Siné-Saloum Delta travel guide

Places to visit in the Siné-Saloum Delta

Djifer

The rustic fishing village of Djifer is reached on an erratic unsurfaced road. Dolphins and other marine creatures are often seen from the village, and the local pirogue sailors are noted for their exceptional skills, making it an excellent spot for informal trips deeper into the delta. From here, it is possible to visit the little fishing villages of Dionevar and Niodior, built on islets in the winding estuary waters that face the part of the Sangomar peninsula that has now become an island.

Ndangane

Set on a wide bolong with good fishing grounds on both sides, the rapidly expanding village of Ndangane is the main tourist focus on the northern shores of the delta. The village, whose name derives from the Serer word for harbour, consists of two parts, connected by a kilometre-long dirt road along a causeway fringed by salty mudflats that teem with wading birds. Most tourists end up at the smaller but more developed sector, which lies at the end of the surfaced road, leading down to a muddy beach packed densely with pirogues offering trips out into the delta. This part of Ndangane consists of maybe 300 metres/yards of road packed densely on either side with lodges, restaurants, bars and craft shops, and its incongruity is accentuated by its isolation from Ndangane proper, a fishing village of approximately 1,000 people that is seldom visited by tourists. Having made a short tour of the village and its surrounds, don’t miss out on a boat trip into the delta, following the river southwest along a sandy spit inhabited by large groups of waders and waterfowl.

Mar Lodj

Across the creek, about 20 minutes from Ndangane by pirogue, Mar Lodj is one of the largest islands in the delta, extending over about 150 sq km (60 sq miles), and it supports a population of 5,000 spread across four villages, of which the largest are Mar Fafako and Mar Lothie. Like much of the delta, Mar Lodj isn’t noted for its altitudinal vari­ation – the highest point isn’t even 10 metres (30ft) above sea level – but its cover of moist woodland and savannah supports an exceptionally varied birdlife, as do the channels that enclose it. A row of likeable but little-used campements lines the island’s shore, their aura of remote rusticity enhanced by the island’s lack of electricity (they are powered by generators or solar panels, but it’s a good idea to bring a torch). A popular landmark on Mar Lodj is a heavily buttressed fromager (kapok) tree whose trunk has become intertwined with those of an African mahogany and a borassus palm – locals have claimed this particularity as symbolic of the peaceful coexistence of the island’s Muslim, Christian and animist populations.

Toubacouta

This sprawling small town runs north of the main road to the south bank of the Bandiala River. Set among tall mangroves on a thickly wooded stretch of the shore, Toubacouta is easily one of the most beautiful spots of the delta. It is also home to some of the finest hotels in the Siné-Saloum region, notably the excellent Hôtel Keur Saloum and Les Palétuviers. A legend among the game-fishing community, the Hôtel Keur Saloum has been organising angling expeditions into the delta and open ocean for decades, but similar excursions can be arranged through several other operators. Toubacouta is also well placed for wildlife enthusiasts, as it offers regular excursions to the Ile des Oiseaux, which is a seasonal home to 40,000 nesting terns, and is better-placed for game drives into the national park and Réserve de Fathala than any other lodge. As the closest access point to the delta from Banjul (Gambia) and the furthest from Dakar, Toubacouta attracts more English- and Dutch-­speaking tourists than most other parts of Senegal.

Réserve de Fathala

Tel: 33 637 9455

Open to the public since 2003, Fathala is a 20 sq km (8 sq miles) reserve of thick tree savannah. Clearly modelled on the Réserve de Bandia, Fathala has been stocked with indigenous wildlife from both Bandia and Niokolo-Koba parks, including roan antelope, kob, buffalo and Defassa waterbuck, as well as a pair of white rhino and trio of giraffes of Southern African stock, and it also hosts good numbers of naturally occurring mammals such as green monkey, patas monkey, Guinea baboon, bushbuck, red-flanked duiker, warthog, forest buffalo and side-striped jackal. For serious wildlife enthusiasts, the big draw here is a herd of 17 western giant eland, which has been introduced from Niokolo-Koba and might well represent around 10 percent of the wild global population of this endangered subspecies of the world’s largest antelope. Most of these species are likely to be seen in the course of a two–three hour guided game drive, as is an excellent variety of woodland birds, ranging from the dashing Abyssinian roller to the handsome palmnut vulture.The Forest of Fathala is sadly being threatened by excessive livestock grazing from the surrounding villages, intensive illegal logging, fruit and bark gathering and poaching. Self-drive visitors must have a 4x4 and can arrange guides on the spot, but open-sided safari vehicles with drivers are also on offer to visitors.