Saint Louis is an island in Senegal which used to be the capital of French Africa. Things to do in Saint Louis include;
- UNESCO world heritage site, Saint Louis Island
- Nightlife and restaurants
- Colorful Fishing Boats
- Pont Faidherbe (bridge)
- Trips to Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Bird watching)
- Trips to La Broussarde
- Bus from Saint Louis to Dakar
I would recommend staying on St Louis Island, it’s the safest place in St Louis area and tourists are welcome. There are many good value hotels and restaurants on the Island.
UNESCO world heritage site, St Louis Island
St Louis was the capital city of French Africa until 1902, therefore you’ll see lots of French colonial buildings. Most cities that you visit with colonial buildings will have had them maintained in some way. In Saint Louis, Senegal you’ll see what happens to French colonial buildings when they are not maintained. The streets or houses are not paved and there is garbage everywhere. There are nicer parts to Saint Louis Island but you’ll witness that a lot of it hasn’t been well kept. I wouldn’t recommend walking up this street with your camera (above)!
As you walk around the island you’ll be approached by hecklers trying to sell their African art, Senegal t-shirts or a horse drawn carriage tour around the city.
Nightlife and restaurants on Saint Louis Island
As you’re on an island, fresh seafood is a good choice. I highly recommend some poisson (that’s French for fish), lot’s of restaurants will be serving good value fresh fish. It’s worth noting that the deeper you go into West Africa, the less likely you’ll be able to find the good quality food that’s served in the restaurants of Saint Louis. If you decide to go out for a beer, La Gazelle is a good choice!
Hotel de la Poste
The buildings that have been well maintained and restored are found around the center of the island. One of the buildings which still holds its charm from the French colonial days is the Hotel de la Poste. As a result, the famous place to stay in Saint Louis is Hotel de la Poste. As well as being the most respected hotel on the island they have a tour desk where you can book tours to La Broussarde or Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Bird watching).
Colorful Fishing Boats
You’ll see many fishing boats moored around the island. These colorful boats offer the best photography opportunities on the island. Especially if you combine a colorful boat with a beautiful sunset! I wouldn’t recommend walking around the island at night with your camera, but during the day I felt safe enough.
Pont Faidherbe (bridge)
The Pont Faidherbe bridge is over 500 meters long and joins Saint Louis Island to the mainland by crossing the Senegal river. You will cross this bridge when entering and leaving Saint Louis Island. I took a taxi to the long distance bush taxi rank which cost me 300-500 francs. The taxi drivers will try charge you as much as possible, don’t be afraid to tell them no and that you’ll find another taxi. They need the 300-500 francs more than they let on so will eventually take you and that price is probably too much anyway!
How to get from Saint Louis to Dakar
The price of a bush taxi (Sept place) to Dakar is 5000 francs, plus another 1000 for each piece of baggage. Did low cost airlines around the world get the idea of charging extra for baggage from the bush taxis of Africa? Maybe! The journey to Dakar takes around 4 hours by bush taxi and the traffic going into Dakar is pretty heavy. I was arriving midday, well before rush hour and the traffic was still heavy. Furthermore, the bush taxi does not go on the tollway. The final destination of the taxi is the Beaux Maraichers Gare Routiere which is still quite a way outside of Dakar.
So lovely to read about this destination. I have never heard of it before and it seems like a hidden gem. Need to put Senegal and St. Louis on my list.
Uggghhh….no thanks!
I’d love to see Africa but St. Louis looks pretty grim and by the sounds of it, a little unsafe, filthy and with hassle from hecklers and rip-off taxi drivers. All in all, going by your post, it seems that the juice just ain’t worth the squeeze!
Wow I heard so many positive things on Senegal. I would love to travel there. The colours are so vibrant!
Gosh you can still see the French influence here. Even if it hasn’t been maintained. DId you end up going on a horse drawn tour of the city?
I have to say, interesting place to travel – I’m too scared to visit places in this part of the world!
Thanks for letting us in on St Louis, James. The architecture is cool regardless of whether it has been maintained or not but I’m kinda glad I’m seeing it through your pics and not in person. 😉
This is the the first time I read an article on Senegal!! What a cool destination to add to the countries been list!
What an interesting part of history in Africa – its sad to see it go to ruin but you really captured the buildings amazingly.
I’m shocked how many people who’ve commented here have clearly misread your article. CFA1000 is about USD$1.65 not $1000! Obviously 4 hours in a taxi for the equivalent of $14.00 isn’t bad at all!
The French Influence is still evident within the town, some of the building look beautiful (although a little run down). And I love the architecture of the bridge – which is quite a feat at 500m long! I’m glad you felt relatively safe there, I would love to visit more of the Northern and Central African countries, but do feel a little trepidation at the thought!
So beautiful and authentic!
Wow you have been to some amazing places! I can’t wait to read more of your trip to Cape Town! How long did the entire trip take? Fascinating to see photographs of places I have never been to nor am likely to visit – but what an interesting experience!
Wow you could actually see French influence in St. Louis? I didn’t know that! There seem to be many attractions worth visiting, including the colorful fishing boats, Hotel de la Poste, and St. Louis Island! I would love to go on a trip to the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary for some bird watching as well!
I love the colonial architecture, and I’m sure you were in heaven photographing all of the colorful boats. Even though it is a bit run down, I’d love to visit, if only for the history alone!
Interesting read on St. Louis Island. Lots of history plus a UNESCO sight. The photos make the city look intriguing. I can not believe you get charged per bag from the bush taxi. Wow!
Such vibrant colours! It’s a shame the french colonial architecture is not maintained. Did you try the horse drawn carriage tour around the city?
I haven’t heard of Saint Louis, Senegal I need to visit more places outside of the US, and not just Canada!