Three to four days covers the highlights. Take the ferry to Gorée, follow the Corniche to the Mamelles Lighthouse and the African Renaissance Monument, browse Soumbédioune and the Médina, and spend an afternoon on Ngor Island. Add half a day for Lac Rose, northeast of the city.

A passenger ferry called the chaloupe leaves from the Port of Dakar, near Place de l'Indépendance, and crosses in about 20 minutes. Tickets are bought on site and boats run through the day. The island sits about 2.5 km offshore and is small enough to walk around in an hour.

Lac Rose, also called Lake Retba, lies about 35 km northeast of Dakar, roughly an hour's drive depending on traffic. Its pink color is usually strongest in the dry season, especially from late January to early March. Salt harvesters still work the shallow water, and dunes separate it from the Atlantic.