The Guembeul Nature Reserve, about fifteen kilometres from Saint-Louis, is a bubble of protected nature around a lagoon. You see dama gazelles, oryx, spurred tortoises and many waterbirds on a guided visit of about 1 h 30, departing from Saint-Louis.

A reserve on a human scale

Guembeul is not a big park where you search for animals for hours: it is a small reserve, which you tour without hurrying, at the pace of the lagoon. The guided visit runs at a relaxed pace, good for watching and photography, and it suits families well. Bring binoculars and a cap. Because the reserve is small, the visit demands no particular effort, which makes it accessible to children and to adults who did not come to walk.

The accompanying guide and the visit of the reserve are included. The price is per person. Lunch and personal spending are not included.

What is paid on site

Entry to the reserve, free for children under 10, and a local guide are among the official fees: they are payable on site, on top of the price, at an indicative rate.

Between Saint-Louis and the Langue de Barbarie

Saint-Louis, a former colonial capital listed by UNESCO, is the starting point. The Guembeul Reserve page describes the site and its animals, and the page for the place, Guembeul, gathers the offers. The reserve fits naturally between two stops, when you have an hour to spare between the town and the river mouth. Saint-Louis lies in the far north-west of the country, very close to the Mauritanian border, in the Senegal River delta: the reserve offers a nature outing within reach of the town, with no night to plan for. If you live in Senegal, it is a short nature outing for a weekend in Saint-Louis; if you are visiting, a quiet counterpoint to the big birding parks of the north.

Things to do nearby

The Langue de Barbarie park is very close and is often combined with this visit. To complete your trip, the Djoudj offers the other great nature outing of the north, and the reserves and wildlife parks category lists others.