The bird-watching safari at Madeleine Island is made by pirogue from Soumbedioune, to one of the smallest national parks in Senegal. A guide, binoculars and a notebook are included, so you can watch and photograph red-billed tropicbirds, cormorants and terns off Dakar.

A bird park off Dakar

The outing combines bird watching, nature photography and a guided walk on the island’s rocky paths. Madeleine is known as “the bird island”: steep cliffs, lone baobabs, and low vegetation that opens up the view of birds in flight. It is home to one of the few colonies of red-billed tropicbirds, as well as great cormorants, terns, kites and Cape gannets.

The guide suggests stops near the nesting areas, to watch the tropicbirds’ courtship display or the cormorants fishing. The guide, the binoculars and a notebook are included. The best times are the morning and sunset, when the light sculpts the cliffs and the birds are active. A telephoto lens of 200 mm or more and sun protection are recommended; keen birders will bring their own binoculars.

The park fees are payable on site, on top of the price: entry to the national park, the pirogue crossing (per person) and the park guide (per group), with a sunshade as an option. The amounts are shown in the dedicated section of the page.

If you live in Dakar, it is a half day of escape a short hop from the city, a change from the usual beaches. If you are visiting, it is a good example of nature in the capital itself, useful to fit into a stay that does not leave Dakar.

Soumbedioune, the crossing and the island

The departure is from Soumbedioune, on the west coast of Dakar. The pirogue crossing leads to a site that remains both an ecological refuge and a place tied to the Lebou culture of the capital. The Madeleine Islands page tells the story of the national park, and the Dakar Region gives the wider setting.

Other nature escapes around Dakar

Other island excursions are available, including Gorée Island for a cultural outing. To stay with watching wildlife, the bird watching category brings together the country’s bird outings, and safaris offer other ways to watch wildlife.