Experience in Dakar, Senegal by Sophie

What is it like to live in Dakar? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

This melting pot of a city is widely recognized as the cultural capital of French-speaking West Africa. Dakar is the capital of Senegal and a peninsula surrounded by few small islands of which the best known is Gorée. This Island is mainly known for its historical past as a symbol of the memory of the slave trade in Africa, officially recognized by the United Nations. You still can visit one of the main House of Slaves.

So basically, you have a view of the sea wherever you go in Dakar.

There is only two seasons: dry and wet seasons. The dry one occurs around December/January until July and then the wet season begins with a lot of rains until October/November.

There are reasonably modern infrastructures and relative safety compared with other nations in the region. In addition, there are over sixty highly visible diplomatic missions located in Dakar that give the city an incomparable international feel.

Even though I grew up in Dakar, I never get bored of this city; there is always something to do. Either you go to the beach, or to the shopping malls or flea markets, or even to safari inside the city...My life was an extended vacation when I was leaving in Senegal.

Dakar is like a painting and a vivid city with the house colours, the different landscapes and infrastructures...The smell of the sea, of the humidity of the soil, the flowers, the spices, the food, even car pollutions sometimes...

I would 100% sure recommend it to anyone who would like to experience an incredible adventure and a head full of memories.

What is the student lifestyle like in Dakar?

I never get to be a student myself in Dakar; I left a year before I started University. But from what I could see back then and what I could see now, clearly there is a lot of changes. Back then, students use to have a lot of problems with the teachers; like teachers were never on time, or were doing strikes to get wage increases and stop all the courses meanwhile. But now, from what I've seen, it got a bit better.

Let's not forget that the university Cheick Anta Diop of Dakar is one of the best French-speaking Universities in Africa. I suppose, like in every University, there is an Erasmus program in English since the University welcomes more than 50,000 students from all over West Africa and beyond. More and more faculties are developing now. Back then, Marine Biology Sciences, species behaviour, Conservation and Ecology faculties were inexistant. It was something totally new for the population, not even faisable or important enough to develop. One of the reasons, I continued my studies in France... Now those faculties are booming. And the positive point is that for those who are interested in those type of studies, you have plenty of places where to experiment your work, with the mangrove, saltmarshes, natural reserves etc... You have full choices in Sciences, literature, law, politics and economics.

There are some private schools and institutes as well that are booming more and more. Specially in English. For exemple the British council, The Dakar institute of African Studies etc...

But.. but For those who do not speak a single word of French, living and working in Dakar will be problematic. Help is readily available at the French Institute: L'Institut Français L.S. Senghor de Dakar. This organization offers French language courses on a rolling basis, and is also a source for finding private French tutors.

Despite the University itself and administrative talk, student lifestyle is the same everywhere: you eat, party, go to Uni and sleep... :)

How much does it cost to live in Dakar?

Usually if you come from a well developped country, you can easily afford to live in Dakar. It is becoming a bit expensive now, but still nothing you can not afford I guess. Like 1€ is approximately 650 Franc-CFA. So you can quickly do the math...

Owning or driving a car in Dakar is not necessary, there are plenty of taxis that roam the city at all hours.This mode of transportation is incredibly safe; More over Dakar is one of the only cities in the world where I’ve seen female taxi drivers!!
If traffic is light you can easily go from the northern part of Dakar to the southern part in less then 30min for about 3 to 6€.

Good and local restaurants are affordable as well, ranging from 7€ to 30€ (for 2 people).

They are plenty of places where to buy your groceries. Either in the big shopping malls located in specific areas like the Radisson (located on the "Corniche") or Auchan, Casino etc... Or you have small markets located everywhere where you can buy a bit of everything but at small amounts. It's not that expensive neither, it just depend where you go to buy.

The rents are affordable as well but just depending on where you are looking.

You should know that Dakar is a touristic place so a lot of activities are a bit expensive, but not that much neither. I guess you will just have to find out once you are there, what you can afford to do and what not. But there is nothing really you can not afford as I said earlier.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Dakar? Is there any advice you can give?

Rents for students is quite difficult to find I guess. But here are some tips: in the city center, you have appartements (from 1 to 3 rooms) at approximately 700€ to 1600€. But you can easily find other cheaper and nice places outside the city center between 250€ and 600€ or if you share the flat, it could be even cheaper.

