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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
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Gorée has a handful of small guesthouses, and staying overnight shows a calmer, more residential island once the last day visitors have gone. Book ahead, because there are only a few options, and compare amenities, since air conditioning, Wi-Fi and breakfast vary from place to place. Check ferry times for your return…
Dakar Music Expo is a four-day music festival and industry meeting at the Institut français du Sénégal, with concerts, showcases, panels and workshops around African and world music. The 2025 edition ran in February and the 2026 edition in late March, so the month shifts from year to year. Check the official site for…
Dak'Art, the Dakar Biennale of contemporary African art, runs its 16th edition from 19 November to 19 December 2026, according to the organizers. Alongside the official programme there is Dak'Art OFF, with independent shows, so exhibitions pop up in galleries and venues across the city. Book rooms early, check the…
The HLM market is Dakar's fabric market, on the street linking Colobane and avenue Bourguiba, a maze of narrow lanes with neon-lit shops selling wax, bazin, voile, lace and embroidery. Festive favorites change by season, and this year shoppers lean towards shiny guipure and getzner. Compare sheen, weight and price…
Just 4 You, also written Just 4 U or Just For You, is an open-air bar and restaurant on Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, opposite the university, with live concerts that have ranged from hip-hop to mbalax. Recent listings show the bar and kitchen opening in the early evening and the main concert late at night. Call or check…
The Mosque of Divinity in Ouakam stands on the Corniche Ouest almost with its feet in the Atlantic, and its two tall minarets make a strong frame against the sea. Shoot the exterior from the beach side in daylight, ideally outside Friday prayer time, when worshippers in white gather. Dress modestly, keep your camera…
On the ferry to Gorée, a friendly local may offer to guide you, then steer you to shops where he earns a commission. Officially licensed guides wear a vest, and the price is negotiable, so agree it before you start. A casual maybe to visiting a stall can be taken as a promise, so politely say no. Go Tuesday to…
The Musée des Civilisations noires is showing a retrospective of the sculptor Ousmane Sow: about fifty original works from series such as Nouba, Masaï, Zoulou and Peulh, plus the Merci figures honoring Nelson Mandela and Toussaint Louverture. It opened in April 2026 and is planned to run for three years, so it fits…
Dakar hosts the Youth Olympic Games from 31 October to 13 November 2026, and a traffic plan reorganises roads around the Iba Mar Diop complex, the Tour de l'Oeuf and Olympic pool area, the Corniche Ouest and Diamniadio. On the motorway towards the airport, the left lane is reserved for Olympic traffic in the daytime…
Blaise Diagne airport sits about 45 km from the city, and Dakar's yellow taxis have no meter, so drivers may open well above the fair rate for new arrivals. Unofficial helpers can also approach you in the arrivals hall, carry your bags and then ask for money. Ask your hotel what the fare to your area should be…
The SunuBRT runs on its own lane for about 18 kilometres from Petersen in central Dakar to Guédiawaye, in fully electric buses. Tickets cannot be bought on board, so get a QR or contactless ticket at the station counter, at a commercial agency such as Petersen, or in the SunuBRT app. Validate at the entrance and again…
The Îles de la Madeleine are a tiny uninhabited national park just off Soumbédioune, reached by boats that leave from the park office on the Corniche Ouest. Visitors may stay up to four hours, and the draw is the cormorant colony plus red-billed tropicbirds in season. Go in the morning, when it is cooler and quieter…
Café Touba is coffee roasted and ground with djar, the dried fruit of the Guinea pepper plant, and sometimes cloves, which gives it a peppery, warming edge. It is sold as street food, so look for the informal stalls and ask for it by name. It is brewed through a filter, closer to drip coffee than espresso. Locals link…
Dibi is lamb or mutton grilled over a wood fire, chopped into pieces and served on paper with caramelized onions and mustard on the side. Dibiteries are casual open-air roadside grills, often crowded and consistently good, so pick one with a busy fire and a line of locals. Go in the evening, or as the late meal after…
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