The bird-watching safari in the Saloum Delta offers two outings: Bird Island in 2 hours, or a half day that adds Palmarin and the coloured salt pits. Guide, binoculars and notebook are included; the access permit for the marine protected area is payable on site.

Bird Island, in 2 hours or a half day

The Sine-Saloum Delta is a UNESCO-listed territory that combines mangroves, bolongs, sandbanks, forests and small islands. It shelters more than 300 bird species, migrants and residents. The area is renowned for the royal tern, a world breeding site, but also holds grey and white pelicans, lesser flamingos, Goliath herons, ospreys, avocets and bee-eaters.

Two options are offered, priced per person: the outing to Bird Island (2 hours) and a half day combining Bird Island, Palmarin and coloured salt pits. The safari is made on foot, by pirogue or by bike, with a naturalist guide who leads you to the best nesting sites: islets, mudflats, salt pans, flooded forests. Mornings and late afternoons offer the best light and peak bird activity; the dry season, from November to April, coincides with the highest presence of migrants.

The guide, the binoculars and a notebook are included. The access permit for the marine protected area is an official fee payable on site, on top of the price: its rate differs by visitor profile, Senegalese resident or foreigner, and the amount is shown in the dedicated section of the page. Around the bolongs, you also come across dolphins, manatees or patas monkeys.

If you live in Senegal, it is an outing that is easy to combine with a weekend in the delta. If you are visiting, it is the most concrete way to see a world-class bird-watching site, with someone who knows where to look.

The Saloum, around Palmarin

The Saloum is about 150 km south of Dakar. The half day goes via Palmarin, a village on the delta coastline, known for its salt works. The Sine-Saloum Delta page traces the history of the area, Sine-Saloum brings together its offers, and the Fatick region gives the setting.

To continue

To complete the picture, bird watching brings together the country’s other outings, the pirogue ride lets you get close to the islets, and the island excursion goes further into the delta.