21 October 2009 - The Times - Tony Dawe
An intriguing landscape in the wilds of Africa, with a thousand flamingos pirouetting in ponds, a jackal loping across the sandy plain and hawks hovering above, is now within easy reach of British holidaymakers.
Twice-weekly flights from the UK, via Brussels, land in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, where the Senegal Experience is ready to lead holidaymakers to a very foreign land. As the tarmac road runs out 140km south of the capital, four-wheel-drive vehicles follow tracks across the sand, barely disturbing the wildlife, en route to the Sine Saloum Delta.
Behind an endless stretch of sandy beaches bordering the Atlantic is a network of slow-flowing rivers, lined by mangrove swamps, and gentlyrippling lagoons with baobab trees, like illustrations from a Roald Dahl book, dotted along the shores. This is a land where vehicles are replaced by horse-drawn buggies and pirogues, the rickety wooden boats powered by a single white sail and a paddle, expertly handled by local fishermen.
A few simple yet charming hotels and lodges, all with their own swimming pools and viewing terraces, are hidden in the delta, providing a perfect base for bush walks, bird spotting, river fishing and sailing trips.
At the Lodge des Collines, the choice of accommodation includes a bedroom in a baobab tree with a bathroom beneath and a thatched lodge on the lagoon, with a simple shower fed by rainwater and pails of hot water carried from the kitchen across a pontoon. A week in a tree house at the lodge costs from £1,279, with a flight from Gatwick on December 12, transfers and half-board.
Beyond the hills that give the lodge its name lies a fascinating industrial landscape: dozens of pools full of dark water with conical mounds of salt beside them. Local families tend to own enough land to excavate three of four ponds, with the men digging out the sand while their women, often with small children on their backs, gather salt in raffia baskets.
At Hotel Keur Saloum, perched above rivers that meander into the distance in each direction farther south in the delta, guests may choose between a simple, circular thatched African bungalow or a spacious suite with river views. A week’s half-board from November 27 is from £809, with a flight to The Gambia and transfer via ferry and bus.
For those who want to see more of the country, tours head out from Dakar by 4x4, boat and even camel, to the natural beauty of the Pink Lake, the old colonial town of Saint-Louis, the ochre dunes of the Lompoul Desert and national parks with an astonishing array of birds and wildlife. A Senegal Experience seven-night panorama tour from November 28 costs from £1,699, with a flight to Dakar, all meals, accommodation and excursions.
While exploring the delta and the desert guarantees a memorable holiday, Senegal is an equally suitable destination for soaking up winter sunshine, with the temperatures heading above 30C from November to March and minimal rainfall.
The resort of Saly, 80km south of Dakar, offers four and five-star hotels beside palm-fringed, sandy beaches and with facilities one would expect from properties popular with French and Belgian tourists and ex-patriates. A week’s B&B at the Hotel Espadon costs from £949, with a flight to Dakar on December 5 and transfers.
Guests eager to see some wildlife during their holiday need travel only a few kilometres to the Bandia Animal Reserve, 3,700 acres of woodland, sand and streams which are home to local species — many reintroduced from South Africa after they had died out in this region.
Powerful antelope and delicate impala lope through the bush, rhinoceros wallow in muddy ponds and crocodiles lounge on the edge of a lake, visible from a pleasant bar and restaurant. So, there’s the choice in Senegal: watch the wildlife in comfort or seek it out by boat or buggy.
www.senegal.co.uk —0845 3388706
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