Senegal & motorised leisure: a terrain for each vehicle
Do not look for a karting tradition here: there is not one, and the offer remains small. What makes this category interesting is that each vehicle sits right where its terrain is waiting for it.
Tarmac, on the Petite Côte. Karting follows the holidaymakers and the families. It has set up in Ngaparou, between the Somone and Saly, in the heart of the Petite Côte’s beach resort area.
Sand, at Lac Rose. North-east of Dakar, the dunes that separate the lake from the ocean are Senegal’s best-known motorised playground. The Paris–Dakar Rally very often held its finish here, from 1979 to 2007, and the Africa Eco Race still ends its route here every winter. On an off-road motorbike, you ride the same tracks, on your own scale.
Flat ground, in Saint-Louis. A water city set on the river delta, between the UNESCO-listed island and the Langue de Barbarie, Saint-Louis is effortless to get around. An electric scooter shows you the city and its coastline faster than on foot.
Formats: the session, the ride, the outing
- The karting session: 8 minutes for juniors, from age 7, in reduced-power karts; 10 minutes for adults, from age 14. A safety briefing before you set off, with kart, helmet and equipment provided.
- The motocross ride: a guided hour on the sand tracks and dunes around Lac Rose, motorbike and equipment included. It is a physical outing: keeping a motorbike upright in sand takes arms and attention.
- The electric scooter outing: half an hour for a first try, an hour to go further, along the coastline and tracks of Saint-Louis. No licence or experience needed.
Where to ride in Senegal
- Petite Côte: the karting track in Ngaparou, a few minutes from Saly and the Somone, and 1 to 1¾ hours from Dakar on the toll motorway. Quads and buggies are also ridden all around: see quad & buggy.
- Lac Rose: motocross, 45 minutes to an hour and a half from Dakar depending on traffic. Free access, with no entry fee. The lake’s pink colour varies with the season and the time of day: come for the dunes. See our Lac Rose page.
- Saint-Louis: the scooter, four to five hours’ drive from Dakar. One to plan during a stay there, not as a day trip.
No karting track in Dakar Region currently features in the catalogue: for a Dakar resident, the nearest outing is motocross at Lac Rose.
When to ride
These activities run all year round; it is the time of day that matters. Under a helmet and in full kit, the heat soon makes itself felt: go for the morning or late afternoon. The dry season, November–May, is the most comfortable. During the rainy season (hivernage), July to October, a downpour can make a track slippery or push back an outing. In the dunes, the wind quickly whips up the sand: goggles and a scarf over your mouth make the hour on the motorbike far more pleasant. In Saint-Louis, the end of the day brings the softest light over the river.
Good to know & budget
Safety. A helmet is provided and compulsory for all three activities; in Saint-Louis, a high-visibility vest is added. Come in closed shoes and comfortable clothes, never in flip-flops. Listen to the whole briefing, even if you know how to drive.
Minimum age. At the karting track, 7 for junior sessions and 14 for adult sessions. The motocross and scooter listings give no age: state the age of each participant when you book.
Price unit: read it before you compare. Karting: per session and per driver, one kart for one person. Scooter: per person. Motocross: a group rate, from two people: the amount covers the outing, not each rider. Divide it by the number of participants before comparing it with another activity.
The price shown on each listing is the price of the activity, equipment included; drinks and meals are at your own expense. You pay 20% to secure your booking (the booking fee). The balance is paid on site, on the day. There are no additional official fees. If you live in Senegal, you get the resident rate: up to 30% off (the exact rate, specific to each activity, is shown on its listing).
Who is it for?
Karting is the family activity in this category: parents and children aged 7 and over drive the same afternoon, each in their own session. Motocross is for fit adults who want real thrills. The scooter suits anyone who wants to see Saint-Louis differently.
If you are a resident, keep the Ngaparou karting for a weekend on the Petite Côte with the children, and the Lac Rose motocross for a Saturday with friends, an hour from home. If you are a visitor, do not cross the country for one vehicle: take the one that is on your route. A karting session if you are staying in Saly, an hour on a motorbike if you pass through Lac Rose, a scooter outing if your trip takes you up to Saint-Louis.
On 4 January 2008, the day before the start in Lisbon, the Paris–Dakar Rally was cancelled for security reasons in Mauritania. That year, no driver came to finish the race on the shores of Lac Rose, and from the following year the rally left for South America. The sand stayed behind. People still ride it, on motorbikes, just more slowly, and with a guide out in front.
Frequently asked questions
From what age can you go karting in Senegal?
At the Ngaparou karting track, junior sessions are open from age 7, in reduced-power karts, and adult sessions from age 14. They last 8 and 10 minutes respectively.
Is the motocross price at Lac Rose per person?
No. The motocross ride has a group rate, from two people. Divide the amount by the number of participants to compare it with an activity paid per person.
Do you need a licence or experience?
For the electric scooter in Saint-Louis, neither a licence nor experience is required. Karting starts with a safety briefing. The motocross ride is guided, but keeping a motorbike upright in sand is still physical.
Is equipment provided?
Yes. A helmet and equipment are provided for all three activities, with a high-visibility vest for the scooter.
How is this different from the Quad & buggy category?
Quads and buggies are driven off-road, in the dunes or the bush, and have their own category. Here you’ll find track karting, motocross and the electric scooter.
