This mosque is one the most important Muslim shrines in the country and is from where the call fro prayer sounds every Friday. Non-Muslim women are not allowed here, while non-Muslim men are, even if they don't participate in the prayers.
This little islands off of Dakar houses no more than 1000 people, is car-free and has some excellent beaches with colonial houses. A couple of the museums on the island are worth visiting, such as the Historical Museum, where you can learn about the history of Senegal, and la Maison des Eslaves provides a frightening image of the slave-conditions during the colonial times.
The most remarkable museum in Dakar is the Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noir (IFAN), which exhibits a large collection of both Senegalese and West African masks, statues and musical instruments.
This national park is situated in the southern part of the country and contains a rich plant life as well as wildlife. The varied terrain of swamps, savannah and forest regions, is the home of more than 50 different animal species. The park can be experienced both from a car and from boats on the Casamance River, which traverses the park. It is important to be cautious these days, as rebellious forces have made the area unsafe.
In the delta between the rivers Sine and Saloum lies a national park, famous for its beauty. The rivers around the delta are the homes of many different birds, living in small lagoons, on green islands or in the forests on the riverbanks. The best way to experience this is on a traditional African boat, the pirogue, which manoeuvres easily between the many small islands.
Another of Senegal finest beach areas stretches out over 150 km, south of Dakar. The largest tourist towns are Mbour and Saly Portudal, where you can find some excellent hotels. There are also green areas and golf courses, if the beach life wears you out.
To get a different bathing holiday, you can spend some time on your back here on some of the finest beaches in Africa, in the Cape Skiring region. If white sand below a coconut palm sounds attractive, this is the place to go.
This town was one of the first French colonial towns, and spreads out on the mainland and a small island, where the European squires lived. The European houses with their balconies and iron gates are a reminder of a long lost time. Some of Senegal's cultural influences from abroad meet in St. Louis, and the town is the home of the oldest church in the country, a cathedral form 1828, as well as a Muslim graveyard, where the buried fishermen's net cover the graves of their owners.