PRACTIC INFORMATIONS
HOW TO GET HERE
All flights to the North of Senegal land at Blaise Diagne International Airport, in the village of Diass – in Thies region.
To get to Mar Lodj from Diass, you’ll have to go through Ndangane, where you’ll take the pirogue that crosses the island.
There are different options to get through Ndangane:
- Take a private taxi from the airport to Ndangane – it will cost you around 50000CFA. (we can give you the contact details for the taxi if you need them or arrange one for you).
- Take a collective taxi / setplas – it will cost you around 21500FCA and you can take it from the Taxi Station in Thies. You’ll need to ask for the departures once you are at the station, since there is no fixed timetable.
- Take a bus / tata – it will cost you around 17000CFA. You’ll have to take it from the Thies Bus Station and check the schedule there.
It is a distance of around 100km and it can take you from 2 to 5 hours to get here depending on the transport that you choose.
Once in Ndangane, you’ll have to get to the pier to get a pirogue to Mar Lodj Island.
These are the options you have to cross the river:
- Public and collective pirogue – 300 CFA. It doesn’t have a fixed timetable for departures.
- Private pirogue – from 12000 FCA per boat.
- Book in advance the Nguel du Saloum pirogue.
From the pier in Mar Lodj to our home, it will take you around 3 minutes!
There is no need to get a visa to visit Senegal since 2015, but you need to take your passport with you.
PREPARE YOUR BAG
The weather is hot in Senegal, so you should bring comfortable and summer clothes to wear during the day, and some long sleeve or pants for night time.
It is very important that you get plenty of sun protection. And don’t forget your beachwear and towel!
We recommend you to bring your photo camera and a lantern that can be very useful at night.
At home, we will provide you with bedclothes, mosquito nets, dishes, games…
You should prepare a small basic medicine kit, and don’t forget a mosquito repellent.
You’ll need your passport to travel through the country so make sure you take it with you all the time!
HEALTH
In the village you’ll be able to find a small chemist with very basic medicine. The closest health center to where we are is in Fimla (about 7km from Ndangane), where you can also find a bigger chemist. The nearest hospital is in Fatick.
Even though malaria is present in Senegal, one of the least affected regions of the country is the Sine Saloum Delta thanks to the fact that both the land and the water are salted. Hence, this is one of the areas where the mosquito that transmits paludism is less present.
TIME DIFFERENCE
Senegal is in the same time zone as Canary Islands, so it has a time difference with the Iberic Peninsula of 1 or 2 hours less, depending on the time of the year. So if, for example, it is 12:00pm in the Peninsula, it is 11am in Senegal (during autumn and winter) and 10am (on spring and summer).
CLIMATE
Senegal has a tropical weather with two differentiated seasons: dry season (between the months of November and June) and rain season (from July to October).
The climate in Senegal varies depending on the region you visit. In Sine Saloum Delta region, the Atlantic Ocean helps to smooth temperatures and they normally move between the 16ºC and the 30ºC.
During Rain Season, temperature is higher, flora blooms and you can see a great variety of birds. During Dry Season, temperatures are smoother. You can enjoy the sun and the beaches throughout the whole year as well as visiting and discovering this amazing place and its surroundings.
Gen | Feb | Mar | Abr | Mai | Jun | Jul | Ago | Set | Oct | Nov | Des |
15 - 25ºC | |
25ºC i més |