Grand Tour of Senegal 2026-27

Departure on scheduled Ita Airways flights to Dakar - meals on board – evening arrival in Dakar - transfer to the lodge on the Pink Lake – dinner - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning 4x4 tour of the Pink Lake, or Lake Retba, whose name comes from the colour of its waters, created by the presence of particular algae and bacteria (its waters are ten times saltier than the ocean, a resource for the local people, who sell the salt on the shores of the lake) – lunch in the lodge restaurant - continuation to Kayar, a picturesque fishing port where you can watch the fishermen coming in on their brightly coloured boats laden with fish – stop in Thiès, visit of the town and its market full of printed fabrics – evening arrival in Saint-Louis – dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – tour leader available - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Djoudj Park – en route visit of a nomad camp on the edge of the Sahara desert – arrival at the park and pirogue excursion on the Senegal River to visit the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (flamingos, pelicans, fish eagles, bitterns, herons, storks, ibises, ducks, snipe, black-winged stilts and various species of birds of prey can be seen) – return to Saint-Louis – lunch in a restaurant – in the afternoon guided tour of Saint-Louis (founded by the French and the former capital of Senegal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it still preserves the layout and many buildings of the colonial era, which we admire on a pleasant horse-drawn carriage ride - visit of the picturesque Guet Ndar district, home to fishermen of the Niominka and Lebou ethnic groups) – return to the hotel - dinner at the hotel – after dinner, stroll with the tour leader - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for the holy city of Touba, capital of Mouridism and a place of pilgrimage for thousands of Senegalese Muslims – visit of the city that rose from the desert and of its beautiful mosque, never entirely completed, one of the most beautiful and largest mosques in Africa, run by the "marabouts", spiritual guides of the Mouride community, whose creed is based on work and faith in God – lunch in a restaurant in Kaolack, a town that is an unavoidable crossroads on the road to the south and south-east of Senegal - the Trans-Gambia Highway also starts here, linking the north of the country with the south across the enclave of The Gambia - Kaolack and its region are the most important centre of the groundnut trade, the country's main source of wealth - the town has an important river port on the Saloum linking it to the Atlantic Ocean - in the afternoon continuation to Toubacouta – dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure – tour leader available - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day excursion in the Saloum Delta Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - we set off by boat to visit the islands of the Saloum Delta through the bolongs (brackish channels rich in mangroves), discovering this magnificent and varied landscape, with areas populated by abundant birdlife and the villages of the Niominka fishermen – stop at the village of Sipo to relax, with the chance to swim – picnic lunch – evening return to the lodge - dinner at the hotel - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Fatick to meet the Saltigués, diviners and healers who are highly respected in Senegal - we cross the Saloum delta by ferry and continue to Joal, birthplace of the former President and poet Léopold Sédar Senghor - we continue on foot across a wooden bridge to the islet of Fadiouth, built up by man through the continuous deposit of shells - visit of the village and of the shell cemetery - visit of the harbour - lunch in a restaurant - continuation to Saly - check-in at the hotel - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – transfer to Dakar – in the morning guided tour of Dakar (the modern centre with Independence Square and the Presidential Palace, the Grand Mosque, the Cathedral, the residential district of Fann) – lunch in a restaurant – in the afternoon ferry to Gorée Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - visit of the island (the House of Slaves, the Church of St Charles Borromeo, the Fort with the Memorial to the Martyrs, the Historical Museum with the door to the sea through which the slaves were embarked) - return by ferry to Dakar - dinner in a restaurant – after dinner, Dakar by night: stroll with the tour leader and return to the hotel by private coach – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning guided visit of the Museum of Black Civilisations (a new museum opened in December 2018 and the second most important museum in Africa) and of the Kermel or Sandaga market - lunch in a restaurant – afternoon at leisure for individual visits and/or shopping - tour leader available - evening transfer to the airport – dinner at leisure - departure from Dakar on scheduled Ita Airways flights back to Italy – overnight flight.

In flight – arrival in Italy.