Senegal & family outings: where and why here
Senegal is a country of children, and you will see it from your first Sunday outing. According to the latest general population census, half of all Senegalese are under 19. People rarely go out as a couple: cousins, an aunt and a grandmother come along, and the activity has to welcome everyone without turning into an expedition. That is why family leisure here is on a human scale. Little heavy infrastructure, plenty of nature close by, places where you can spread out a mat for the afternoon.
Almost all of it fits into a triangle. In Dakar, Hann Forest and Zoological Park (Hann Park), created in 1903, offers some sixty hectares of trees, a lake, an arboretum and play areas in the middle of the city. Come for the forest: the zoo draws repeated criticism over its facilities, and we do not recommend it as an outing. To the north-east, on the road to Lac Rose (Pink Lake), Tortoise Village (Village des Tortues) in Noflaye cares for and breeds endangered tortoises, including the African spurred tortoise, the continent’s largest land tortoise, which can approach 100 kilos. To the south, on the Petite Côte, Bandia Reserve offers a safari without the expedition: giraffes, rhinos, zebras and ostriches in fenced savannah, half an hour from Saly, with no lions or elephants.
Performance, for its part, belongs to the street before the stage. Contemporary circus is young in Senegal: it was born in Dakar some twenty years ago, around a social project with children. The simb, or false lion, is much older: a man made up as a big cat who charges at the crowd to the sound of drums, especially during the long school holidays. As for venues, the Grand National Theatre has since 2020 borne the name of Doudou Ndiaye Coumba Rose, the great master of the sabar drum.
Formats: the four families in this section
- Amusement & play parks: for burning off energy. An indoor play park in Point E, Dakar, welcomes children aged 6 months to 10 years with sensory areas, play frames and supervised activities, for 3 hours or the whole day, and a book of 5 entries for regulars. In Hann Park, combos of bikes, electric cars and kids’ quads keep little drivers busy in slots of 10 to 30 minutes.
- Animal parks: the best-stocked sub-category. It brings together a visit to Tortoise Village, two exotic parks, one on the shore of Lac Rose and the other in Nguéniène, where you can spend the day with a pool and a meal or picnic, and the Bandia and Fathala safaris, some formats of which add a supervised encounter with lions.
- Family days & children’s outings: the guide to choosing by age, and the activities designed first and foremost for children. Here you will find birthday entertainment at home in Dakar, massage for newborns, babies and children in Guédiawaye, and the Hann Park combos.
- Circus arts & shows: for stepping to the other side of the curtain. An acrobatics class in Dakar, open to children and adults alike, solo or as a pair, and a drama class in Saly, with no experience needed.
Safaris also feature in wildlife reserves & parks and safari.
Where to go with the family in Senegal
- Dakar: the city of short outings, which you can do without a car, or nearly. The indoor play park for the hottest days, the Hann forest for a green morning, acrobatics for children who cannot sit still, a birthday party at home. In the suburbs, Guédiawaye hosts the massages for little ones.
- Sangalkam and Lac Rose: the nature day just outside Dakar. Tortoises in the morning, the exotic park or the lakeshore in the afternoon. The pink colour of the lake varies with the season and the light: do not promise the children a fuchsia lake.
- The Petite Côte: the ideal base for a holiday with children. The Bandia safari, the exotic park in Nguéniène, drama in Saly and the beaches of the Somone combine into short days, with no long journeys.
- The southern Saloum: Fathala Reserve, near Missirah, for a safari in the forest, further from everything. The drive is long: best with children who are old enough, during a stay in the Saloum.
Elsewhere, in Saint-Louis or in Casamance, family outings tend to mean the beach and the river.
When to go
The dry season, November–May, is the most comfortable for anything outdoors: clear skies, cool mornings, animals easier to spot on safari. The rainy season (hivernage), July to October, brings sticky heat and sometimes violent downpours. That is the time to fall back on what happens under cover: the indoor play park, acrobatics, a birthday party at home.
With children, the time of day matters more than the month. Set off early, get back before the peak of the heat, go out again in the late afternoon. Bear the school calendar in mind too: the school year starts in early October and classes end in late July. Weekends and the long holidays fill up parks and beaches: arrive at opening time, or shift by a day if you want some peace.
Good to know & budget
The ideal bag is a short list: plenty of water, hats, sun cream, a snack, a change of clothes for the little ones and, for parks with a pool, swimsuits and towels. In play parks, stay within sight. On safari, children stay seated in the vehicle and do not feed any animal. Check the price unit: the birthday party at home is a group package, and for a safari, the listing tells you whether the price is per person or per vehicle.
On Que Faire Sénégal, the price shown for the activity is the price of the service. You pay 20% to secure your booking (the booking fee). The balance is paid on site, on the day. If you live in Senegal, you get the resident rate: up to 30% off (the exact rate is shown on each listing). For the Hann Park combos, park entry is payable on site and not included in the price. For the classes, the birthday party and the massage for little ones, there are no additional official fees. Options at the exotic parks, such as the pool or a meal, are detailed on their listings.
Who is it for?
For babies and toddlers, keep it short and gentle: the indoor play park from 6 months, a massage with the parent present, a bike ride in the shade of Hann. Children aged 4 to 10 are the core audience: giant tortoises, the giraffes of Bandia, electric cars, a pool day in an exotic park. Teenagers will prefer acrobatics or drama, a walk with the lions at Fathala or a sportier outing in adventure & outdoors.
If you live in Senegal, this section is your stock of ideas for weekends and school holidays: nearby outings you can repeat without tiring of them, a book of entries for the play park, and the resident rate that lightens the bill when you go out often. If you are visiting, stick to one simple rule: one big outing a day. Hann one morning, the tortoises and Lac Rose another day, Bandia from the Petite Côte: three successful days are worth more than a marathon that ends in tears in the back of the car.
At Bandia, children often ask the same question in front of the reserve’s giant baobabs: why are some of the trunks hollow? In Serer country, these trees were long used as burial places for griots, the masters of the spoken word, who were not laid in the ground like everyone else. The practice was abandoned decades ago, but the trees remain: a history lesson among the giraffes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a big amusement park in Senegal?
Not in the sense of the big European or American parks. What’s on offer is play parks, animal parks and nature outings, almost all in Dakar, around Lac Rose and on the Petite Côte.
Which outing should I choose with children under 3?
The indoor play park in Dakar, open from 6 months, a morning in the shade of Hann Park, or a baby massage with the parent present. Save safaris and long drives for later.
Is Hann zoo worth visiting?
We recommend the forest part of the park: shady paths, a lake, play areas. The zoo has drawn repeated criticism over its facilities; it isn’t an outing we recommend.
Can you see lions at Bandia?
No, Bandia Reserve has neither lions nor elephants: you’ll see giraffes, rhinos, zebras, antelopes, ostriches and crocodiles. Encounters with lions take place as part of dedicated formats, detailed on each listing, and at Fathala on a supervised walk.
What can we do with children during the rainy season?
Go for activities under cover: the indoor play park, acrobatics classes, a birthday party at home. For outdoor outings, set off early in the morning and keep an eye on the weather.
How do I book, and what is left to pay on site?
You pay 20% to secure your booking (the booking fee), and the balance is paid on site, on the day. Residents get the resident rate: up to 30% off depending on the activity. In Hann Park, park entry is paid on site and not included in the price; each listing states whether there are any additional official fees.