So I would recommend to the Erasmus students or tourists to just go for complete immersion. I mean to look up for a Senegalese family to host you for your time in Senegal; therefore you will discover way much (food, city, landscape, outside the city, culture etc..)then if you just rent an appartement for yourself. You'll be completely lost.

I actually have an American friend who did that; she was leaving for 6 months among a Senegalese family and she told me she had a really great experience.

So I guess you should just get well informed before to pack.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Food!!! The most important thing in my life, All of them are my favourite...Food in Senegal is very diverse but mostly it will be accompanied by rice. So you have the main dish which is the "thieboudiene" which literally means rice with fish. So its a tomato sauce with fish and vegetables and some rice cooked in the tomato sauce. You eat it with lemon and spice sometimes. OR you have "poulet yassa" which is some grilled chicken cooked in a lemony/spicy sauce with some rice. Then you will have other dishes with mainly sauce, vegetables and fish or meat with some local couscous (millet-based). There is another one that I love which is a peanut sauce with meat or fish and some rice or local couscous as well which is called "maffé". It is not originate from Senegal but from Mali but all the Ouest African countries adopted that dish.

Senegalese also excel in bakery! you should try everything!

There is no alcohol though, only in grocery stores/markets/restaurants but no production of local alcohol mainly because it's a country with Muslim majority.
Even if in some regions of Senegal there are grape plantations intended for the production of wine or cognac..

But mainly there are local drinks made from local fruits such as the "bissap" whish is a juice made from the Red Hibiscus flower. or you have the "gingère" which is ginger juice etc...

So I will recommend you to discover all of this.

What places would you recommend visiting in Dakar?

A lot of places, mainly Gorée Island, the rebirth statue (you won't miss it even from the plane when landing), the Zoological and botanical parc of Hann, Ngor Island and Yoff (mostly for the beaches), Almadies (new city center, everything is happening there now, the clubs, restaurants, beach etc...), the craft village and the fish market located on the "corniche ", the door of the third millénium located at the same place (Corniche Ouest), the view behind the presidential palace (Corniche Est).

Then if you can travel outside Dakar, it would be also nice to go visit the pink saltmarsh lake (Le lac Rose), Saint Louis, Saly (touristic place), the turtle village (not far from the pink lake), the shell island (Joal Fadhiouth), the Kingdom of Sine Saloum (with all the mangrove places and small islands, not too far from Gambia; you will be able to spot dolphins), Dindefelo Waterfalls (les chûtes de Dindefelo, located in the region of Tambacounda) and all the natural reserves you could find in Senegal.

You just have to look for a good guide, who knows the places and the stories and who will not only brings you to the main touristic places. You have to make some research before to know approximately what you want to visit once you are there.

Is it good to eat out in Dakar? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Yes It's very fine. There is something for everyone's taste, as I said you have fancy restaurants, local restaurants (which are my favourites specially those when you can order good meat braised with wood fire and oignons + fries). The simple but very good stuff can make every one happy. Those places, you can easily find them everywhere; it is called "dibiterie haoussa".

Otherwise for vegetarian people as well, the are knew restaurants that are booming but more in the city center or touristic places such as Almadies, Radison etc..

Is the nightlife good in Dakar? Where is good to go?

Yes Dakar is a vivid city during day and night time. It is definitely not the kind of city you go to relax, unless you have a beautiful house in front of the sea (Lol)...Otherwise you can party mostly in the Almadies, where most of the clubs are (the Nirvana Night Club, VIP club, Why Not Club (ex-Jet-Set), Le Duplex, etc..) or on the beaches with your music and some friends around.
You have at least 30 clubs or even more in Dakar, so you have plenty of choice.

What advice would you give future students heading to Dakar?

Get well informed about everything before packing to limit as possible unforeseen events. Define a good budget and make the change before to travel. The currency in Ouest Africa is the FCFA (Franc-CFA). Find a nice Senegalese family to host you. Do all your vaccinations before going, having malaria is very common for exemple specially during the wet season so bring a lot of repellent, buy a mosquito net for your bed if possible to avoid the bites.
And...
And you are ready for the best experience of your life!