The buggy ride at Lake Retba (the Pink Lake) is a 45-minute or one-hour trek through the dunes, on the tracks that run beside the salt lake, in a vehicle you drive seated and belted in, with a steering wheel and pedals. From age 16, no licence needed, with a guide, helmet and safety briefing.

A buggy rather than a quad

The buggy carries two people: a driver and a passenger. You drive it seated and belted in, like a car, with a steering wheel and two pedals. It is a good fit for couples and for families with teenagers, for whom a quad can feel more intimidating. No licence is required, and the minimum age is 16.

The outing starts with a safety briefing and an introduction to the controls: lines through the sand, group instructions. A guide then leads the group along the tracks that border the lake, through the dunes, past Fulani villages and along old Paris-Dakar Rally tracks, with photo stops. On the return leg, a stop at the water’s edge lets you watch the salt gatherers at work. The driving lasts 45 minutes or 1 h depending on the package; counting the briefing, the equipment and the breaks, allow about 1 h 15 on site for the 45-minute outing.

What is provided

The buggy, the helmet and protective gear, the guide and the safety briefing are included. Meals and sunglasses are not: bring sunglasses, a scarf, closed shoes and sun cream. The activity runs all year round.

Lake Retba, between the Sahel and the Atlantic

Lake Retba, known as the Pink Lake, lies about thirty kilometres north-east of Dakar. Its waters take on pink, orange or violet tints depending on the time of day and the season; the site is known as the finish line of the Paris-Dakar Rally. If you live in Dakar, it is a weekend outing that is easy to organise; if you are visiting, it is a postcard of the country to experience differently than on foot. The Lake Retba page lists the activities there, and our page on the Pink Lake tells the story of the site, the salt and the dunes.

Around the lake

The buggy combines with other ways of seeing the lake: a horse or dromedary ride, a pirogue ride or a 4×4 outing to go further into the dunes.