Saint-Louis

Saint-Louis is a city and a world heritage site on the Grande Cote in Northern Senegal, at the mouth of Senegal River which serves as the border with Mauritania. With some 259,000 inhabitants (2021), it's the country's eighth largest city.

Understand
The city of Saint-Louis is about 260 km north of Dakar on the coast and spreads across the mainland (Sor), Île de N’Dar (the Island), and the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula. The mainland is connected to the historical island, which is just 2 km long and 400 m wide, via the Pont Faidherbe Bridge, which was rebuilt in 2011.

The Île de N’Dar is linked to the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula via the Pont Mustapha Malick Gaye Bridge; the peninsula is home to the beautiful beaches of the Hydrobase as well as part of Langue de Barbarie National Park. Also accessible from Saint-Louis are the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj and the Réserve Spéciale de Faune de Guembeul.

Saint-Louis was founded in 1659 as a fortification and was known as St-Louis-du-Fort to distinguish it from other places with the same name in the French Empire. The area had already earlier been an important trading point, but the island where the colonial city was founded was uninhabited as natives thought it was haunted.

During the age of colonization, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the town changed hands between the French and British a couple of times, and became one of the most important cities in West Africa, both culturally, economically and politically. It served as the capital of French West Africa until 1902, and capital of French Mauritania until 1957. Today Saint-Louis is more of a regional center, but the world heritage-listed old town reflects its glorious past.

By plane
Saint-Louis has an airport, but there are no flights as of February 2020. The nearest major airport is the one in Dakar.

By car
If you have your own car, from Dakar take Route N2 all the way to Saint-Louis. It is approximately 260 km from Dakar.

At Dakar Airport you can hire a car with or without a guide/driver. Prices with a guide start at roughly CFA 20,000 per day and increase depending on quality of the vehicle.

By bus
The easiest way to get to Saint-Louis from Dakar is in a sept-place, which is a seven-passenger station wagon. They leave from the main station in Dakar (also called Pompier). You wait at the station for the car to be full, which means the rest of the passengers are heading for Saint-Louis as well, so it's a direct trip. The going rate is about 5000 CFA. To rent out an entire sept-place it should cost about CFA 33,000-35,000.

Mini cars (vans) from Gare Pompier in Dakar to St. Louis (tourists on a tight budget): mini cars cost CFA3,500 from Dakar to St. Louis and you would have to pay a small amount for baggage (CFA 100-500 maximum for most suitcases or bags). Carry valuable items with you personally – not in baggage which will be carried elsewhere. Sometimes things of value inside can go missing. Also prepare yourself for a long day. These cars have a top cruising speed of about 50 km/h and make frequent stops.

Ndiaga Ndiaye (pronounced jegg-in-jaay) (big white Mercedes buses) from Gare Pompier in Dakar to St. Louis (Tourists on a tight, tight budget): Ndiaga Ndiaye cost CFA 2,500 from Dakar to St. Louis and you will have to pay a small amount for baggage (CFA 100-500 maximum for most suitcases or bags). Carry valuable items with you personally – not in baggage which will be carried elsewhere. Sometimes things of value inside can go missing. Also prepare yourself for a long day. These buses have a top cruising speed of about 50 km/h and make frequent stops. They can also take several hours to depart considering that they fill all the seats before departure. Always look inside and count the seats which are open before paying for your pass. Operators often lie about how many seats are left in order to get more clients and you could end up waiting for hours at the gare, which is not always pleasant.

Senegal Demm Dikk runs air conditioned buses from Dakar to Saint-Louis departing in the morning. These are comfortable and ultimately not much more expensive than taking a Sept-Place.

By taxi
You should be able to get a personal taxi from Dakar airport to St. Louis or Mouit for around CFA 60,000 depending on the condition of the taxi and negotiation skills. (4 people maximum.)

By train
Although there are tracks and a colonial railway station, trains have not served Saint-Louis since around 2003.

By public transport
You can usually count on taxis fares in Saint-Louis to be a solid fixed rate of 500 CFA. From the garage (gare routiere) to downtown or at night expect to pay 600 CFA. There is a fairly decent "car rapide" public transport system that shouldn't cost more than 100 CFA for your average stretch. On the Island of Ndar, there are caleche rides designed for site-seeing tourists. However, most of the historic city is easily accessible by foot.

By bike or scooter
To see more of Saint-Louis, why not rent a scooter or a bicycle, this is a great way to cover more ground and to explore some places that you might not be able to reach on foot. Located on the corner of Rue Blanchot and Quai Roume on the island. Scooters are available for 10,000 CFA/day and bikes for 5,000 CFA/day.

See
Saint-Louis was founded in 1659 and named after the French King Louis XIV in the 1700s, it is the oldest city to be created by Europeans on the western coast of Africa and served as the capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957. It played an important cultural and economic role in the whole of West Africa, a stroll around the Ville (as the cab drivers know it as) quickly reveals the French colonial influence.

Many of the buildings hold their old character with many brightly colored buildings and beautiful balconies to be seen all around the island. The island was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000. Be sure to stop into the Syndicat d’Initiative of Saint-Louis in the Governance building opposite the bridge and pick up the urban walk they have mapped out.



