Senegal Solo Female Travel Safety Tips and Advice

On this page you will find first-hand, unbiased, and real safety tips, advice and reviews from women traveling solo, submitted directly from their personal experiences in the country.

Their opinions are unfiltered and submitted independently as part of the Solo Female Travel Safety Index, a ranking of 210 countries and regions based on how safe they are for women traveling solo.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers.

You don’t need to login to read the below reviews. But do sign up or login to share your solo travel experiences, country safety rating and comments.

Senegal Country data

We have compiled a few data points below that can help you better understand Senegal and have more context when thinking about travel safety.

Official country name: Republic of Senegal.

Etymology: The country was named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country. Many theories exist for the origin of the river name. The most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river.

Capital: Dakar.

Independence / foundation: During the second half of the 19th century, France took possession of Senegal as a French colony. In 1959, the French colonies of Senegal and French Sudan were merged and granted independence in 1960 as the Mali Federation.

Population: 18 million.

Currency: West African CFA Franc (XOF)
1 USD = 599 - 609 XOF
1 EUR = 656 XOF

Time zone: UTC+0

Languages spoken: French (official), Wolof, Pular, Jola, Mandinka, Serer, Soninke.

Religions: Muslim 97% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 3% (mostly Roman Catholic).

Climate: Tropical, with hot and humid conditions. Rainy season from May to November with strong southeast winds. Dry season from December to April, dominated by the hot and dry harmattan wind.

Real GDP (ppp – purchasing power parity): $61.72 billion.

Real GDP per capita (ppp): $3,600.

Main airports: Blaise Diagne International Airport.

World heritage sites in Senegal

There are over 1,100 world heritage sites spread across more than 165 countries. New ones are added every year, and some may be removed from the list for various reasons.

Number of UNESCO listed sites: 7.

Top world heritage sites:

- Island of Gorée.
- Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary.
- Stone Circles of Senegambia.
- Niokolo-Koba National Park.
- Island of Saint-Louis.
- Saloum Delta.
- Bassari Country: Bassari, Fula and Bedik Cultural Landscapes.

Interesting facts about Senegal

- Some drivers in Senegal attach horse, sheep or cattle hair to their taxis for good luck.

- In 1966, American surf documentary film 'The Endless Summer' was part shot in Senegal. This movie put Senegal's surf scene on the map and it's now a growing surfing destination.

- Senegal is home to Fadiouth, a unique car-free island made entirely of clamshells including the houses, streets and cemeteries.

- 25 fishermen were mauled to death by “killer hippopotamuses” in the rivers of Senegal.

Further reading: N/A.

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Senegal Travel tips

More about Senegal on Solo Female Travelers

Coming soon.

Did you spot any errors? We do our best to keep this information updated and accurate, but things change. If you saw anything that is not right, let us know so we can fix it: [email protected].

About the Solo Female Travel Safety Index

Safety matters to solo female travelers, you told us so in our annual Solo Female Travel Survey, where year after year, women prove that this is their most important concern when traveling solo.

We wanted to do something about it, so we built these country-specific pages where you can find reviews and scores for 7 key variables affecting the safety of women traveling solo.

How to use the Safety Index

On this page, you will find the country score and the personal opinions on safety of other women traveling solo.

You can sort the comments by:

• The level of experience traveling solo of the reviewer (beginner = <5 trips solo, Intermediate = 5 to 10 trips solo, Experienced = >10 trips solo).
• The age of the traveler.
• Whether they are a visitor or local.
• The date they were posted.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers. 

Thus, the lower the score, the safer the country.

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Looking for more safety resources?

This entire website is devoted to helping women travel solo. Check out the links below to learn more:

Solo Female Travel Stats: Results from the the largest, most comprehensive and only global research study on solo female travel trends, preferences and behaviors published.

Thanks to Jacobo Vilella for creating the Solo Female Travelers Safety Index ❤️