Good afternoon,

We are pleased to give a report of our trip to Senegal below:

General

We were in Senegal from Oct. 2 to 10. It took some getting used to the heat but there was another side to that. If you travel to Senegal in October, November, December, the rainy season is pretty much over and it is scorching hot, but also green everywhere. So if you go in the first months of the year, the temperatures are more bearable, but the landscape will also definitely be drier.

The Senegalese are very friendly people and everyone waves at you and says hello. They also share the little they have with you. Do pick up your French, because outside Dakar, in the villages, very few people speak English.

Ile de Goree and Villa Castel

Our stay on Ile de Goree was very successful. We explored the island and of course visited the places that belonged to the slave trade. Villa Castel was a paradise. I had understood that it was a small hotel, but upon arrival we turned out to be the only ones and there was also only 1 room. Malick took extremely good care of us and was a very friendly young man. Breakfast was excellent.

Toubacouta and Les Paletuviers

After spending 2 nights on Ile de Goree, we were picked up by Omar for our 4-hour drive to hotel Les Paletuviers in Toubacouta. What an incredible place. I think it's hard to describe because you have to have felt it. An oasis of peace, with very friendly staff, beautiful thick baobabs all around you, birds by the pool and unforgettable views of the Sine Saloum Delta. And that delta is special. We were amazed at the number of oysters growing in the mangroves, and on one excursion we stopped to listen to the "breathing" of the oysters. We have never experienced anything like this before. And also we saw dolphins, near Sipo. What a treat!

The people at Untamed Travelling

We want to inform you that the organization was absolutely top-notch. At Dakar airport, Simon and Omar were waiting for us and they took us to the boat at Dakar port for transportation to Ile de Goree. Tickets were neatly taken care of by Omar. On Ile de Goree, Malick was waiting for us and he also brought us back to the little port 2 days later. Right there in front of us again was Omar and he delivered us neatly to Toubacouta. If we asked him to stop along the way for a sight, birds or to buy something to drink, he arranged it right away, both on the way there and back. On the way back, he bought us a huge watermelon and we stood near the airport eating it deliciously. So we can only say a 10-plus for all these people. I hope they actually get to hear that!

The guides and staff at Les Paletuviers

Nothing to comment on here either. Staff was friendly, polite and committed. We went on three excursions, twice in the delta and once on an overland bird safari. Lamine was the guide who accompanied us the first time in the delta and he told us a lot, very nice. The second time in the delta (to Sipo, very special) we had Sekou as our guide and he spoke extremely good English (Lamine too, by the way). Both times we must also not forget the "captain," a wonderful human being! On the overland bird safari, Sekou accompanied us again and what a day that was! Indeed beautiful birds everywhere but also a look at the hinterland of Senegal. We drove through small villages and everywhere people and children waved at us. We bought two bags of lollipops along the way and handed them out everywhere. That brought a lot of laughter. We had a picnic along the way, of course with Sekou and the driver present. Delicious, wonderful and something never to be forgotten. What a day!

The staff at breakfast and dinner were super friendly and helpful. Also ode to the chef and his team because indeed, the food was outstanding!!! It's a shame we never got to thank the cook personally.

Then there was Mariam, or Miriam, the lady who was in charge of the rooms. She arranged something right away if something was wrong (only happened once). Great lady. And then last but not least, Amie, or Amy, we called her the queen of Les Paletuviers because she arranged excursions, our picnic, any question you had was answered calmly and with very clear explanations. Truly fantastic!!! For example, we wanted to do a safari to Fathala Nature Reserve but they advised against it because first, the vegetation was very high after the rainy season and second, there were a lot of (stinging) flies. We were sorry, of course, but very correct that she advised against it! A big compliment to her!

Birds

Since we are bird lovers (not exaggeratedly so, but we just think birds are beautiful and fun), we saw quite a few. On Ile de Goree, many black kites float around and several species of turtle doves. In the evening, swallows and bats (slightly larger than here .........) came to sip from the pool. So beautiful to see.

At Les Paletuviers, bright yellow weaverbirds were making their nests in the trees around the pool and regularly came out to drink and splash. We took a lot of pictures. There were also long-tailed starlings, lovebirds and we even saw a woodpecker and a huge bird of prey. Also present was the red-billed woodpecker. A salamander also slid into the pool once, what a beautiful sight! Unfortunately, we were too late to take a picture of it. The safari included sightings of orange weaver, Sahel warbler, amaranth and jacana. It's all worth it! But you also see squirrels and monkeys. Green monkeys could sometimes be seen on the jetty at Les Paletuviers in the morning. In the delta, we saw the island where many species of herons and kingfishers perch for the night. Magnificent!

Other business

On Ile de Goree, we met a young photographer who wanted to move on but could not (this unfortunately happens a lot in somewhat poorer countries). He sent us some pictures by app, but really we are not sure how to help him further. The photos looked very professional. If you want someone in Senegal who takes good photos for the website or something, we can recommend him.And a word about danger in the delta: there are no crocodiles so you can swim in the delta. Many thanks for organizing this wonderful trip, it was unforgettable!

With best regards,

Stephan and Cocky