Langue de Barbarie Peninsula
On the Langue de Barbarie Peninsula you can check out the fishing village of Guet N’Dar and watch the bustling fish market and catch glimpses of the colorful pirogues that are used for fishing. Further down on the Guet N’Dar is the fisherman cemetery and past that is the Hydrobase, a great place to spend a day at the beach. Occupying the very south end of the Peninsula is part of Langue de Barbarie National Park which is home to a variety of bird species.

Guided tours
There are two main tour operators that offer tours in and around the Saint-Louis area and northern Senegal, Sahel Decouverte and Saint Louis Jeunesse Voyages. Contact either of these for their offerings but some of the different daily tours include, a tour of the Island, the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj, the Parc National de Langue de Barbarie and also a boat ride along the Senegal River to see mangrove trees. If you have more time there are longer trips available and it is best to contact the agencies below for the most up to date offerings. Another good resource is the Syndicat d’Initiative which also has a smaller offering of tours.



Learn
For those that are staying longer, classes in Wolof and French can be taken at the French Cultural Center, see the contact information above.

Buy
Saint-Louis offers a lot by way of shopping, you can check out the large market on the mainland as well as a smaller market on Guet N’Dar which if you look hard enough you can find boutiques filled with fabric down the side streets or you can check out any number of the small shops on the island to get your fix of locally made items and other tourist type offerings. Boutiques selling everything from water and candy to ice cream and basic staples can be found on just about every block as well throughout all of Saint-Louis.

Tourist markets
There are many boutiques on the island that sell locally made items, such as clothing, wood carvings, jewelry, post cards and many other Senegalese crafts. Check out Chez Adja Sokho Creations where the owner serves as designer and then has the designs made in Saint-Louis, located on Rue Blanchot and Rue Blaise Diagne. Also visit the fair trade shop of Keur Fall where the items in the store come from one of fifteen villages in the Diourbel region that make up an association called Ndem, the store is located on the Quai Roume. Another nice place to shop is the Galerie N’Dar, Cadeau and Souvenir Mama Africa, on Rue Blaise Diagne. You will also find an Artisanal Village on the main land of the Rue De La Corniche, be prepared to bargain when you visit here and be prepared to be hassled.

Supplies & provisions
A boutique can be found on nearly every block, you will find the boutiques stocked with snacks, sodas, and other beverages but for those looking to do some cooking themselves check out Exotica and D.S.K. Mini Prix both located on the Island on the Rue Khalifa Ababacar Sy both of which offer a larger selection of Western foods.

Gasoline
Fuel can be purchased at any one of the gas stations on the mainland. You will find gas stations along the Rue de la Corniche as you come into Saint-Louis from the south. There is also an Oil Libya off the Route N2 as you head north out of town and there are many stations along the Avenue General de Gaulle as well.

Daily market
The market runs daily up the Avenue General de Gaulle and offers vegetables, fruit, clothing, fabric, you can pretty much find anything you need here, including used clothing that comes from America and Europe, keep your eyes open for a chance to find some cast off t-shirts that are always good for a laugh. Wander down any of the side streets from the main market and you will find additional fabric stores, clothing stores, tailors and boutiques. Check out the smaller, less hectic market on Guet N’Dar just as you cross over the bridge, a walk down the side streets from the market reveals boutiques stuffed to the brim with different fabrics and tailors hard at work.

Eat
Given that Saint-Louis is a hot destination for French-speaking tourists and a home to many foreign-born residents, the offerings are plentiful on the island for food and drink. You can stop at any one of the unassuming Tangana shacks for Senegalese food or a simple sandwich which can be found in great numbers on both the Mainland or the Island or check out some of the restaurants and bars listed below for something a little different. Also don't be afraid to stop at one of the many sandwich stands set up on the street or any of the other street foods. You can also drink a cup of Nescafe or Cafe Touba for under 100 CFA at many places along the street. In general you will find that it is cheaper to have a drink on the main land as opposed to the Island.

Budget




Mid-range








Langue de Barbarie Peninsula




Religious services
There are two Catholic churches in Saint-Louis, one on the island and another on Sor.

Go next

 * Parc National de la Langue de Barbarie - Located just 18 km (11 miles) south of Saint Louis in the region of Gandiol, the park is home to over 160 different species of bird as well as other animals and is a great place for nature lovers, sightseers, photographers and bird watchers to visit. The park offers tours by boat, or explore on bike or by foot. There is a monthly bird count that visitors to the park can participate in that happens towards the end of each month, contact the park for details.


 * Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj - Located in the Senegal River Delta, this bird sanctuary is home to some 1.5 million birds covering 16,000 hectares and here you will find a wide variety of bird species. It is easy for bird lovers to take a day trip to the park and visit the third largest bird sanctuary in the world. The park is most easily accessible with an organized tour group which can be arranged through one of the agencies listed under the activities section. It was dedicated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1981.


 * Réserve Spéciale de Faune de Guembeul - This natural reserve is home to many bird species, mammals and reptiles as well as to the African Spurred Tortoise and is about 10km south of Saint-Louis.