TRAVEL TIPS: FROM LAGOS TO DAKAR

I finally made it to Senegal!

Instagram had me curious as to what Senegal had to offer. Glad that is ticked off now as I was able to visit.

Here are some of the to-dos ahead of your trip from Lagos, Nigeria to Dakar-Saly, Senegal.

1.) PASSPORT:

A visa is required when visiting Senegal, except of course you are visiting from a visa-exempt country or West African country.

As a Nigerian, your Nigerian passport will give you entry into Senegal, as all West African countries do not require a visa.

However, if you are flying from Nigeria and do not have a Nigerian passport or your passport is expired and you decide to go to Senegal for an occasion or vacation, you can quickly apply for an ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) passport.

It cost less than N50,000 and you can get in within two days. (From my experience). A passport photograph is required and some form of Identification e.g. NIN.

2.) COVID-19 TEST RESULTS:

You are required to present a Negative PCR Covid-19 test just before you board your flight from Nigeria to Senegal. The test should also be valid upon arrival in Senegal.

However, if you have been fully vaccinated, you can present your vaccination card.

3.) MONEY:

The currency accepted in Senegal is the West African CFA franc. You can either change your USD/any other foreign currency at the Blaise Diagne International Airport, Senegal.

You also have the option of changing money in town or at your hotel. I however would recommend changing some money into their local currency at the airport before heading into town. So you can pay for your cab and have some cash with you.

4.) AIRPORT PICKUP:

I recommend having your hotel send airport pick-up, if you cannot speak French. There are cab drivers outside the airport who will approach you and also try to negotiate.

Unfortunately, most of them do not speak English and might end up being a hassle for you to communicate your destination and price.

5.) AIRLINE:

At the time of my trip, there were only two available airline options- Air Peace and Asky. These airlines do not fly to Dakar every day and mostly go twice a week.

Air Peace was the cheaper option between both airlines. Remember to leave room for delays.

6.) LANGUAGE

Senegal is a French-speaking country. It would help if you spoke French but you also come across people who can speak very good English as well. 3 out of 5 persons can speak English, so you will be fine if you do not speak or understand French.

7.) HOTEL OPTIONS

During my search for hotels in Dakar, it occurred to me that there weren’t many options. Your options are either an expensive hotel or a fairly priced hotel which obviously would have several downsides.

Some of the top hotels I found where: Pullman Dakar Teranga, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar Sea Plaza and Boma Lifestyle Hotel. After so much deliberation, I ended up staying at Pullman Dakar Teranga.

Till next time...x