Saint Louis Jazz Festival

Discover the modern, cultural mix of Senegal and its devotion to art and music, from Dakar to Saint Louis, and discover the ancient traditions of the Fulani in the Sahel.

We start in the vibrant capital of Dakar, home to bustling markets and intriguing museums showcasing the history and culture of West Africa, with masks and art from across this part of the continent. Nearby Goreé Island gives a glimpse into Senegal’s dark colonial history, with the opportunity to learn about the horrors of West Africa’s slave trade.

Driving north to Saint Louis, we experience the main attraction of this tour – the Jazz Festival. The festival is hugely important to Senegal, attracting artists and musicians from across the globe to perform and share their art with the world, and highlights some of the best of West African contemporary culture. Saint Louis is famous also for its colourful architecture from its days as a French colony, which we explore by traditional caleche. We also use the city as a base to visit the Langue de Barbarie National Park, with its incredible birdlife.

From here we head into the Ferlo Desert, spending time with the semi-nomadic Fulani people and continuing to the holy town of Touba, home to the Mourid Islamic Brotherhood, a strict sect of Islam, and the destination of the Grand Magal pilgrimage.

On our way back to Dakar we explore mangroves, the multicoloured salt pans of Ngallou and the traditions of the Serer people.

An exuberant journey through Senegal old and new.

Highlights

  • Experience the Jazz Festival in Saint Louis
  • Visit the unique town of Touba
  • Explore Dakar and Goree Island
  • Meet the Fulani people

Day 1 - Dakar

Arrive in Dakar and transfer to the hotel. Overnight Hotel Djoloff of similar.

Dakar

Located on the Cap Vert peninsula and Africa’s westernmost city, Dakar is a thriving, colourful, lively city that provides the first real experience of urban West Africa on this trip. Brash and often uncompromising, it was once of the major cities of the French Empire and today is home to over a million people. With busy traffic and street vendors everywhere, Dakar is a world away from the rest of Senegal. Nearby is Goree Island, in contrast a peaceful sanctuary with well preserved colonial buildings giving it an almost Mediterranean feel. Goree is best known for its associations with the slave trade, although there is some controversy about how much of a role it actually played.

Day 2 - Dakar - Goree Island

Spend the morning exploring the Kermel market, experiencing urban West Africa, before boarding a ferry to visit nearby Goree Island, once a centre of the slave trade. Explore the historic sights of the island with its colonial architecture and colourful markets. Return to Dakar in the afternoon, and after some time to freshen up, head out to visit a live concert in Dakar. Overnight Hotel Djoloff or similar. (BLD)


Day 3 - Dakar

In the morning, visit the IFAN Museum of African Arts, one of the oldest art museums in West Africa. Continue to the Musée des Civilisations Noirs, a museum that illustrates the historical and contemporary cultures of the African diaspora around the world. We also visit the Cathedrale Notre Dame built between 1920 and 1936. Later, discover the Village des Arts, the best place to meet well known artists and young talents in Senegal, and the Loman Art Galerie. Overnight Hotel Djoloff or similar. (BLD)


Day 4 - Saint Louis - Jazz Festival

Continue to the atmospheric town of St Louis, once the capital of French West Africa. Spend the day exploring its streets by traditional caleche (horse and carriage). In the evening, attend the Saint Louis Jazz festival, which is considered one of the most important international events in Senegal. Overnight Hotel de la Poste or similar. (BLD)

Saint Louis

One of West Africa’s nicest towns, Saint Louis was the first French settlement in the region and still retains much of its old colonial architecture, contributing to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Divided between an island and a peninsula, most of the old European buildings are concentrated on the island with an old governor’s palace, museum, and numerous grand old houses.

Day 5 - Langue de Barbarie – Saint Louis

We visit Langue de Barbarie, a sandy peninsular next to the Atlantic Ocean. The national park here is home to a large variety of birds and three species of turtles. Return to the city and visit the Origines museum and the Museum of Photography, showcasing the depth and power of the rituals and myths in West Africa. Continue walking through the picturesque houses of Saint Louis until the evening when we attend the Jazz Festival again. Overnight Hotel de la Poste or similar. (BLD)


Day 6 - Tuba - Kaolack

We drive to the Ferlo desert to meet a community of semi-nomadic Fulani people. The Fulani are the largest nomadic tribe roaming the west African savannahs, from Senegal to Chad, as they search for pasture for their livestock. In the afternoon, arrive in Touba, a stronghold of the Mourid Islamic brotherhood and considered to be a sacred town in Senegal. Spend the rest of the day exploring the town and learning about the spiritual traditions of Islam in Senegal. Continue to Kaolack for the evening. Overnight Relais De Kaolack or similar. (BLD)

Touba
Touba is the centre of the Mourids, a strict Islamic sect that started in the 19th century with Sufi associations, and the town is an important centre of pilgrimage within the region. With that in mind, it’s forbidden to bring either alcohol or cigarettes into the town and there are no hotels here, for they are seen somewhat as dens of iniquity. Each year the town plays host to an annual pilgrimage called the Grand Magal, when up to three quarters of a million people descend, raising comparisons with a West African Mecca. The main sight here is Touba’s enormous mosque – construction began in the 1930s but was not completed until the 1960s, and it is one of the largest on the continent.

