality of Dakar is the small Ile de Gourée, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island is characterized by colonial architecture from the 18th century including the Maison des Esclaves, a house originally used to hold slaves before their transport to the Americas.

Apart from some picturesque buildings within the city centre, such as the train station and the Marche Kermel, we also went to the Pointe des Almadies, the westernmost point of the African continent.

train station of Dakar

train station of Dakar

harbour of Dakar

harbour of Dakar

Ile de Gorée

Ile de Gorée

election posters

St. Charles Borromee Church

Ile de Gorée

view towards Dakar

on the Castel

on the Castel

view across Ile de Gorée

on the Castel

cliff at the Castel

Ile de Gorée

Maison des Esclaves

Maison des Esclaves

Maison des Esclaves

Maison des Esclaves

“Door of No Return”

Ile de Gorée

Mosque, Ile de Gorée

view towards Dakar

harbour of Ile de Gorée

harbour of Ile de Gorée

fisher boats

Fort d’Estrees

Black Kite

Black Kites

leaving the Ile de Gorée

Pointe des Almadies

Place de l’Independance

Dakar

Marche Kermel

Cathedral

Dakar

Plage N’Gor

Ile de N’Gor

After our long journey through five West African countries, we finally left Africa and returned home to cold and rainy Germany. If you want to read more about this trip, check out the first post of the series!