Tips for solo travel in Senegal (page 2 of 2)

It’s clear that under these conditions, the stay is beyond unpleasant. You forgot to mention that as soon as you arrived, you were scammed out of a large sum of money at the airport exchange counter... https://voyageforum.com/forum/arnaque-1er-bureau-change-arrivee-aeroport-dakar-d10778513/

Yeah, but that was partly my fault because I was stressing about missing my unlikely shuttle from an equally unlikely hotel. Double fault on my part for assuming the clerk at a completely official currency exchange office was like a totally by-the-book administration. And yet, in France, I go to my bank reluctantly, telling my advisor straight up not to try selling me their crap because it won’t work on me. When traveling abroad, I always feel invulnerable because I’m caught up in all the pleasures of stepping out of my comfort zone (and there, too, I’m wrong). Once in Colombia, in the middle of guerrilla activity in my favorite department, a cop took my bank card right out of my hand while I was trying to explain that I was looking for a bank in an area where they only speak Costeño. I snatched it back violently and left. It was only long after returning to France that I realized how naive I’d been—once again—with authorities who are supposed to be honest. Same thing in the same region where a corrupt cop extorted 250,000 pesos from me just because he saw a bottle of rum at my feet in my car. Yeah, when traveling, we often act stupid!!!

.... I’ll go ahead and share (don’t hit me, okay!). I don’t have that kind of problem when I travel. I’ve hung out in West Africa, Algeria, Mali, Morocco of course, Mauritania a bit, and Senegal quite a bit. When I say "hung out," I mean stays of several months in "hardcore backpacker" conditions.

One of the keys is relaxation, letting go.

A question: which hotel are you talking about? That’ll give us an idea of where you stayed.

.... I’ll take the liberty (don’t hit me, okay!). I don’t have that kind of problem when I travel. I’ve hung out in West Africa, Algeria, Mali, Morocco of course, Mauritania a bit, and Senegal quite a lot. When I say "hung out," I mean stays of several months in "hardcore backpacker" conditions. One of the keys is relaxation, letting go. One question: which hotel are you talking about? That’ll give us an idea of where you’re staying.

We traveled all over the country, so we stayed in several hotels. But I personally didn’t experience harassment or anything like that because I never let it happen and always use the right tone. The drama my friends had was mostly in Saly (which explains a lot). I should mention they had faces that seemed to attract trouble and couldn’t say no firmly (basically the current generation) 😄

Thanks for this reply. It confirms what I was saying. The so-called "must-see" tourist spots in Senegal are definitely places to avoid. That’s where you’ll find the biggest pains in the neck in West Africa. The rest of the country—basically the whole thing ;)—is honestly really cool.

Saly is *the* spot you shouldn’t go to... in my opinion, of course. Oh! And Touba. Ugh... no comment.

Thanks for this reply. It confirms what I was saying. The so-called "must-see" tourist spots in Senegal are definitely to avoid. That’s where you’ll find the biggest pains in the neck in West Africa. The rest of the country—basically everything else 😉—is honestly really cool. Saly is *the* spot you shouldn’t go to... in my opinion, of course. Oh! And Touba. Ugh... no comment.

I didn’t have a choice about Saly for the last two days of my trip—I was with CDV, the "for girls only" agency (the one that kicked me out since)

Thanks for all your posts—I’ve decided it’ll be Benin! I’m leaving for the whole month of January. Now, time to get to work planning the itinerary. 😎

Benin! So many great memories... except with the authorities because I traveled through the country during the revolution. In every city I passed through, I got another stamp in my passport. By the time I left the country, there wasn’t much space left! In Parakou, I had to wait a good hour for my passport in the police station courtyard... had to wait for the ink to dry! 😉

😉🙂😉 We’ve all got stories like that. Me, I’ve had a few—like the time at the Burkina border where they didn’t have an exit stamp... some remote border post in the middle of nowhere, and I was on a moto-taxi. I had to go 15 klicks back to get the stamp. So, officially, I never left Burkina, even though I entered one day. But I still made it into Togo. The young Togolese customs officer stamped my entry, wrote down my name, and 10 minutes later, sent me a Facebook friend request. 😉 I’ve got tons of stories like that. It’s the sweet stuff of travel in Africa.

Yeah, Senegal can be intense when it comes to harassment, etc. I described it. But my trips to 7 different places went smoothly. Having a good knowledge of West Africa definitely helped me keep some distance from all the insistence. ... Staying calm and using humor are key. But as I’ve already said, I preferred Benin, Mali, and Burkina 1000 times over.

Yes, Senegal can be tough in terms of harassment, etc. I described it. But my trips in *sept-places* (shared taxis) went smoothly. Having some experience with West Africa definitely helped me keep my distance from all the insistence. ... Staying calm and using humor were key. But like I said before, I preferred Benin, Mali, and Burkina *a thousand times over*.

I had to explain to the restaurant manager at the hotel why I was putting some of my breakfast stuff in my bag—it was just because I wasn’t hungry at the moment (breakfast was included). Ugh, after a while, it’s just exhausting.

..well, for my part, I crossed Mali by road, through the desert, from Gao to Timbuktu, from Diboli to Algeria... with Bambaras, with Tamasheks. The people aren't much fun. I remember noting that: "When you ask the Bambaras for the time, it’s like you’ve insulted their mother." That’s exactly how I wrote it.

Senegal, I didn’t explore as much, but I laugh a lot more there. Senegalese people, from the random kid to the old lady selling odds and ends at the market, are way more approachable and really open to chatting—and more if there’s a connection.

Maybe it’s just a different way of looking at things? I don’t know.

That’s just how I felt.

...well, for my part, I crossed Mali by road, through the desert, from Gao to Timbuktu, from Diboli to Algeria... with Bambaras, with Tuaregs. The people aren't much fun. I remember noting that: "When you ask the Bambaras for the time, it's like you've violated their mother." That's exactly how I wrote it. In Senegal, I didn't travel around as much, but I laugh a lot more there. Senegalese people, from the unknown kid to the old lady selling next to nothing at the market, are way more approachable and really more open to conversation—and more if there's a connection. Maybe it's just a way of looking at things? I don't know. That's just how I felt.

For me in Senegal, it went much better with women than with men.