Day 7 - Palmarin - Ngallou

In the morning, visit the MAHICAO museum of African history and art. In the afternoon, travel to Palmarin, a rural community offering a unique mix of landscapes and authentic experiences rooted in nature and community. We board a boat and explore the mangroves, looking for a variety of bird species along the way, and also visit Ngallou, a striking area of multicoloured salt pans. Overnight Pelican Hotel or similar. (BLD)


Day 8 - Joal - Fadiouth - Dakar

Begin the journey back to Dakar, first stopping at Joal-Fadiouth. The island of Fadiouth was built on seashells and has two villages connected by bridge, and has a cemetery shared by Muslims and Christians. Continue to Dakar and transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)


What's included?

  • Airport transfers

    We include arrival and departure transfers on the first and last days of the tour regardless of whether you book flights yourself, or we book them for you. If you’re booking them yourself, then please let us know the details so that we can arrange the transfers. Please note though that if you arrive earlier than Day 1 of the tour, and leave after the final day, we may need to make an additional charge for an airport transfer.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation as listed in the dossier. The nature of the destinations that we operate may sometimes mean that we need to change hotels, but we’ll always endeavour to keep the same standards. Please be aware that as we operate in many countries where tourism is in its infancy, hotel standards may not be the same as you’re used to elsewhere.

    Please note that while we prefer to use centrally located hotels where possible, this is not always practical and in some locations they may not be the best option in terms of standards or reliability.

  • Guides

    You will be accompanied by English-speaking guides on Days 1-10 but will fly back to Dakar unaccompanied.

  • Meals

    As listed within the itinerary / dossier (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner). These will vary from trip to trip – in some areas it makes sense to include all meals while in others there is a good choice of restaurants and we feel people might like to ‘do their own thing’ now and again. Please note that when meals are included, sometimes these will be in hotels, as often these are the most appropriate option, and will sometimes be set menus. Local restaurants are often lacking in variety, as well as the capacity to cater for groups. Drinks are not included and are at your own expense.

  • Entrance fees

    Entrance fees are listed for those sites that we mention within the itinerary. If there are any other sites that you’d like to see, these would be at your own expense.

What's not included?

  • Visas

    We don’t arrange visas for our travellers, but if an invitation letter is necessary then we will arrange this for you. If you need any advice with visas then just give us a call, or alternatively a visa agency such as Travcour (www.travcour.com) can assist.

  • Airport taxes

    If there are any departure taxes to pay that are not included within the cost of your ticket, you’ll need to pay these yourself.

  • International flights

    Many of our travellers arrive from different destinations and so we don’t include international flights in the cost of our tours. If, however, you would like us to book flights for you, then just give us a call and we’ll be happy to discuss your options.

  • Travel insurance

    If you need any assistance with this, then let us know – although we can’t arrange it ourselves, we can point you in the direction of a reputable provider that can assist.

Visas

As from 1 May 2015, visas are no longer required to visit Senegal. Visa regulations can change however and so we recommend that you contact your nearest embassy for the most up to date information.

Health and vaccinations

We are not medically qualified and so we recommend that you speak to your doctor or nearest health professional for advice concerning recommended vaccinations. For more advice on vaccinations you can also https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries.

Please note that Yellow Fever is a compulsory vaccination for entering Senegal and you must bring your vaccination certificate with you, otherwise you may not be allowed to enter.

Insurance

It is a condition of joining our tours that you have suitable travel insurance in place, and we cannot accept travellers without insurance. All policies differ in terms of what they will cover, but as a minimum you need medical and health cover which will cover you for the whole time that you are away. Most policies will also include cancellation cover, which will cover you if an unforeseen circumstance obliges you to cancel your trip. We recommend that you obtain your insurance as soon as you book your trip.

Please note that government travel warnings often affect the validity of your travel insurance, and you should check this with your insurance company.

Money

In Senegal the West African CFA is the currency, which is impossible to obtain outside of the region. It is best to bring Euros for exchange purposes.

Credit cards won’t be much use on this trip, and ATM machines are few and far between. Therefore it’s sensible to bring enough cash to last you throughout the tour.

Local conditions

When travelling to some of the destinations we offer you need to bear in mind that things won’t always work here as we’re used to them working at home. Travelling in underdeveloped and untouristed destinations requires both patience and a sense of humour. There may be problems with infrastructure, attitudes may be different, and maintenance may not be as high a standard as we would always like, but this is very much part and parcel of travelling in such a place.

In addition, roads throughout the parts of Africa that we visit are often poorly maintained (if at all!) and distances between key sites of interest can be long. Travelling in Africa can be tiring, hot and dusty at times, and inevitably it can be frustrating. While there are some issues that we are able to solve, others are intrinsic to the countries that we travel through, and you should be aware that many of the countries that we operate in cannot be compared to others on the continent that have better infrastructure – for example the popular tourist destinations of east and southern Africa. Although travelling in these countries can at times be an ‘unpolished’ experience, this is all part of the adventure. We aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, and putting up with a pothole (or ten) is undeniably worth it for the amazing sights and cultural experiences you will encounter along the way.

This is particularly relevant to this trip – it travels through some remote regions, some of which are largely isolated from the outside world and have very little experience of tourism whatsoever.

Travel advice

We keep a very close eye on the travel advice issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office so that we can keep you up to date with any warnings. At the time of writing, the UK government does not advise against travel to any parts of Senegal that we pass through on this tour.

We work very closely with our local team and are fully confident that we can operate tours safely in Senegal. Should you have any concerns over safety please do not hesitate to contact us and we can address your concerns.

This relates to advice from the British government – other nationalities need to check the stance of their own governments.

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Date(s)
Price (PP) Exc. Flights
Single Supplement
Trip Status
Date -
04 May 2027
Price (PP) -
£2,499
Single Supplement -
£235
Trip Status -
Available
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